Westcott: The Phillies’ connections to George H.W. Bush and government

From SABR member Rich Westcott at the Delaware County Times on December 10, 2018:

The recent passing of George H. W. Bush brings to mind a Phillies connection with the 41st president of the United States. It is a particularly intriguing connection that went unnoticed in this week’s multitude of reactions.

Bush attended Yale University. While there, he played on the baseball team and was captain in his senior year. His coach was former Phillies outfielder Ethan Allen.

Allen, who coached at Yale from 1946 through 1968, spent three seasons with the Phillies, playing as a starting outfielder in 1934 and 1935 before getting traded during the 1936 campaign. He hit .330 in his first year in Philadelphia and .307 in his second. Altogether, Allen spent 13 years in the majors, retiring in 1938 with a lifetime batting average of .300.

After serving overseas on a special-services assignment for the federal government during World War II, Allen became the baseball coach at Yale. There he led his team to the first two College World Series, where they were finalists both times. In each case, his first baseman was a former Navy pilot named George Bush.

Read the full article here: https://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/guest-column-the-phillies-connections-to-george-h-w-bush/article_6ce15b28-fb02-11e8-8e29-fffbc428ea51.html



Originally published: December 13, 2018. Last Updated: December 13, 2018.