Went to the Prince last night to see the Richie Ashburn movie, and it was simply tremendous. Emotions ran high right off the bat, as Harry the K came out to give a short intro. At the end of it, he said, “It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry” and his eyes began to water. The film then began and Harry’s words rang true. There were numerous moments of hilarity, such as when person after person testified about how much Whitey hated pitchers, followed by Ashburn saying, “They cheat. They spit on the ball. They cut the ball. They’re not a group with very good character. Never trust a pitcher. I wouldn’t want my daughter to marry a pitcher.” It also showed him bemoaning woeful decisions made by the Phillies over the years, and talked about the tennis rivalry between he and Nails. The movie was an emotional roller coaster, and the footage of Ed Rendell’s incredible speech at his funeral almost had me lose it. But the film, which was narrated by Ashburn’s best friend, Harry, ended on a high note, and the movie was followed by a Q & A with the producer (Dan Stephensen) and with Phillies legend Robin Roberts (both of whom deservedly received standing ovations). Somebody in the crowd asked Robin, who was Whitey’s roommate, “If Richie hated pitchers so much, how did you two get along?”, to which Roberts replied dryly, “We didn’t.” All in all, a terrific film and a wonderful night. If you are at all a fan of baseball (and especially of the Phillies) then this movie, which will be out on DVD in a week, is an absolute must see.
RELATED: A short clip of the film.
