It's getting to be that time of year. You're wondering what to get people for the holidays, people are asking you what you want for the holidays. Fortunately for Phillies fans, there are all sorts of things to give and receive this year. Sure, you probably have some Phillies clothing, but does any of it have the words, "World Champions" on it? And if you have any books about the Phillies, chances are they don't have anything to do with the 2008 Championship.
There will be a whole slew of these books coming out, you can be sure. But to my knowledge, the first one to hit the scene is "Phillies Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Championship Season", written by former Phillies player and current broadcaster Gary Matthews and Wilmington News-Journal beat writer Scott Lauber.
Curious about the book, I threw some questions Scott's way and he was kind enough to answer them. So call up the "Tonight Show" music and read on...
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The book is "by Gary Matthews with Scott Lauber". If you don't mind, fill us in on how the project got started and what roles you and Sarge each had in the writing process.
In 2007, Triumph Books published "Diary of a Red Sox Season," by Johnny Pesky with Maureen Mullen, a freelance writer based in the Boston area. They wanted to continue the series in 2008, so in May, they chose to do a similar project with the Phillies and Sarge. (Triumph, by the way, is now 2-for-2 on indirectly picking World Series champs, so I think it's safe to take their book choice for 2009 to Vegas.) Anyway, they needed a writer to work with Sarge, and they contacted me in early June.
The book is structured like a diary, with entries for each day that Sarge and I deemed important. Each entry opens with a newspaper-style narrative written by me and explaining what happened and why it was significant. My writing is followed by transcripts of Sarge's thoughts. He offers opinions and insights from his interaction with players and uses examples from his playing and coaching careers to illustrate his points. For me, it was fascinating to get his point of view from the broadcast booth and to see how sometimes it was completely different from mine in the press box. Once we got started, in early July, Sarge and I talked almost daily for at least 20 minutes before batting practice. Our longer conversations lasted more than an hour.
Did Sarge ever let you try on one of his hats? Did you ever see him wear the same one twice?
No, Sarge didn't let me try on any of his hats, but then, I never asked. Let's just say fedoras aren't my style. I certainly can't pull off the look the way he does. I'm sure he doubled-up on the hats, but in all honesty, he has so many that it's impossible to keep track. My favorite, without question, is his trucker cap with "Vote For Obama" on the front. It looks homemade, although I never asked where he got it.
Chronologically, when does the book pickup and where does it leave off?
The book opens with Sarge throwing the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Dodgers, but it quickly flashes back to the end of the 2007 season. From there, it continues chronologically through the 2007-08 offseason, spring training, the regular season and each round of the playoffs. It runs through the resumption of Game 5 of the World Series and closes with Sarge's thoughts on the championship and the victory parade through Center City.
Our conversations occurred throughout the season, in real time. So, for me, it's fun to look back now at Sarge's mood during various points of the season. For instance, he really jumped on the bandwagon in mid-September during the four-game sweep of the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. That's when he was certain the Phillies would make the playoffs. Before that, he wasn't always as sure.
Does Sarge mind getting called Sarge by people who have never met him?
As best I can tell, Sarge loves being called Sarge -- by everyone. For those who aren't aware of how he got the nickname, folks in Chicago apparently began calling him Sarge in 1984 because he had a habit of saluting the fans in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley. Just another example of his unique style, I suppose.
During telecasts, Sarge seems most comfortable talking about hitting, how batters approach plate appearances, hitting styles, etc. What does Sarge have to say about the approaches of various Phillies' hitters at the plate? Ryan Howard specifically? Chase Utley?
You're absolutely right. Sarge's forte, obviously, is hitting. He was a pretty good hitter during his career, batting .281 with 234 homers, so his best observations, I thought, were about the Phillies' hitters. Without giving too much away, he talks a lot about Ryan Howard, in particular. Howard is a difficult player to judge, primarily because of the balance that must be struck between his historic power numbers, his high strikeout totals and his declining batting average and on-base/slugging percentage. And, like everyone else, Sarge sometimes struggles to put Howard in the proper context.
Like most people, Sarge is mesmerized by the consistency of Chase Utley's short, compact swing. So, throughout Utley's second-half slump, Sarge wondered with the rest of us about the health of his hip. I found that Sarge always had plenty to say about Jimmy Rollins, and even during the tough times (the ankle injury, the two benchings by Charlie Manuel, etc.), he often likened J-Roll to Willie Mays because of the impact he could have on the team. Sarge also talked quite a bit about Pat Burrell, with whom he has a close relationship, Charlie Manuel, and both Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino, who exceeded everyone's expectations, including Sarge's.
Where can we buy the book? Barnes & Noble? Local bookstores? Amazon.com?
It's already available on Amazon.com. People also can buy the book at Barnes & Noble, Borders and online at their respective Web sites.
