Von Hayes surprisingly still baseball icon in Philadelphia
Nick Teitsworth
Issue date: 2/27/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Von Hayes - two words that have undoubtedly located themselves at the forefront of many Phillies fan's minds.
This past Thursday, pitchers and catchers reported to the Phillies' spring home of Clearwater, Fla. For the second consecutive season, the Phillies are stirring a buzz in Major League Baseball circles and the greater Philadelphia region. The long awaited opening of Citizens Bank Park and the second consecutive off-season of amassing talent has created anticipation in the once-dwindling Phillies nation.
Phillies anticipation has even crept its way onto Drexel's campus. Long before spring training, there had been a growing trend of changing the backgrounds on the computers in the Matheson Hall computer lab.
As I sat down one day recently, I was looking squarely at a picture of the Phils current hero, Jim Thome, taking a Veterans' Stadium curtain call. It didn't strike me as odd, because if a Philadelphia athlete was to be chosen, Thome would be a logical candidate.
Then the tradition continued the next day, when the computer I was seated at featured a full size black and white photo of none other than Hayes. I thought, why Hayes? Then it all started to come back to me.
Whenever the name Von Hayes is uttered in the presence of my friend Brent, it will undoubtedly be greeted with the remark, "I'll be damned if Von Hayes isn't the greatest baseball player this world has ever seen."
Like the rest of the world, he knows this is obviously untrue, but every time "Von Hayes" is heard, he automatically makes the statement with Tourette's-like uncontrollability.
Admittedly, the above quote is actually a paraphrase of the nonsense I've heard repeated on too many occasions. Actually, I asked the same friend for a quote when I told him that I was writing this article. It's over a week later and he still hasn't responded. It seems that the name Von Hayes has somehow lodged itself somewhere between the conscious and subconscious of a generation of Phillies fans. The name lays dormant until someone mentions something from a Phillies team of the past and suddenly you cannot wait to blurt out the two words.
Hayes' Phillies career began with tremendous expectations. Hayes was acquired from the Cleveland Indians for five players, one of which was Julio Franco. In 1983, Hayes' first Philadelphia spring training, Pete Rose joked that he should be given the number 541 to signify the price the Phils paid for his services.
From a numbers approach, it's difficult to understand what has propelled Hayes to cult hero status. In his twelve year Major League career, his numbers are: a .267 average, 143 home runs, and 696 RBIs. Far from Hall of Fame numbers, although in 1989 he slugged a career-high 26 home runs and appeared in his only All-Star game. He also was the first player in Major League history to hit two home runs in the first inning of a game.
In fact, Hayes' lengthy career and mediocre statistics make it more difficult to understand his undoubted importance. If prolonged mediocrity is the qualifier, why does yelling "Steve Jeltz" not bring the same pleasure? In fairness, it seems a name like Lance Parrish should be greeted with more historical taunting. The highly touted catcher from the Detroit Tigers appeared to be a fraud the minute he donned a Phils uniform, and if it's a formula of talent, hype, and fizzle, hopefully we will be joking "Pat Burrell" a decade from now.
Hayes may be a victim of his timing. He became the face of the Phillies transition from the championship caliber teams in the early 80s to the abysmal teams of the late 80s and early 90s. Those same abysmal teams were the first memories of professional baseball for many who grew up this area.
It is said by historians that the Civil War is the central point in American history and our consciousness as Americans. Understanding that, it's still difficult to understand how Hayes has become the central point in the consciousness of a generation of Phillies fans.
In the end, diligently trying to understand the Von Hayes phenomenon does not remove me from the subconscious preoccupation. I have a confession to make. While sitting in the Matheson Hall computer lab with a friend, I saw the Thome mural on his computer next to me. My mind raced for an appropriate and humorous image to accompany Thome. Before my brain could even begin to churn, the answer already consumed my mind: Von Hayes.
For the diehard fans, while conducting my online research, I stumbled upon two books that include passages dedicated to Mr. Hayes: "Is It Better to Pull or Go the Other Way?" by John Dewen and "1980s: October 1980 to September 1989" by Mike Blake. (I assume the 1980s book refers to baseball, but Hayes' impact on the entire cultural landscape cannot be underestimated.)
Nick Teitsworth is a senior majoring in marketing. Nick could spend all day talking about all of the underachieving athletes in Philadelphia sports.
This past Thursday, pitchers and catchers reported to the Phillies' spring home of Clearwater, Fla. For the second consecutive season, the Phillies are stirring a buzz in Major League Baseball circles and the greater Philadelphia region. The long awaited opening of Citizens Bank Park and the second consecutive off-season of amassing talent has created anticipation in the once-dwindling Phillies nation.
Phillies anticipation has even crept its way onto Drexel's campus. Long before spring training, there had been a growing trend of changing the backgrounds on the computers in the Matheson Hall computer lab.
As I sat down one day recently, I was looking squarely at a picture of the Phils current hero, Jim Thome, taking a Veterans' Stadium curtain call. It didn't strike me as odd, because if a Philadelphia athlete was to be chosen, Thome would be a logical candidate.
Then the tradition continued the next day, when the computer I was seated at featured a full size black and white photo of none other than Hayes. I thought, why Hayes? Then it all started to come back to me.
Whenever the name Von Hayes is uttered in the presence of my friend Brent, it will undoubtedly be greeted with the remark, "I'll be damned if Von Hayes isn't the greatest baseball player this world has ever seen."
Like the rest of the world, he knows this is obviously untrue, but every time "Von Hayes" is heard, he automatically makes the statement with Tourette's-like uncontrollability.
Admittedly, the above quote is actually a paraphrase of the nonsense I've heard repeated on too many occasions. Actually, I asked the same friend for a quote when I told him that I was writing this article. It's over a week later and he still hasn't responded. It seems that the name Von Hayes has somehow lodged itself somewhere between the conscious and subconscious of a generation of Phillies fans. The name lays dormant until someone mentions something from a Phillies team of the past and suddenly you cannot wait to blurt out the two words.
Hayes' Phillies career began with tremendous expectations. Hayes was acquired from the Cleveland Indians for five players, one of which was Julio Franco. In 1983, Hayes' first Philadelphia spring training, Pete Rose joked that he should be given the number 541 to signify the price the Phils paid for his services.
From a numbers approach, it's difficult to understand what has propelled Hayes to cult hero status. In his twelve year Major League career, his numbers are: a .267 average, 143 home runs, and 696 RBIs. Far from Hall of Fame numbers, although in 1989 he slugged a career-high 26 home runs and appeared in his only All-Star game. He also was the first player in Major League history to hit two home runs in the first inning of a game.
In fact, Hayes' lengthy career and mediocre statistics make it more difficult to understand his undoubted importance. If prolonged mediocrity is the qualifier, why does yelling "Steve Jeltz" not bring the same pleasure? In fairness, it seems a name like Lance Parrish should be greeted with more historical taunting. The highly touted catcher from the Detroit Tigers appeared to be a fraud the minute he donned a Phils uniform, and if it's a formula of talent, hype, and fizzle, hopefully we will be joking "Pat Burrell" a decade from now.
Hayes may be a victim of his timing. He became the face of the Phillies transition from the championship caliber teams in the early 80s to the abysmal teams of the late 80s and early 90s. Those same abysmal teams were the first memories of professional baseball for many who grew up this area.
It is said by historians that the Civil War is the central point in American history and our consciousness as Americans. Understanding that, it's still difficult to understand how Hayes has become the central point in the consciousness of a generation of Phillies fans.
In the end, diligently trying to understand the Von Hayes phenomenon does not remove me from the subconscious preoccupation. I have a confession to make. While sitting in the Matheson Hall computer lab with a friend, I saw the Thome mural on his computer next to me. My mind raced for an appropriate and humorous image to accompany Thome. Before my brain could even begin to churn, the answer already consumed my mind: Von Hayes.
For the diehard fans, while conducting my online research, I stumbled upon two books that include passages dedicated to Mr. Hayes: "Is It Better to Pull or Go the Other Way?" by John Dewen and "1980s: October 1980 to September 1989" by Mike Blake. (I assume the 1980s book refers to baseball, but Hayes' impact on the entire cultural landscape cannot be underestimated.)
Nick Teitsworth is a senior majoring in marketing. Nick could spend all day talking about all of the underachieving athletes in Philadelphia sports.
