Almost a Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the 1980 Phillies

by William C. Kashatus

Being a Phillies fan has never been easy. The team has amassed the most losses of any professional sports franchise in history, as well as the longest losing streak and the most last-place finishes in the major leagues. The year 1980 was redemption for a miserable, century-old legacy of losing. It was also the beginning of the end for a team that could have been among the very best in baseball throughout the decade. Between 1980 and 1983 the Philadelphia Phillies captured two pennants and a world championship. Legends like Tug McGraw, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, and Pete Rose led the collection of homegrown products, veteran castoffs, and fair-haired rookies. If they had won another World Series, the team not only would have distanced themselves from a history of losing but would have established a championship dynasty. It never happened. The 1981 season was a watershed for both the Phillies and baseball. A players' strike led to a sixty-day work stoppage. The Phils, who had been in first place before the strike, were unable to regain their winning ways after play resumed. Labor relations between an increasingly powerful Players Association and inflexible owners became more acrimonious than ever before. Player salaries skyrocketed. Old loyalties were forgotten, and the notion of a homegrown team, like the 1980 Phillies, was a thing of the past. Almost a Dynasty details the rise and fall of the 1980 World Champion Phillies. Based on personal interviews, newspaper accounts, and the keen insight of a veteran baseball writer, the book convincingly explains why a team that had regularly made the post-season in the mid- to late 1970s, only to lose in the playoffs, was finally able to win its first world championship.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

392 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2008

Reviews

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. This is the second baseball book by William Kashatus that I've read and enjoyed with Jackie & Campy being the other book.
This book is a little more personal for the author because he's a Phillies fan from his youth with a soft spot for Mike Schmidt and Tug McGraw. The author gives a history lesson of the Phillies organization from their early years, leading up to their winning teams of the 70s culminating in the 1980 championship season and the team's eventual decline afterwards.

I didn't know much about the late 70s and early 80s Phillies teams and really how good they were, but it was surprising it even happened. The team was fighting against everyone - the newspaper media, the fans and even their own teammates.

If you enjoy baseball history, this is a good one to read.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic!

The team I loved the most and the year I fell in love with baseball. Well written account.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books starts with a brief histoy of the Phillies, including the historic 1964 collapse. This puts in to perspective the long wait for a World Series win by the Phillies, and the fans fatalistic view that something will ultimately go wrong.

The author devotes a substantial amount of time detailing how the pieces were put together for the Phillies 1980 Championship, including the building up of the farm system, and the acquisition of Pete Rose and Tug McGraw. The most interesting aspect of the book was the competition between the the stars on the team (Bowa, Schmidt and Luzinski), who all advanced from the minor leagues together. The book goes in to great lengths to discuss Schmidt's insecurities and his aloofness.

Of course, the 1980 Championship season is covered at length, and the ultimate reasons for the demise of the team after Bill Giles became owner of the club.