Del Unser

Del Unser, perhaps best-known for his dramatic postseason pinch-hitting in 1980, last night was named the Phillies' player-development director. Unser, who has been the Phils' minor-league hitting instructor for the past year, succeeds Lance Nichols, who was demoted to a scouting position July 18. According to general manager Lee Thomas, Unser and Don Blasingame, the minor-league field coordinator, "will work hand in hand in running the minor- league department. They both know how I want it done.

The long-rumored shake-up of the Phillies' player development system occurred suddenly yesterday with the firing of four longtime members of that department, including Del Unser, the director of player development for nine years. Unser was replaced on an interim basis by Dallas Green, the former World Series-winning Phils manager, who returned to the organization in May as an adviser to general manager Ed Wade. As the Phils' director of player development in the 1970s, Green presided over the maturation of many of the players who starred during the organization's golden years, from 1976 to 1983.

Oct. 15, 1980, Veterans Stadium Phillies 6, Royals 4 It took another big inning to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Del Unser, Bake McBride, Mike Schmidt and Keith Moreland all had RBI hits in a four-run eighth as the Phillies came from behind once again to win, 6-4. Royals starter Larry Gura held the Phillies hitless into the fifth and left with a 4-1 lead after 6 1/2 innings. -- The Daily News will remember past moments from each date in Phillies postseason history as they continue their 2008 playoff run.

  CLEARWATER, Fla. - As a young man coming out of the University of Scranton in the late 1990s, Mike Ondo had tunnel vision in terms of how a major-league baseball organization operated. That's why the Phillies' director of professional scouting set his ultimate goal of becoming a general manager. "I was naive when I started, thinking you had to be the GM," Ondo said before a spring-training game earlier this month. "The longer I've been here, I've seen how things work and how everything fits together.

The Phillies said yesterday they made several scouting changes. Howie Freiling joined the Phillies as a special assignment scout after two decades in the New York Mets organization. Freiling played in the Mets' minor-league system (1989-90), then spent 12 seasons as a coach (1991-2002) and the last six seasons (2003-08) as a pro scout. Hank King, the Phillies' major-league advance scout since 1985, moved to the club's pro staff and his old spot remains open. Jim Fregosi Jr., who spent 15 of the last 17 seasons with the Phillies and is the son of former manager Jim Fregosi, had been a national cross-checker and an amateur scouting coordinator.

The Phillies are expected to announce today the hiring of one of the best-known and most respected scouts in baseball, Gordon Lakey, as their new director of major-league scouting. Lakey, 54, had been a special assistant to the vice president and general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays for the last two years, and had worked for the Blue Jays as a major-league and special-assignment scout since 1985. He was also a onetime head of the Major League Scouting Bureau and a longtime scout for the Houston Astros, where he once worked with Phillies general manager Ed Wade.

The Phillies are scheduled to play the Cardinals on Friday in the deciding game of the best-of-five NLDS. In their playoff history, the Phillies are 1-1 in final games of series that have gone the distance. Here is a look at those games: 1980 NLCS, Game 5 vs. Houston Astros, Oct. 12. Phillies 8, Astros 7.   In Houston, the Phillies trailed, 5-2, entering the eighth when they hit three consecutive singles off Nolan Ryan, who was taken out after walking in a run. The Phils added four runs in the inning to take a 7-5 lead.

Former Northeast High baseball star Howie Freiling is coming home, joining the Phillies yesterday as a special assignment scout. Freiling spent the last 6 years as a pro scout with the New York Mets. A first baseman, Freiling was named to the Daily News All-City team three times in high school (1982-84). In '82 and '83, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was a member of the All-City squad as an infielder at Penn Charter. After his collegiate career at North Carolina, Freiling spent time playing and managing in the minor leagues.

Forgotten in the afterglow of the World Series victory in October is the strange fact that the Phillies' only other championship left Harry Kalas in a funk. In 1980, networks owned the exclusive radio and TV broadcast rights to the World Series, and the Phillies' broadcast crew was not on the air. "It's depressing, frustrating and disappointing that after working the Phillies through the entire season and playoffs, we can't work the Series," Kalas told the Daily News the day of the climactic Game 6. "It's like being in reach of the plum and not being able to grab it. But that's the nature of the beast, I guess.

The Phillies have a tough task this weekend: trying to cool off the defending National League champion Atlanta Braves in a three-game series at Veterans Stadium. The Braves have been the hottest club in the National League, going from last place in the NL West on May 26 to first now. The Braves have perhaps the best starting staff in baseball, with pitchers Tom Glavine, a contender to repeat as Cy Young award winner, John Smoltz, Steve Avery and Charlie Leibrandt. The offense is led by third baseman Terry Pendleton, who won last year's NL batting title and the league's Most Valuable Player Award.

The Phillies are scheduled to play the Cardinals on Friday in the deciding game of the best-of-five NLDS. In their playoff history, the Phillies are 1-1 in final games of series that have gone the distance. Here is a look at those games: 1980 NLCS, Game 5 vs. Houston Astros, Oct. 12. Phillies 8, Astros 7.   In Houston, the Phillies trailed, 5-2, entering the eighth when they hit three consecutive singles off Nolan Ryan, who was taken out after walking in a run. The Phils added four runs in the inning to take a 7-5 lead.

WHAT IN THE NAME of Del Unser and Greg Gross is going on here? That supposedly fearsome regular Phillies lineup has been setting off the occasional firecracker instead of the expected chain reaction of big bombs. But the pinch-hitters manager Charlie Manuel keeps sending up in key situations are taking up some of the offensive slack. Hey, whatever gets the job done. Or, as was the case last night, partly done. Ross Gload and Pete Orr delivered key hits in a pinch against Milwaukee last night in Citizens Bank Park, boosting the Phillies' batting average in such situations - which already was the best in the majors - to a robust .522 (12-for-23)

There are longshots. There are loooongshots . And then there is Matt Anderson. News broke yesterday that the Phillies have signed the 34-year-old righthander to a minor league contract, even though he hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2005 and hasn't pitched professionally since being released by the White Sox organization in July, 2008. Why? Apparently the Phillies figured, why not? It seems that Anderson has been working out at a rehab facility in Arizona frequented by major leaguers and former major leaguers hoping to make comebacks.

THE 1980 PHILLIES were still alive in the National League East race when the Cubs came to the Vet for four games. Dallas Green's contentious contender had just lost two of three at home to the first-place Expos. The Phils trailed by a half-game with seven to play, the final three in Montreal. The first game of the Cubs series was as tense as baseball gets. Larry Bowa set the stage by ripping the fans on his pregame radio show, calling them "front-runners rooting for us to lose.

Name a Phillie - any Phillie from the deep bench of players spanning the 127-year history of the club. Chances are you chose the name of a great Phillies player - Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Chuck Klein, Scott Rolen, Bob Boone. But did you choose a player with a great Phillies name? I submit that there is a difference. Steve Carlton is the name of a great Phillies pitcher. Robin Roberts is a great Phillies name. From Blondie Purcell in that inaugural year of 1883 to Raul Ibanez in 2010, the Phillies have had many memorable names.

  CLEARWATER, Fla. - As a young man coming out of the University of Scranton in the late 1990s, Mike Ondo had tunnel vision in terms of how a major-league baseball organization operated. That's why the Phillies' director of professional scouting set his ultimate goal of becoming a general manager. "I was naive when I started, thinking you had to be the GM," Ondo said before a spring-training game earlier this month. "The longer I've been here, I've seen how things work and how everything fits together.

Forgotten in the afterglow of the World Series victory in October is the strange fact that the Phillies' only other championship left Harry Kalas in a funk. In 1980, networks owned the exclusive radio and TV broadcast rights to the World Series, and the Phillies' broadcast crew was not on the air. "It's depressing, frustrating and disappointing that after working the Phillies through the entire season and playoffs, we can't work the Series," Kalas told the Daily News the day of the climactic Game 6. "It's like being in reach of the plum and not being able to grab it. But that's the nature of the beast, I guess.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - If the 2009 Phillies exhibit an increased swagger when they arrive at training camp, it's understandable. Figuratively at least, winning a World Series can have the same impact on ballplayers as steroids. Heads grow. Chests swell. Weights are lifted. "There's nothing that builds your confidence like winning [a championship]," said Del Unser, who did that with the 1980 Phillies. "It can take career monkeys off people's backs. " "When they walk out onto the field this year, they'll know they can do it," said Bob Boone, another member of those champion 1980 Phils.

Former Northeast High baseball star Howie Freiling is coming home, joining the Phillies yesterday as a special assignment scout. Freiling spent the last 6 years as a pro scout with the New York Mets. A first baseman, Freiling was named to the Daily News All-City team three times in high school (1982-84). In '82 and '83, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was a member of the All-City squad as an infielder at Penn Charter. After his collegiate career at North Carolina, Freiling spent time playing and managing in the minor leagues.

The Phillies said yesterday they made several scouting changes. Howie Freiling joined the Phillies as a special assignment scout after two decades in the New York Mets organization. Freiling played in the Mets' minor-league system (1989-90), then spent 12 seasons as a coach (1991-2002) and the last six seasons (2003-08) as a pro scout. Hank King, the Phillies' major-league advance scout since 1985, moved to the club's pro staff and his old spot remains open. Jim Fregosi Jr., who spent 15 of the last 17 seasons with the Phillies and is the son of former manager Jim Fregosi, had been a national cross-checker and an amateur scouting coordinator.