Yardbarker: Bobby Estalella

Today in Philly Sports History: Phillies Go Deep Record Seven Times, 1998

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Brogna. Estalella. Sefcik. Not names that strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitches, exactly--the three slugged a mere 160 longballs over the course of their combined careers, just a handful more than Ryan Howard hit in his first three full years as a Phil. But damned if they didn't do a pretty good impression of Murderer's Row (or at the very least, Utley-Howard-Ibanez) on September 8th, 1998. Facing the Mets and starting pitcher Hideo Nomo, Rico Brogna, Bobby Estalella and Ke...

While You Were BBQing, Beaching, and Bitching

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:30:00 -0500

The long weekend is over and whether you spent it in your back yard barbecuing, at the beach down the shore, or simply on your couch bitching about the Phillies, here are some of the stories you may have missed over the past few days. Looks like rookie Macho Harris will be the first to try and fill Brian Dawkins shoes. Much like Guy Pierce's character in Memento, Charlie Manuel has a short memory. And he's angry. Penn State handled Akron but they may no...

Upcoming Biz of Baseball Interview: Victor Conte

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:58:34 -0500

As the topic of performance-enhancing drugs in the world of sports has become increasingly prevalent, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) investigation has become a story that refuses to go away. The lab, founded and formerly owned by Victor Conte, supplied PEDs, most notably tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) or as it became more commonly known as "the Clear", to trainers and athletes. BALCO has been in association with high profile athletes such as Bill Romanowski, Marion Jones,...

Today in Philly Sports History: Bobby Estalella Hits 6.25% of His Career Home Runs, 1997

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Catcher Bobby Estalella never exactly set the baseball world on fire in any long-term sense, drifting as a backup between six teams over nine seasons. But at the end of the 1997 season, he probably seemed like the second coming of Johnny Bench. He had hit two home runs with a .353 batting average in seven games as a Phil in 1996, and he picked up where he left off in 1997. On September 4th, playing the Expos in just his third game after getting called up, he knocked three home runs off a lit...

Another TLBR Exclusive: Manny Ramirez Opens Up