Do you remember Joe Cowley?

He was a right-hander who the Phillies acquired from the White Sox for in 1987 during spring training, and the club had high hopes for him as a consistent starter. Cowley threw a no-hitter (seven walks allowed, though) the previous season.

Cowley had control problems, as well as a bad right shoulder that limited his Phillies career to four games.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes beyond - I’ll take a look at some Phillies pitchers whose careers were cut short due to injuries - as well as some other baseball related and summer pop cultures items.

And do you have any Tastykake baseball cards? Who was Steve Ontiveros? Were there surfing championships in Allentown?

J.C. L.C., and the Rest ... Cowley came to the Phillies with an overall 33-25 record. He broke into the majors with Atlanta in 1982, and found his stride with the Yankees in 1984 and 1985 when he won nine and 12 games, respectively. He was 11-11 with the White Sox when he threw his no-hitter against the Angels in September.

Cowley was 0-4 with a 15.43 ERA and 17 walks in 11 innings during his Phillies’ plight. Who was Cowley traded for? Remember former Reds outfielder Gary Redus? He hit .247 with 11 homers in his lone Phillies season in 1986.

One of the most disappointing losses for the Phillies was Larry Christenson. “L.C.” was the Phillies’ top pick in the 1972 draft, and he made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old the following year, beating the Mets 7-1. At the time, he was the youngest player in the game until David Clyde of Texas made his debut in June (remember him?).

Christenson became an important cog in the team’s divisional drives during the 1976-77 seasons, posting a 19-6 record in 1977. However, a bike accident and elbow issues began to slow his progress in 1979, and Christenson never was the same. He endured two elbow surgeries and was released in November 1983. If you recall, Christenson was one of the game’s better hitters, as he hit 11 career homers, including two in one game.

Phillies pitcher Jim Lonborg suffered torn ligaments during a skiing accident in December 1967, a few months after Boston won the World Series. Many baseball insiders believe that Lonborg - who was a dentist - never was the same after the injury.

He came to the Phillies in a 1972 trade with the Brewers, and he compiled a 75-60 record with the Phils in seven seasons. He won 18 games in 1976 and 11 in 1977, but he began to apparently compensate for his nagging knee with his shoulder and arm.

As a result, Lonborg began to develop problems in the 1978 and 1979 seasons, and the 37-year-old was released. Lonborg is often overlooked as being part of the Phils’ 70s run, and most people don’t realize how long of a Phillies career he had.

Another notable Phillies’ pitcher who had injury issues in the 70s was Dick Ruthven. Like Christenson, Ruthven was a young arm the team thought they could build around. Ruthven compiled a 17-25 record through the 1973-75 seasons, but he spent most of the 1975 season on a rehab assignment with arm ailments.

Ruthven was dealt to the White Sox, who quickly turned around and dealt him to the Braves. In Atlanta, Ruthven had a 23-36 record, and in 1977, he suffered a torn ankle tendon. Ruthven was dealt back to the Phillies after the season for popular closer Gene Garber. He spent the next five-plus seasons in Philly before he was dealt to Chicago, where he pitched through the 1986 season.

You may have to dig deep into your Phillies’ memory to remember pitcher Steve Ontiveros. He was signed as a free agent from Oakland in 1989 despite having ligament damage in 1988. Ontiveros made just six starts before he underwent a second major reconstructive elbow surgery. He made five appearances in 1990 - all in the bullpen - and spent all of 1991 in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Phils released him after the season.

Nobody Bakes a Cake as Tasty ... In 1965, Tastykake released a set of Phillies trading cards, and the tradition continued through 1991. After that, Medford Hot Dogs took over the circuit until 1993. Every year, there were 35 to 50 cards.

I can’t remember having any. Did you?

And Now the Soda ... In 1977, RC Cola released a set of 70 collectible soda cans with the images of - and bios of - 70 standouts from the year. Steve Carlton made the cut for the Phillies. These can be quite valuable, and hold on to any that you may have.

The Final Gong ... On July 21, 1978, NBC aired its final episode of “The Gong Show,” the zany audience audition show hosted by Chuck Barris. The show actually has high ratings and a cult following, but its risqué nature eventually led to its demise.

We can all remember “Gene, Gene, The Dancing Machine.”

Another Classic Game ... In the 1960s, there was a rash of electric sports games that were in vogue, mainly football ones.

However, the Gotham Pressed Steel Electro-Magnetic Baseball Game debuted. It came with three white wooden balls with a magnet sticking out on one side. There were metal panels for left, right and center, with markings for double, triple, home run and partial metal panels for foul territory and first and third base lines. Also, there was a wooden spring bat to hit the ball that was pitched from the mound by pushing a button, and had runners with magnetic bottoms to put them on base.

On the Radio ... We all tend to remember songs of the summer.

On this date in 1973, Jim Croce topped the charts with “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” and in 1976, the classic “Afternoon Delight” was on top. In 1980, Billy Joel was on top with “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” and the likely forgotten “Don’t You Want Me” was No. 1 in 1983.

Surfin’ Dorney ... In late June 1985, Dorney Park’s Wildwater Kingdom played host to the World Inland Professional Surfing Championships. This was the first year of the waterpark.

There were 70 surfers, 25 of the top 30 ranked in the world. It was the 19th stop on the season tour, and surfers competed for a prize of $25,000. Anyone attend?

Memory Lane ... Every week, I will look back at a former player, coach, manager, or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember Phillies pitcher Marvin Freeman? He was the team’s second-round pick in the 1984 draft and spent four years with the team with a 4-5 record and a 5.33 ERA and one save. Freeman was traded to the Braves in July 1990 for fellow reliever Joe Boever. Freeman had a 10-year career and also spent time with the Rockies and White Sox.

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