Time to give slugger Del Ennis his due

Here's how it's too often stated: Ryan Howard needs four more home runs to move into second place on the Phillies' all-time list, trailing only Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. Which is both true and all wrong at the same time. Because the name of the current runner-up shouldn't be glossed over.

Del Ennis don't get no respect. Didn't when he was playing. Didn't after he retired. Doesn't now.

Hard to say why. A graduate of Olney High School who starred for his hometown team, he made the National League All-Star team as a rookie in 1946 even though he didn't make his major league debut until April 28 after being discharged from the Navy. Led the league in RBI in 1950 as the Whiz Kids won the pennant and, during his career, drove in more runs than any player except Stan Musial.

And became the favored target for boos here.

"He was from North Philly and South Philly didn't like North Philly," late Hall of Fame righthander Robin Roberts speculated in a 2009 interview. "He was a big slugger. People talk about how Philly fans are tough on their players. He's the only guy that I played with that they were tough on. They didn't boo any of the rest of us. He was big and strong and ... everyone expects them to hit home runs."

Ennis finished his career with a .284 average, 288 home runs - 259 with the Phillies - and 1,284 RBI. Those statistics are comparable to several players enshrined in Cooperstown. Ennis got three votes from the BBWAA in 1966, two the following year and that was it.

Today, even more-than-casual fans might be pressed to recall exactly who is standing between Howard and Schmidt at the moment. And even those who know the name probably don't recall that much about him.

Well, Ennis was outwardly quiet but considered a practical joker in the clubhouse. He was offered a September call-up after his only season in the minors, with the Trenton Packers of the Class B Interstate League, but turned it down to spend time with his family before reporting for military service.

He made $30,000 in 1950, at the time the highest salary ever paid a Phillies player. But he also talked the front office into including bonuses that paid him up to an extra $20,000 if he reached 120 RBI ... and collected three times. He used to soak his bats in a barrel of linseed oil at a local gas station all winter, then put them in a clubhouse dryer in spring training to harden the wood.

He was given not one but two Del Ennis Nights at Shibe Park, once in his rookie season and again in 1955.

He retired in 1959. The year before, he opened Del Ennis Lanes in Huntingdon Valley and he operated it until June 1991. He also bred racing greyhounds. He passed away in 1996 of complications from diabetes at age 70.

And, significantly, he said he never let the negative reaction from the stands get him down. "The booing didn't bother me much," he once told Skip "Memory Lane" Clayton. "At first, when it started, I thought about it. But I made up my mind I was going to play ball or go home. I kept it out of my mind."

Ryan Howard has 256 home runs. Pretty soon, he will pass Ennis on the Phillies' list. And when he does, please pause a moment to appreciate how good the guy he eclipsed really was.

PHAIR & PHOUL

WARNING - GANTLET AHEAD: The Phillies opened this season with just seven of their first 31 games against teams that had winning records in 2010. But, beginning May 6, they will play 17 of their next 20 against teams that were above .500 last season, including 13 against teams that made the playoffs.

SPLITSVILLE: Here's an interesting look at the splits on Joe Blanton's first two starts of the season. In the first three innings, he has a 1.50 earned run average and opponents are batting .227 against him. In innings 4 through 6, his ERA is 22.85 and opponents are hitting .522. Hmmmm.

IT'S DRAFTY IN HERE: Major League Baseball has announced the official draft order for June. The Phillies will not have a first-round pick after signing Cliff Lee; the Rangers will get the 33rd and 27th picks overall as compensation. The Phillies do get a sandwich pick (39th overall) and a second-round compensation pick (66th) for losing Jayson Werth.

CATCHING UP: According to the Arizona Republic, when Diamondbacks first baseman Russell Branyan singled against a 102 mph fastball by Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman last weekend, it was the second-fastest pitch ever put safely into play in recorded history. The fastest? By Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, who doubled on a 103.5 mph pitch thrown by Chapman during the NLDS last October.

Granted, the numbers used from the Pitch-f/x data base only go back to 2007. But that's still pretty impressive.

HOMER HAPPY: Going into play last night, the Phillies had hit 11,806 home runs in a franchise history dating back to 1883. That's eighth among all big-league teams. The Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland A's are ninth at 11,640 since going into business in 1901. The Yankees top the list at 14,325. The subject came up because the White Sox became the 15th team to reach 10,000 on Monday.

COLLECTIBLE CORNER: McFarlane Toys has announced a new lineup of baseball figurines, including Chase Utley swinging a bat. The previous version had him in a fielding position. Utley also will have an individually numbered "rare version" available.

Also, the local Make A Wish Foundation is offering a limited-edition plaque of the Phillies' Fab Four (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels) including dirt from the pitcher's mound at Citizens Bank Park. The fund will be used to grant wishes to children with life-threatening diseases. More info is available at www.nikcosports.com or calling 800-345-2868.

AROUND THE BASES

FULD OF IT: Rays fourth outfielder Sam Fuld got his chance when Manny Ramirez abruptly retired after flunking a second test for banned substances. The New Hampshire native played at Fenway Park for the first time Monday and had a home run around the Pesky Pole, two doubles and a triple, and made a diving catch. The Times reported that by Tuesday afternoon there were more than 1,000 posts on Twitter under the hashtag #legendofsamfuld, one-liners saluting his awesomeness.

Among the best:

-- Team officials have renamed the stadium Tropicana Fuld.

-- Sam Fuld is bored by The Most Interesting Man In The World.

-- Superman wears Sam Fuld pajamas.

-- He's taking it all in good humor, too. When Wednesday's game in Boston was postponed, he was asked why he couldn't stop the rain. "This is me washing my planet," he joked.

-- The Rays have now gotten into the act, announcing that they will replace the canceled May 29 Manny Ramirez bobblehead promotion with ... wait for it ... Sam Fuld Superhero Capes. "I was maybe close to getting an Iowa [Triple A] Cubs T-shirt giveaway, but I didn't even make the cut there," he observed.

Fabulous.

ARCHAEOLOGY LESSON: The remains of Yankee Stadium are buried in a Hazelton disposal site, according to the town paper, Standard Speaker. It seems that the debris was hauled in from the Bronx, used to fill in an abandoned mine shaft and is now buried 30 feet underground. The paper points out that the burial ground is not far from where Cranberry Ballpark, where Babe Ruth once played, used to stand.

CULINARY NOTE OF THE WEEK: The Akron Aeros are offering a new dessert at the concession stand during home games at Canal Park. You know how most teams sell ice cream in a little plastic replica batting helmet? Well, the Aeros are selling a full-sized batting helmet filled with 21 scoops of ice cream, four bananas, hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkles. Suggestion: Maybe they should also hand out a coupon for a discount on bypass heart surgery.

BY THE NUMBERS

0: Latin American born players on Oakland's Opening Day roster, the only major league team without at least one.

7: Times Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols had grounded into a doubleplay through Wednesday, more than eight whole teams.

46: Strikeouts since his last walk for Orioles reliever Koji Uehara. Since 1954, only Curt Schilling (56 in 2002), Greg Maddux (53 in 2001), Pedro Martinez (49 in 2000) and Dennis Eckersley (47 in 1989-90) have had longer such streaks.