Talented Sons The 1980 Phillies Produced Some Fine Offspring

The bases were loaded with Royals and the Phillies were leading, 4-1, in the top of the ninth inning when Frank White sailed a foul pop toward the first-base dugout. Bob Boone, the catcher, threw off his mask in pursuit. Pete Rose, the first baseman, darted in as backup. Boone squeezed, but the ball popped off the tip of his mitt. The fate of the 1980 Phillies hung in the balance . . . when Rose snatched the ball from the night air for the second out. Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson. The Phils had won the World Series.

Bret Boone and Pete Rose Jr. were standing by the visiting team dugout at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, Md., last week, waving bats and talking about old times.

"Oh, I remember the play," Boone said. "It's almost like Petey and I have been bonded by it."

It was an hour before their single-A Carolina League game was to begin, and Boone, who plays second base for the Peninsula (Va.) Pilots, and Rose, a third baseman for the Frederick Keys, were reliving some shared memories.

"Petey and I used to run around the clubhouse together, take turns being batboy, shag balls," Boone said. "And then things happen and you go your separate ways. We hadn't seen each other in about six years before we ran into each other in the same minor league. Funny how things work out sometimes, isn't it?"

The 1980 Phillies are gathering this weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the team's first-ever World Series championship. Their legacy, however, is more than a championship trophy.

Three sons of men who wore the red and white pin stripes in 1980 are currently chasing the dream of making it to the big leagues - with one in waiting. Boone, the son of Bob Boone, is a highly regarded prospect in the Seattle Mariners' system at Peninsula. Rose, the son of Pete Rose, is making progress for the Baltimore Orioles' club in Frederick. Ruben Amaro Jr., son of then-first base coach Ruben Amaro, is with the California Angels' triple-A team in Edmonton, Alberta. The player in waiting is Ryan Luzinski, the son of former leftfielder Greg Luzinski, an 11th-grader who has already caught the attention of pro scouts.

Sons of major-leaguers are scattered throughout minor-league baseball. A few, such as Ken Griffey Jr., brothers Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr., and Barry Bonds, have even made a splash in the big leagues. But perhaps no team in the major leagues has spawned as many future pros as the 1980 Phillies.

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