Former Phillies closer Brad Lidge revealed Tuesday that he has the coolest life and career since retiring from professional baseball in 2013.
Most of you probably remember Lidge from the 2008 World Series-winning strikeout that immediately hit the Phillies history books … but there’s a whole other type of history Lidge likes to make these days and it sounds really dirty, according to an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Get your head out of the gutter! I’m talking about actual dirt. Lidge, now 47, lives in the small Italian village of Murlo, where he works as an archaeologist. And while it might not be as thrilling as Major League Baseball, it is still an extremely exciting career.
“The first site I ever excavated was Carsulae, in 2014,” Lidge told the outlet. “The first day, I’m digging around the complex, and within probably five minutes, I scraped some soil off, and bang! There’s two Roman coins there. And I was just like, ‘Oh my god, this is incredible.’ Just kind of a lucky, lucky deal.”
PHILADELPHIA – APRIL 8: Pitcher Jamie Moyer #50 and pitcher Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies share a moment during the Phillies 2008 World Series Championship Ring Ceremony before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on April 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 15: Pitcher Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates in the locker room after winning Game Five of the National League Championship Series 5-1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2008 MLB playoffs on October 15, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Phillies advance to the World Series. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 15: Pitcher Brad Lidge #54 of the Philadelphia Phillies on the mound in the ninth inning of Game Five of the National League Championship Series as the Phillies defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 during the 2008 MLB playoffs on October 15, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Phillies advance to the World Series. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Lidge earned his archaeology degree from Regis University while playing professionally. He went on to get his Masters from the University of Leicester in 2017, just five years after officially retiring. His next goal is to get his Ph.D., having been fascinated with history since high school.
“He would talk to us about it,” former starter Joe Blanton told the outlet. “I mean … to a point we could understand. But I think it’s super interesting.” Another teammate, Chad Durbin, said he’s not surprised by Lidge’s Ph.D. pursuits. “I’m going to have a tough time calling him doctor, though,” Durbin added. (RELATED: Researchers Stunned At Discovery Of 57 Archaeological Sites Belonging To Ancient Empire)
Despite years of teasing from his teammates, Lidge never gave up on his passion. He hopes his doctorate will focus on Etruscan sigla and a generalized study of archaeology of ancient Italy. “I’m trying to find a way to sync those two topics together,” he says.
CLEARWATER, FL – FEBRUARY 21: Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies poses for a portrait during the spring training photo day on February 21, 2008 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Brad Lidge speaks at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
Etruscans sigla is described as “a mode of communication by making marks that are not developed texts of language with immediately recognizable words” by the International Etruscan Sigla Project. It sort of sounds like ancient history meets cryptography, which is really cool. The Etruscan culture thrived in Italy from around 800 B.C. to around 280 B.C., when the Romans decided that they were in charge of everyone, according to World History. (RELATED: Archaeologists Find Evidence Of 6,500-Year-Old Rave (Kind Of))
It would be pretty cool to know how the rise of the Roman Empire across Italy led to the collapse of the Etruscan sigla use, though one presumes it was through all the same metrics and practices we use today: forced indoctrination and adoption of culture and ideology from “leaders.” The Roman invasion of Britain led to the loss of Celtic language, a destruction that continues to this day, so there’s probably a fair bit of background literature applicable to a doctorate expanding this field.
And yes, that “field” pun was absolutely intended.
