Paul Owens had just finished his last news conference before the all-star break, but a 20-year-old reporter had one more question for the Phillies manager: "Who is going to be your starting pitcher in the All-Star Game?"
Pope laughed at the stranger and kindly said, "I can't tell you that, young fellow. I wish I could, but I can't."
It was a pretty good question from a mostly clueless kid who still had no idea what he was going to do with the rest of his life.
I was the kid. The year was 1984.
A week before that encounter with the legendary Owens, the schedule inside the busy sports department at the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill was posted.