Philadelphia/Connie Mack Chapter meeting recap – 11/14/2015
Twenty-one members of the Philadelphia/Connie Mack Chapter gathered on Saturday, November 14, 2015, at the City Institute Library in Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia for their first Hot Stove of the 2015 Offseason. The chapter offered free coffee to begin the event. We opened with a lengthy discussion on the World Series and season just passed.
There was wide agreement that Eric Hosmer’s dash home in the final game proved to be the play of the Series. There was also wide agreement that a better throw from both Wright and Duda would have ended the game with a Mets’ win.
Presentations included Brian Engelhardt’s excellent recap of his recent “Reading’s Big League Exhibition Games”, an Arcadia Books story of major league baseball’s visits to Reading, PA, in their Images of Baseball series.
Matt Albertson’s presentation summarized the first National League’s game in its history, the clash twixt the Boston Red Caps and the Athletics of Philadelphia at 26th & Jefferson on April 22, 1876.
He also posited the placement of a Pennsylvania State Historical & Museum Commission sign at the site to mark the “First” event. Discussion afterwards revealed general agreement — with some modification to the proposal that included creating a larger venue at the site for ball games. Big stuff. Matt agreed to be the point person on this proposal. Discussion on this will continue at the December Hot Stove—which is Saturday, December 12 at the City Institute Library.
— Seamus Kearney
seamus1942@me.com