Interview: Larry Shenk

"The Fightin' Phillies: 100 Years of Philadelphia Baseball from the Whiz Kids to the Misfits" is the second book from the former head of the Phils' public relations department, Larry 'the Baron' Shenk.

Following on the heels of 2014's "If These Walls Could Talk", which took Phillies and all baseball fans inside the club's locker room and behind the scenes for many pivotal moments in team history, this new effort makes the perfect companion piece.

This past week, I did a full review of "The Fightin' Phillies", and now will be presenting an interview with the author. 

I was privileged to have the opportunity to ask Mr. Shenk questions on a number of topics related to the book and his long history with the team.

This latest in my series of Phillies related interviews, and the first of 2016, covers a number of topics that should be of interest to any fan of those Fightin' Phils.

As usual, will present it in a simple "Q&A" format.

Book Review: "The Fightin' Phillies: 100 Years of Philadelphia Baseball"

The next in my book reviews feature specifically deals with the Philadelphia Phillies and the 133-year history of the ball club.

No one alive today is more qualified to dig through that history and present it to the fans than the man who has been around to see more of it first-hand than anyone else, the former head of the Phillies' public relations team, Larry 'the Baron' Shenk.

In his second book on the team, "The Fightin' Phillies: 100 Years of Philadelphia Baseball from the Whiz Kids to the Misfits", Shenk delivers by presenting story after story that will hold the interest of any true Phils fan.

Shenk has been a Phillies fan since his youth in the early 1950's, when Baseball Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts were leading the club in the post-Whiz Kids years.

He first applied for a public relations job with the team in the same year that I was born, 1961, and eventually landed that position a couple of years later. We'll explore more of Shenk's background in a separate interview piece here at TBOH coming soon.

"The Fightin' Phillies" is broken down into eight sections, with a foreword written by Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen in which the former player briefly covers his own career in the game