Conlin: Kendrick prank brings to mind another from Phillies of long ago

Conlin doing what he does best…at least to Roger Freed the Slaves.

What was done to Roger Freed lacked TV cameras rolling, but by the time it ended on April 28 the caper involved most of the players, writers Bruce Keidan, of the Inquirer, and myself, a Western Union operator in the Astrodome press box, Phillies traveling secretary Eddie Ferenz and manager Frank Lucchesi. Almost everybody in the traveling party was in on the trumped-up fine and suspension of Roger Freed.

When Freed stormed into the clubhouse, visibly upset by the loss, Dick Selma was waiting for him. “I think you’re in trouble, Rog,” he said. “That ball you threw into the upper deck hit a guy in the second row right in the head. It looked like his buddies were working on him and gesturing for help. [Crew chief] Ken Burkhart was writing in his pad as he left the field. Ken was at first, closest to you, and saw the whole thing.”

...The press-box machines produced skinny ribbons that were pasted on yellow paper to form a telegram. We wrote an official-sounding dispatch to Freed from Feeney. Bottom line: Roger was suspended three games and fined $5,000 for conduct detrimental to the game of baseball. The telegram was folded into an official Western Union envelope. Lucchesi was in his office about to tape his daily radio show, “Why I Did It.” We invited him into the conspiracy and he agreed to give Roger the telegram after the game.