PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — South Jersey native Joan Michael, 89, has been a Phillies fan for 76 years — cherishing the early days of her fandom as a teenager when she listened to the games on the radio with her father. More recently, she’s used technology to her advantage and set her television to flip to the Phillies games automatically when it’s time to play ball.
Her fandom includes a love for Phillies Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, as well as former Phillies player Bill Robinson — who she got to know personally through a greenhouse and landscape business she ran for 53 years. She’s a fan of current Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, in part because he wears number 10, just like another favorite of hers, beloved former Phillie Darren Daulton.
She fondly remembers making meals she and her late husband, Mel, could enjoy while watching baseball together.
One of Michael’s most cherished moments happened at 21st and Lehigh when she was just 19 years old…