March 8 -- JOHN VUKOVICH (1947-2007)

Memories of Vuke from some of his closest friends.

Dallas Green, Phillies senior advisor and former manager: I watched him grow up in baseball, give every ounce of himself to reach his goal in the major leagues and stay there. Vuke was very important to me and our success in 1980, not so much for what he did on the field, but what he did in the clubhouse and behind the scenes. He understood and helped carry my message. It helped us win a championship and put rings on our fingers. He worked and taught the Phillies players how to be professional and play the game the right way during his coaching career with the Phils. That was his strength. I respected him for his baseball knowledge, dedication to the game and the Phillies, his loyalty to his managers and organizations, his honesty and his work ethic. He was one of the best baseball men I’ve ever been around. Vuke was one of my best friends.

Ruben Amaro Jr, Phillies assistant GM: Vuke is much more than a friend to me. Vuke is family. Ever since I can remember being on a baseball field -- from Eugene, Ore., at 5 years old to the GM’s box at Citizens Bank Park -- he has been a special part of my life. Very few people in my life have helped shape me as a person and as a baseball man as has Vuke. I can remember spending many hours in Chicago at my father’s high-rise condo (Vuke was a boarder), discussing why I thought it was so much easier to lay off the high fastball rather than the low pitch. Vuke and I had a lot of arguments over the years and that was the first one. Of course, he was right. I was wrong. This was usually the case, but not always.

Ruly Carpenter, former Phillies owner: Our relationship began over 40 years ago when he signed with the Phillies. He was not only a true baseball man but also an ardent hunter. Over the years, we spent a lot of time together on deer stands and in duck blinds. One of Vuke’s outstanding qualities was his innate ability to tell it the way it was. You always knew exactly where he stood on any issue whether it pertained to baseball or not.

Ron Reed, former Phillies pitcher: Vuke was a deer hunter and so am I. We used to tell each other lies: how big the one was we got the year before and how big the one was that got away. On one of our baseball road trips, I was wearing a bronze deer head for a belt buckle. Vuke saw it and said he needed to find one like that. I immediately took mine off and gave it to him. Every time I saw him after that, he always had that buckle on.