By Dave Dyer

Staff Writer

   As a long-suffering Philadelphia Phillies fan, it makes sense the first baseball game Joe Palmieri attended began one of the biggest collapses in team history.

   Palmieri, host of 96.3 WJAB’s “Morning Jab” radio show along with Dave Schumacher, said he vividly remembers his first game.

   “It was the most infamous game in Philies history,” Palmieri said. “It was September of 1964 and the Phillies were playing the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds won the game 1-0 when one of their players stole home. I remember my dad told me ‘Don’t worry, they’re still going to win it.’ That was when they had their big collapse.”

   Back then, Philadelphia had a six and a half game lead in their division before the game. By September, they lost the division by one game.

   But Palmieri has hope once again as the Phillies are playing the Tampa Bay Rays for the World Series this week. 

   “I’m prejudice, but I think the Phillies are the best team in the playoffs,” Palmieri said before the conclusion of the possibly decisive game 5. “When you put everything together, they have the best team. I was confident they would get past a team like Milwaukee, but this series against Tampa worries me.”

   Palmieri grew up in Hammonton, N.J., a small, farming town 30 miles outside of Philadelphia. He said growing up his family were all Philadelphia sports fans, cheering for the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and the 76ers. 

    Palmieri said his most vivid memories as a Phillies fan came in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He said after the Phillies lost the division in 1964 the team fell on hard times until the late 70s, when the Phillies had Hall of Fame players such as third baseman Mike Schmidt and pitcher Steve Carlton, along with Pete Rose, Greg Luzinski, Gary Maddox and Tug McGraw.

   “You had all of these lean years, and we sort of got use to that, to losing,” Palmieri said. “When guys like Carlton and Schmidt came around, those were the kind of caliber players you could put up with Willie Mays. We weren’t used to that.”

   Palmieri said it was great for him personally, because players would come to his hometown to go fishing.

   “There were plenty of lakes around the area,” Palmieri said. “My older brother would go out fishing with them. When I went out with them, my dad said, ‘Don’t talk to them about baseball’. After we went out a few times, we would bring up baseball. They would always talk about certain games and what they might have done differently in the games strategy-wise. They were always good guys, and it was a lot of fun.”

   From 1976 to 1979, the Phillies went to three National League Championship Series (NLCS) losing one to the Reds and two to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1980, the team finally made it past the NLCS and played in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. The Phillies won the series in six games, giving the club their first World Series Championship.

   Palmieri remembers exactly where he was when the Phillies clinched the championship.

   “I was in between T.V. jobs, and I was sitting at home on the floor in New Jersey,” Palmieri said. “I remember seeing the last out, and it was great to be there and see my dad after they had won. Baseball is one of those games that crosses generations.” 

   It’s been 28 years since the Phillies won the World Series. They have made it back twice before, losing the 1983 World Series to the Baltimore Orioles in five games. They also lost the 1993 World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games, highlighted by Joe Carter of the Blue Jays hitting the series clinching home run off of Phillies relief pitcher Mitch Williams.

   Palmieri said he remembered where he was during the game.

   “I was at a friend’s house when Joe Carter hit that home run and I just knew it was going to happen,” Palmieri said.

   Palmieri said the two losing Phillies teams weren’t the same caliber of team as the 1980 squad.

    “The 1983 team had remnants of the 1980 team,” Palmieri said. “They had Rose and Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. They were loaded. That was their last shot at a winning team during that time period. The 1993 team no one expected to win. They were like a beer league softball team with the characters they had.”

    Palmieri said he came to Maine in 1989 to take a broadcasting job at WGME 13 in Westbrook in 1989, with a plan to stay for two years. He worked at the station for six and a half years before taking a job with FOX 51 in Portland, where he worked for another six and a half years.

    After his time in television was over, Palmieri said he worked as press secretary for Sen. Susan Collins during the 2002 election period.

    “Felicia Knight, who worked at channel 13, came back afterward and took over, I only had it for an interim period,” Palmieri said. 

    Palmieri said around the time he stopped being Sen. Collins press secretary was the time he started to work at the “Morning Jab.”

    “I started in January of 2003,” Palmieri said. “I would sit in from time to time for Frank Fixaris. I would come in every once in a while. Then a couple of years ago, Frank passed away and I came in full time after that.”

    Palmieri says he has a great time on the show.

    “It’s been great,” he said. “Shoe is great. We’re just two guys sitting down and talking sports. We have interviews, but the whole idea is the callers dictate the show.”

    Palmieri also own Chicago Dogs, a restaurant located off Route 1 in Scarborough specializing in hot dogs and cheesesteaks.

    Palmieri said Phillies fans are no different from Boston Red Sox fans.

    “They are exactly the same,” he said. “They are just like the Red Sox fans before the 2004 World Series, they are incredibly passionate. I really think the greatest fans are in Philadelphia, New York and Boston.”

    Palmieri said he made a deal on the Morning Jab, saying he would leave the show if the Phillies win the World Series.

    “That’s the plan right now, I will happily drive off into the sunset,” Palmieri said. “But plans do change.”