Phillies-Related Events on January 20
January 20, 1969 – The Philadelphia Phillies traded catcher Clay Dalrymple to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder Ron Stone. Dalrymple spent nine seasons as a backup catcher for the Phillies. The trade brought in Stone as an outfield/bench piece during the offseason leading up to the 1969 season.
January 20, 1982 – The Phillies signed veteran pitcher Ron Reed as a free agent. Reed, a right-handed hurler played in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons from 1965-1967 and began his MLB career with Atlanta in 1966. He pitched for the Braves for 10 seasons, had 8 seasons with the Phillies and one each with St. Louis and the Chicago White Sox.

Phillies Birthdays on January 20
Harry Barton (born 1875) – Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Barton was a switch-hitting catcher whose only MLB season came in 1905 with the Philadelphia Athletics when he played in 29 games and hit .167.
Ernie Courtney (born 1875) – Courtney was an infielder/outfielder who spent the last four seasons of his career (1905-1908) with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .247 in 464 games with the Phillies and was known for his defensive flexibility.
Brad Brink (born 1965) – Brink was a right-handed pitcher drafted by the Phillies with the 7th overall pick in the 1986 Draft. He debuted with the Phillies on May 17, 1992 against the Cincinnati Reds and made 7 starts and 3 relief appearances with them over two seasons prior to being claimed off waivers by San Francisco just before the opening of the 1994 season. Matt Beech (born 1972) – January 20, 1972 – A left-handed pitcher who debuted with the Phillies on August 8, 1996 and allowed one earned run in seven innings against Atlanta to get the win. Overall, he made 53 starts with Philadelphia over three seasons and posted a 5.37 ERA.
Fabio Castro (born 1985) – Born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, Castro began his career with Texas in 2006 and was then traded to Philly for pitcher Daniel Haigwood. Castro pitched in 26 games with the Phillies over two seasons with a 3.06 ERA and was then traded to Toronto in the trade that brought Matt Stairs to Philadelphia. Castro never pitched i the majors after leaving Philadelphia.
David Lough (born 1986) – Played for Baltimore and Kansas City prior to coming to Philadelphia prior to the 2016 season. An outfielder, Lough hit .239 in 30 games with the Phillies, but never returned to the majors after the 2016 season.

A DEEPER DIVE… Multi-Sport Stars in Philadelphia

Ron Reed had one of the most fascinating athletic careers of any player associated with the Philadelphia Phillies because he didn’t just pitch in the major leagues. He also played professional basketball at a high level. Born in LaPorte, Indiana, in 1942, Reed was a three-sport standout in high school before heading to the University of Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship. At Notre Dame he was a dominant presence on the court, setting the school’s single-season rebounding record and averaging impressive numbers in both points and rebounds. His basketball talent was such that he was named to all-region honors his senior year.

In the 1965 draft season, Reed was selected in the third round of the NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons and immediately joined the team as a power forward. He averaged roughly eight points per game over two seasons in the NBA while playing against legends of the era such as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

At the same time, Reed also signed a contract to pitch in professional baseball with the Milwaukee Braves organization. He spent the summers working his way up through the Braves’ minor league system after his college baseball season and winter basketball season overlapped. After a series of strong performances in the Braves’ farm system, Reed made his Major League Baseball debut with Atlanta in September 1966.

Once he chose to focus full-time on baseball, Reed enjoyed a long and successful MLB career that lasted nearly two decades. He pitched for the Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Phillies, and Chicago White Sox. While primarily known as a starter early in his career, Reed was later converted into a reliever with the Phillies, where he became one of the team’s most reliable bullpen arms during their competitive run in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He appeared in postseason games for Philadelphia and earned a World Series ring with the 1980 championship team.

Reed’s decision to give up professional basketball was not easy. At one point he told teammates that basketball had been his first love, and it took a deliberate choice to commit to baseball full-time. However, that choice helped him compile a substantial baseball résumé, including multiple League Championship Series appearances and longevity that few two-sport athletes ever achieve.

Art Bramhall is a much earlier example of a true multi-sport professional athlete, though his name is far less well known. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1909, Bramhall played minor league baseball throughout the early 1930s before briefly reaching the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1935. His big-league baseball career was brief, spanning just two games in April of that year, and he did not record a hit during his short stint with the club.

Despite the brevity of his major league baseball career, Bramhall’s athletic life was anything but limited to the diamond. During the same era that he played minor league baseball, Bramhall was also a professional basketball player. He spent multiple seasons in the early 1930s with the Chicago Bruins of the American Basketball League, a significant regional pro league before the modern NBA era. Reports from the period described him as one of the top basketball players of his time, noted for his flair and personality on the court.

Bramhall also participated in another unusual basketball venture of the era: playing for the Chicago Circus Clowns, a traveling team that wore clown suits and performed basketball exhibitions against local teams. This reflected the more carnival-like nature of professional basketball in the 1930s, long before the sport achieved the mainstream popularity it enjoys today.

On top of basketball and baseball, Bramhall also dabbled in professional football, with a short stint with the Chicago Bears under the ownership of George Halas. The details of his career on the gridiron are sparse and not as thoroughly documented as his other sports exploits.

After his playing days ended, Bramhall continued his connection to sports through broadcasting. In Wisconsin he became a radio sportscaster and even provided play-by-play for college football games. Off the field, he and his wife operated a restaurant and bar for many years, making him a well-known local figure beyond his athletic exploits.

Both Reed and Bramhall represent a rare breed of athlete who not only competed professionally in baseball but also in other sports at significant levels. Reed’s transition from NBA player to long-time MLB pitcher stands as a testament to his athletic versatility and longevity. Bramhall’s early-era adventures in basketball, baseball, and football paint a picture of a bygone age when professional sports were less specialized and athletes had more freedom to pursue multiple competitive avenues. Their careers offer fascinating insights into how athletic talent was applied across different fields during the 20th century.