Today, March 19th, 2019, marks the 92nd birthday of my friend Rich Ashburn. I was talking to a friend the other day, and I remember saying how it’s a gamble, when you meet someone, who was a boyhood hero. When you finally meet that person, sometimes, they turn out to be a horse’s ass. With Whitey, the guy you heard on radio, or TV was that same guy, in real life. Rich was a profoundly funny, intelligent, caring individual, and there’s not a day that I don’t recall some “Whiteyism”, and it brings a smile. The “art work” he had above his sofa, was a map of Nebraska, with his hometown, Tilden, circled. That was Whitey, Tough as nails, and soft as smoke. Happy Birthday my friend……………
Whitey’s 92nd Birthday……
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Has it Really Been 22 years ??
Here’s a photo from the Hall of Fame Induction of Richie Ashburn 7/30/1995. Shown here are Whitey, my daughter Cait (now 32 years old), and me.
Whitey always said, it was one of the happiest days of his life. I’m honored I could be there to see it.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
The Ballad of Lucky the Horse
You don’t get involved in something that takes up four years of your life without some funny, wacky things happening. This is one of those stories, and I swear, it’s 100% true! When I first started my”Why The Hall Not” campaign for Whitey in 1991, he sent me a note. It basically said he appreciated my effort on his behalf, and obviously he couldn’t get personally involved. He closed the note by saying he hoped I wasn’t wasting my time, but he did think I was ” beating a dead horse”. In other words, it was a lost cause. Rich Westcott, the publisher of Phillies Report, was kind enough to offer me a free ad, in his publication. Seeing I had no money for advertising (my campaign was as low budget as you could get), I jumped at the chance. I had a friend who had a horse farm in…
View original post 235 more words
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Today…July 30th
Today, July 30th, is the 20th anniversary of the Hall of Fame induction of Richie Ashburn & Mike Schmidt. If you were there, feel free to post a comment. I know, for me, as a life-long Phils fan, it was the memory of a lifetime. At that time, it was the biggest crowd to ever come to Cooperstown for an induction ceremony, and I believe that still stands. Richie said that was one of the happiest days of his life. I’m glad I could be there to see it……….jim
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
20 Years Ago…………Next Week
It’s hard to believe, next Thursday will be the 20th anniversary of Whitey & Schmitty’s Hall of Fame Induction. That was a long weekend, that will always be one of my greatest memories. I got to meet many of the 200,000 people who signed my ” Why The Hall Not ? ” petitions over the four years of the campaign. I also got to meet some of the HOF executives, I annoyed over the four years of my campaign. To this day, people ask me would I do it over? My reply is simple. For Whitey, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I just wish I had the internet back then. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting some of my memories of that weekend, so check back………………jim donahue
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
Richie Ashburn: Why The Hall Not? book 