Remember Darin Ruf?

The ex-Phillie ironically is a current member of the New York Mets. Yet, back in 2012, Ruf was one of the Phillies’ all-time phenoms. He will always be remembered for his record-setting August with the (Reading) Fightin’ Phillies.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - a look back at memorable events from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and sometimes beyond – I’ll take a look back at some enduring memories and events from August and September days in years past.

That Hot August ... Ruf had a month that no minor or major leaguer ever had. His 20 home runs tied Chicago Cubs star) Sammy Sosa’s record for homers in a month. In August of 2012, Ruf hit .371 with 20 homers and 36 RBIs to go with a .931 slugging percentage.

His Phillies’ career wasn’t nearly as memorable.

Ruf spent five seasons with the team through 2016, but was never able to get his career on track. He finished with a .240 average and 35 homers. The outfielder/first baseman later played three years for the San Francisco Giants and hit .248 with 32 homers. Ruf did flourish with Samsung of the South Korean League, as he hit 313 with 86 dingers in three seasons. He signed a free agent contract with the Mets through 2023, but he is struggling at the moment.

Hard to Believe, Harry ... Richie Ashburn passed away on Sept. 9, 1997 in New York after a Phillies-Mets game. Ashburn, 70, died from a heart attack. Ashburn’s broadcasting career began in 1963, and he and the late Harry Kalas formed arguably the most entertaining duo to broadcast over the Philadelphia airwaves.

A few days later, a large crowd of fans paid tribute to him, passing by his casket in Memorial Hall located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Ashburn was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1995.

Who replaced Ashburn in the booth? Phillies ‘reliever Larry Anderson took over the following season. Anderson became one of the most colorful and entertaining analysts in club history.

Beam Me Up ... “Space, the final frontier…

Another memorable event occurred when Star Trek made its TV debut on Sept. 8, 1966. It lasted a few years before its run ended on June 3, 1969. Surprisingly and unknown to most, the show was canceled after three seasons due to low ratings. Back then, one was either a Batman Beatnik or a Trekkie. It was rare in those times to like both shows.

The show gained notoriety through its syndication beginning in 1970, and it spun off various related series through the present day. Its true uniqueness is that show’s enormous fan base was due to syndication, not its original run.

Remember That Rookie ... It was Sept. 10, 1980, and the Phillies had a rookie on the mound named Marty Bystrom. After making his mark at Reading, Bystrom came up to the big league and pitched a five-hit complete game, 5-0 victory over the Mets. He proved to be an integral part of the Phillies’ championship run that season.

Bystrom won all five of his regular-season starts, finishing the season with a 5-0 record and a 1.50 ERA. Unfortunately, the rest of his professional career wasn’t as successful. In addition to his time in Philadelphia, he had a brief stint with the Yankees.

A Wise Man ... For Rick Wise, 1971 was the year. The right-hander tossed a no-hitter and added two home runs in the same game on June 23. A few months later on Sept. 18, Wise retired 32 straight batters in a 12-inning complete-game, 4-3, victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Wise capped his day off with a walk-off, bases-loaded single in the 12th inning.

What’s That Smell? ... In my teens during the late 70’s, it was a huge event to try a different aftershave or cologne.

Back then, they were usually in dark green, black, blue, or brown bottles.

Some of the more popular ones were Hai Karate (the Asian theme was big then), Musk, Brut (I still use it), Old Spice (remember the whistling tune in the commercial?), English Leather, Jovan Musk, and the cool Ice Blue to name a few.

There were also the legendary Avon cologne cars in shapes of various cars. Does anyone remember having one of those that their moms bought from someone who sold Avon?

Frank N Furter ... Most readers probably remember at least one visit to the Lehigh Valley Mall theater to watch the vintage film - “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” It was a movie that would be shown at midnight.

The event, filled with live actors, began in 1979 and ended in 2003. Who remembers the rice, bread, toilet paper and other props from the movie that were thrown by the audience? Those in the audience knew all the lines and songs and joined the crowd saying and singing them. It was a staple of growing up in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

In its final showing, the theater was thrashed, but there weren’t any injuries, according to reports. It’s a topic that usually arises when one reflects on the past and growing up.

Another Classic Game ... It’s been fun lately to review some of the old games some of may have played as kids.

One of the all-time classics is APBA baseball. I recall getting a set back in the mid 70s, and the version is still around today. It was high tech back in the 70s with the charts and the computer-like playing cards.

The trick was to keep up annually with new cards for the rosters. There were some similar versions, but APBA was the king. It’s still popular today.

Do You Remember? Every week, I’ll mention a likely forgotten player or manager, broadcaster, or sports figure from yesterday. Who remembers Phillies announcer Andy Musser? If the Phillies’ broadcast team could be classified as a comedy team, Musser was a straight man. He was the calm, low-key presence among peers Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn and Chris Wheeler.

Musser worked Phillies games from 1976 to 1997. He also broadcast the Eagles, the Sixers and Villanova basketball games, as well as New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls games. Musser worked his share of baseball All-Star games and Super Bowls.

He retired in 2001, and passed away at the age of 74 in 2012.