Bowa¡¯s Legendary Career
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Lawrence Robert Bowa turns 79 on Dec. 6. Without a doubt, he has the status of a Phillies legend. Flash back 60 years ago, and no one ever thought he would reach that level.
Baseball¡¯s first summer Draft was 1965, and Bowa, a skinny shortstop from Sacramento, Calif., wasn¡¯t selected. 824 amateur players were. That fall (Oct. 12), the Phillies signed Bowa. One small step for mankind.
When his playing days were done, he had worn a Phillies uniform for 20 years (player, coach and manager). No one has worn it any longer. Oh, he also wore a Phillies Minor League uniform for four years.
Phillies Northern California scout Eddie Bockman had seen ¡°Bow¡± play at various levels of amateur baseball in the San Francisco Bay area. He knew Larry had basic baseball tools, knew he had heart, knew he was a competitor, knew he had a temper and thought it worthy of bringing Paul Owens (director of the farm system and scouting then) into the picture.
During that World Series, Bockman and Owens met in the latter¡¯s hotel suite in Los Angeles. Bockman had some eight-millimeter film of a young infielder and wanted Owens to see the home movie. They had no screen, so Owens took the sheet off his bed and the two of them attached it to the wall. Owens liked what he saw. Larry, 19 years of age, signed for $1,200.
He was ready to quit after his first pro game with the Spartanburg Phillies (1966). Four strikeouts in four at-bats. The pitcher? Future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.
His first year in the Phillies big league camp was in Clearwater, Fla. (1967). He wore No. 53. I remember manager Gene Mauch saying, ¡°I can see him run, can see him catch the ball, can see him throw. When he hits, I don¡¯t hear anything.¡±
His Major League debut came in the last season opener at Connie Mack Stadium (1970). Ballpark security wouldn¡¯t let him in believing he wasn¡¯t a player. He talked his way in, wore No. 10, batted first and was hitless in three at-bats. The pitcher? Future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins.
Despite hitting .191 through the first two months, manager Frank Lucchesi stuck with him. Bowa finished the season with a .250 average.
When Steve Carlton dominated in 1972, Bow proclaimed it was ¡°Winday¡± when Lefty pitched. Larry¡¯s first Major League home run came that season off Houston¡¯s Dave Roberts, an inside-the-parker in his 1,746th career plate appearance.
Years later, he and Greg Luzinski collided chasing a foul ball down the left-field line. A Mack truck hitting a Volkswagen beetle. The quick-witted Bowa told Bull after the game, ¡°You need to wear a cow bell.¡±
During batting practice one day in the early years of Veterans Stadium, Luzinski sent a ball into the left-field upper deck. Bowa blurted, ¡°That ball¡¯s outta here!¡± Broadcaster Harry Kalas, standing nearby, overheard the description and adopted it. The rest is history.
His 12 years as the Phillies shortstop (1970-81) included five postseason clubs, including the franchise¡¯s first World Series championship team (1980). He was a five-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves. He was inducted into the Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame in 1991.
Larry played in the last game at Connie Mack Stadium, the first game at Veterans Stadium (got the first hit there) and managed the last game at Veterans Stadium and the first game at Citizens Bank Park.
His post-playing career included coaching for the Phillies twice (1988-96; 2014-17) and managing for four seasons (2001-04). Larry was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2001. No other Phillies manager has won the BBWAA Award.
He was ultra-competitive, a battler, scrappy, chirpy, feisty and an endless worker. He used all of that and ended up with 2,191 hits in 2,247 games and a .260 average. As a shortstop, he made only 211 errors in 19,058 1/3 innings.
Ultra-competitive? He was ejected 35 times wearing a Phillies uniform, 22 as a manager, eight as a player and five as a coach. For his entire career, 52. Who was the last Phillie to be ejected at both Veterans Stadium and Jack Russell Memorial Stadium? Yes, Larry. You.
Bowa is still active with the Phillies as a senior advisor to the general manager (since October 2017). He¡¯s a regular in Spring Training working with infielders, both at the Major League and Minor League camps. He arrives early at BayCare Ballpark and can be found on its half-field and regular diamond and any of the four fields at the complex. He's always armed with a fungo bat and always willing to wear out infielders hitting endless ground balls and teaching proper fielding fundamentals. His passion.
During the season, he spends time visiting the Phillies Minor League clubs and also frequents Citizens Bank Park.
Elsewhere
Bowa also played for the Cubs (1982-85) and Mets (1985) ... Managed the Padres (1987-88) ... Coached for the Angels (1997-99), Mariners (2000), Yankees (2006-07) and Dodgers (2008-10) ... Other jobs in baseball include bench coach for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, an in-studio analyst for ESPN and MLB Network and talk show co-host for SiriusXM Radio.
Philly¡¯s Home
Early in his playing career, he made Philadelphia his home. Winters were and still are spent making appearances in the community. He¡¯s a regular at the annual Toyota Phillies Alumni Weekends. When introduced on the field, he always jogs, never just walks. When introduced during the Veterans Stadium closing ceremonies, he jumped on home plate.
A kid cut from his high school team three times, undrafted and ready to quit pro ball after one game, he wound up as one of the most beloved figures in Phillies history.