A rare chance to go ‘Inside the Game’ with Phillies owner John Middleton & iconic sportswriter Jayson Stark in Villanova. Tickets are on sale now.

The man who signs the checks for the Phillies rarely sits down for extended interviews and fields audience questions.

But John Middleton, the team’s Managing Partner and CEO, has agreed to step up to the plate this spring on behalf of the lifelong-learning nonprofit, Main Line School Night (MLSN).

Talk about a big catch.

A Haverford School alum who lives in Bryn Mawr, Middleton will headline MLSN’s signature fundraiser, Visionary Voices, a ticketed event on May 11 at the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts at Villanova.

He’ll be joined onstage by another heavy hitter: sportswriter and author Jayson Stark (below), who’s widely considered among the wittiest and most astute baseball writers on the planet.

A longtime Phillies beat writer and national columnist for the Inquirer and ESPN, Stark received a prestigious career-excellence award from the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and currently writes for The Athletic.

“I have so much respect for John Middleton and his passion to build a winner for the people in this city,” Stark tells SAVVY. “I was so honored when he asked me to be part of the Q and A for this event – of course, I said yes. I’m a busy guy during the baseball season, but there was no way I’d allow myself to miss this night.”

The two became acquainted over lunch soon after Middleton became the Phillies’ Managing Partner and CEO and bonded further when they found themselves staying on the same hotel hallway the weekend Stark was honored by the MLB Hall of Fame.

“We both love baseball, love Philadelphia and love Cooperstown – and we were both huge Dick Allen fans,” Stark says. “So we’ve had a lot in common and a lot to talk about over the years!”

2026 promises to be a banner year for Middleton. Not only will the MLB All-Star Game be played at his team’s ball park, but his prized art collection will be featured in “A Nation of Artists,” a joint exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Pa. Academy of Fine Arts in celebration of America 250.

The May 11 program in Villanova will give the audience “a rare inside look at the leadership and decision-making behind one of Philadelphia’s most beloved institutions,” says MLSN Executive Director Rebecca Cain. “We’re thrilled to welcome John Middleton and Jayson Stark to the Main Line School Night stage,” adding that event tickets “make great graduation, birthday and early Father’s Day gifts.”

Now in its 10^th year, Visionary Voices has become MLSN’s most vital fundraiser and signature event, spotlighting thought leaders in the arts, culture, business, health, media and civic arenas. Proceeds support MLSN’s unique mission to inform, inspire, and connect lifelong learners. A 501(c)3 nonprofit, Main Line School Night provides thousands of low-cost classes, trips, tour and experiential learning opportunities each year at the Creutzberg Center in Radnor, at Lower Merion High School and far beyond.

Presented by Penn Medicine, “Inside the Game” will be held Monday, May 11 in the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts at Villanova University at 7:30 p.m. Tickets (with reserved seats) are $95. A limited number of MVP tickets ($300) include a pre-program rooftop reception with Middleton and Stark. Click here for tickets and info. Sponsorships and community partners welcome. Contact mstewart@mainlineschoolnight.org or caroline@savvyml.com. (Full disclosure: SAVVY editor Caroline O’Halloran is a proud MLSN board member and chairs the board’s events committee.)