 |
| Dennis Bennett - P, Phillies |
I was sad to hear that former Phillies pitcher, Dennis Bennett died this past weekend after a long illness. Phillies fans probably remember him best as a starter on the star-crossed 1964 team. With Jim Bunning, Art Mahaffey, Ray Culp and Chris Short, Bennett rounded out a strong rotation that lead to the Phils early season success that year. Unfortunately, he was one of several players to catch the injury bug and a sore arm derailed the second half of his season.
My dad raised me on stories of guys like Bunning, Allen, Callison and Taylor and of watching games at Connie Mack Stadium. Those stories sparked an interest in the team's of the 1960's, especially the 1964 squad. Over the years, Dennis Bennett has been a "solid contributor" to my collection - signing balls, pictures and cards. Many times I would include extra items for him to keep (Sports Digest with him on the cover, cards, etc) and I would always receive something extra and unexpected back from him (letters, signed pictures). I did not know him personally, but I sure got the impression he appreciated me writing. The fans and hobby enthusiasts lost a great guy last weekend - Thanks for everything, Mr. Bennett.
 |
| '64 Bulletin Picture - D. Bennett |
I would like to thank all the fans of my father Dennis. He was a life long fan of baseball and never missed a moment to share some of his momories of the game he loved so much. He was always happy to sign autographs and any other memorabilia. Thanks to all of you that have kept his memory alive and for those of you who love the game as much as he did. He will be greatly missed, but it melts my heart knowing there are fans out there that appreciated what he has done for the game....... Vanessa Bennett
ReplyDelete