Former Phillie Signing Autographs Near Your House This Weekend

This weekend, a former member of the Philadelphia Phillies will be doing an autograph signing appearance  from 10:00 am -12:00 pm at the Giant Food Store down the street from your house.

“I’m pretty sure he was a catcher,” said Ted Jones, manager of the Giant. “Maybe third base.”

The player, whose name you don’t recognize, hit .234 in 147 PA for the Phillies. He hit two home runs and, improbably, stole one base.

When pressed for details, Jones couldn’t give specific information about the identity of the Phillie. “He was definitely before my time. I didn’t really follow baseball until the Phillies got good [in 2008], so I’m not really the right guy to ask. I think he said he played in 2000? 2001, maybe?”

“He told me on the phone he wasn’t with the Phillies long, but he was in the area for a fishing trip. Or a camping trip. Or something. I dunno,” said Sally Knox, Assistant Manager of the Giant, “The clown we usually hire to do balloon animals canceled on us and this guy only wanted a hundred bucks so I didn’t care who he was.”

Knox, who wanted to attract customers to the store for the monthly “Family Day”, booked the player because of the popularity of the Phillies. “People buy anything with the Phillies logo on it so I figured they’d love to actually meet a player.”

After speaking to Debbie Nocito, Manager, Client Services and Alumni Relations for the Phillies, it was confirmed that the player making the appearance was Tom Prince. Prince, who played 50 games for the Phillies from 1999-2000, was a career journeyman catcher playing for five different teams over the course of his 16-year career.

When asked for comment, Prince said he didn’t blame anybody for knowing who he was. “To be honest, I was just looking for a quick buck,” he said.

Prince will be selling autographed 8″x10″ glossy photos for $10 each. “Phillies fans will buy friggin’ anything these days.”