The day the Phillies finally won

I WILL never forget the day the 1961 Phillies snapped their 23-game losing streak. It started with manager Gene Mauch screaming obscenities at the Daily News beat writer and Robin Roberts.

I wanted to do a column on Warren Spahn, but Spahn was wary of out-of-town writers. So I sat down next to Roberts in the clubhouse, softly asking questions about the Milwaukee lefthander. Mauch, 20 feet away, turned beet-red and launched an X-rated tirade, accusing us of second-guessing his handling of the pitching staff, questioning our parentage, our courage, our reason for living.

The Phillies lost the opener of that Sunday doubleheader, then won the nightcap, 7-4. I avoided Mauch in the clubhouse and on the plane ride home. I darted through the mob at the airport.

John Ernest Guiniven was there, a 20-year old sophomore at La Salle, and he described the scene 50 years later.

"My girlfriend, Joanne Winkleshecht, urged me to go to the airport," Guiniven said. "I'd been obsessing over the losing streak.

"The newspapers said 2,000 fans showed up, but it seemed like more. Lots of signs, including, 'Just relax, you're home now.' Lots of drums, a couple of banjoes, a guy with an accordion standing nearby.

"Some fans lifted Mauch onto their shoulders and he talked to the crowd from up there."

Guiniven teaches public issues management at James Madison after stints at Nebraska and Syracuse. He married a competitive figure skater from Canada, which means he watches a lot of ice skating on television as a tradeoff for his hours spent watching the Phillies.

"I really rooted harder and felt deeper years ago," he sighed.

- Stan Hochman