Phillies Owner Bill Giles Speaks With The Philadelphia Inquirer
Tuesday July 11, 2006
Did you read the interview with Philadelphia Phillies limited partner Bill Giles in today's Inquirer? If not, please read the interview now before reading my comments. When you've finished reading my comments, please let me hear what you think in our comments section.
Let's start with the Brett Myers mess. We all thought we knew what happened based on the reports of witnesses and the police but Giles says "some bystander saw something that really didn't happen." He goes on to say, "One of our employees [marketing manager Debbie Nocito] saw the whole thing. She said, 'He did not hit her at all, and he didn't grab her hair or anything.' So all the reports were untrue, from what I understand."
Where did this version of the incident come from? Wasn't Myers's wife quoted as acknowledging that Brett hit her? Didn't witnesses hear her tell her husband something to the effect that "this is the last time you do that?"
I've heard of spin before but this is more like a centrifuge. Let's move on.
The Inquirer's Todd Zolecki then asks Giles about the ownership. Giles says, "..our people love owning the Phillies and they're not in it for money. They don't need money. They love the Phillies, and that's the way it's going to be, in my judgment."
Giles does make a valid point about the money that the owners have spent on the new ballpark and annual player salaries of about $100 million. I'll give him that one. Giles never admits that lots of bad decisions in terms of personnel have been made over the past 13 years by people his ownership group have hired. Included in those hires is Dave Montgomery, the CEO of the Phillies, who Giles calls "brilliant." Many fans would disagree with that assessment.
Soon, the interview returns to the land of OZ. Zolecki asks Giles if it matters to him "that the public is so down on this team." Giles rejects that notion stating, "Too many people believe the talk shows are the pulse of the public, and I don't happen to believe that at all. There are crazy people that call in and the announcers create a perception, but I don't believe it. I just don't think the public... I know so many people that are dyed-in-the-wool Phillies fans who love the team - win, lose or draw."
Clearly Giles is out of touch with the fan on the street. Almost everyone I know believes the Phillies are an embarrassment to the city. As far as I know, none of us have ever called into a radio talk show. I suppose that Giles is including radio hosts such as Ray Didinger in that group of announcers who "create a perception." I can't think of a more objective sports person than Didinger and he sees numerous faults that seem to escape Giles.
When asked directly about bad personnel decisions and long term contracts given to players who fail to live up to the hype, Giles immediately changes the subject by pointing out that they didn't trade Ryan Howard when they could have last season. Excuse me, Bill, that wasn't the question.
Zolecki's final question to Giles is "Can this team be contenders next year?" Giles responds by saying that "In this day and age, you can go from last place to first place easily in a year....I don't think there will be any problem, if we're fortunate enough to get the right players, to compete soon."
It's been 13 years since the Phillies last made the playoffs. Why should any fan believe that there won't be any problem? Team management hasn't gotten the right players in two decades. Why does he believe that they'll suddenly do so in the next off season?
Well, what do you think? Is Giles totally out of touch with reality or do you think he's right that the problems are perceptions, talk show hosts and crazy fans? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
Let's start with the Brett Myers mess. We all thought we knew what happened based on the reports of witnesses and the police but Giles says "some bystander saw something that really didn't happen." He goes on to say, "One of our employees [marketing manager Debbie Nocito] saw the whole thing. She said, 'He did not hit her at all, and he didn't grab her hair or anything.' So all the reports were untrue, from what I understand."
Where did this version of the incident come from? Wasn't Myers's wife quoted as acknowledging that Brett hit her? Didn't witnesses hear her tell her husband something to the effect that "this is the last time you do that?"
I've heard of spin before but this is more like a centrifuge. Let's move on.
The Inquirer's Todd Zolecki then asks Giles about the ownership. Giles says, "..our people love owning the Phillies and they're not in it for money. They don't need money. They love the Phillies, and that's the way it's going to be, in my judgment."
Giles does make a valid point about the money that the owners have spent on the new ballpark and annual player salaries of about $100 million. I'll give him that one. Giles never admits that lots of bad decisions in terms of personnel have been made over the past 13 years by people his ownership group have hired. Included in those hires is Dave Montgomery, the CEO of the Phillies, who Giles calls "brilliant." Many fans would disagree with that assessment.
Soon, the interview returns to the land of OZ. Zolecki asks Giles if it matters to him "that the public is so down on this team." Giles rejects that notion stating, "Too many people believe the talk shows are the pulse of the public, and I don't happen to believe that at all. There are crazy people that call in and the announcers create a perception, but I don't believe it. I just don't think the public... I know so many people that are dyed-in-the-wool Phillies fans who love the team - win, lose or draw."
Clearly Giles is out of touch with the fan on the street. Almost everyone I know believes the Phillies are an embarrassment to the city. As far as I know, none of us have ever called into a radio talk show. I suppose that Giles is including radio hosts such as Ray Didinger in that group of announcers who "create a perception." I can't think of a more objective sports person than Didinger and he sees numerous faults that seem to escape Giles.
When asked directly about bad personnel decisions and long term contracts given to players who fail to live up to the hype, Giles immediately changes the subject by pointing out that they didn't trade Ryan Howard when they could have last season. Excuse me, Bill, that wasn't the question.
Zolecki's final question to Giles is "Can this team be contenders next year?" Giles responds by saying that "In this day and age, you can go from last place to first place easily in a year....I don't think there will be any problem, if we're fortunate enough to get the right players, to compete soon."
It's been 13 years since the Phillies last made the playoffs. Why should any fan believe that there won't be any problem? Team management hasn't gotten the right players in two decades. Why does he believe that they'll suddenly do so in the next off season?
Well, what do you think? Is Giles totally out of touch with reality or do you think he's right that the problems are perceptions, talk show hosts and crazy fans? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
Comments
Giles is absolutely out of touch with reality! I have never called any talk show, and I go back to listening to Howard Eskin in the 1970’s on the FM radio station WWDB. This group of owners are just happy to own the baseball team, and make money annually. I am totally convinced we will never see a winner under this ownership. I HOPE and PRAY they decide to sell and soon!!!
Bill Giles, Is right on!
If you accept the premise of Zolecki, then you are out of touch with the climent in which you live.
For example, if you listen to Rush Limbaugh, the Republican would have now been controlling the congress.
It is a matter of perspective, and Zolecki has lost his.
Respectfully,
stan starrett
I have been a long time reader and viewer of both the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Inquirer, and Daily News Live. I am born and raised in Atlantic City, so I am a Philly Sports Team fan.
For the first time I am attempting to write to you because of all the times I have listened to how Philadelphia sports franchises are *cheap*. (to say the least) I am also attempting to get this out in the open to the media because for the first time in 34 years, the group I attend Opening Day with has been told by the Phillies Organization that they don’t want to sell our group tickets any longer.
I will keep this short for now but if you would like to get in touch with me to find out exactly how this all got started, and is now seemingly trying to be thwarted by a multi-million dollar making Sports Franchise is beyond comprehension.
In 1974, a group of business owners and longtime friends and college frat brothers decided that as they got older and life moved on, they would meet every year to go to the Phillies Opening Day. The majority of these guys are from the South Jersey area, but have now made families and moved away from the area (some across the country). We started out by tailgating at the JFK Parking Lot and when that was being demolished, we moved to the Vet’s Parking Lot right under the “giant sign”. The Phillies even came down 2 years ago and recorded the entire days event even starting at the business that sponsors the outing (Boulevard Super Liquors) in Marmora, NJ.
This year, the Phillies contacted us to tell us we were 1 of 6 groups they were going to offer a limited amount of tix to and were doing away with large group ticket sales because of such a high demand for special games this year. (Opening Day and Red Sox Series games) If you do your homework, you will find that they are trying to package them with other games throughout the season to force the fans to go to games they normally might not. They are also offering these same *high demand * games to large corporate groups of 500 or more. Our group started out with about 25 to 30 guys and has grown to an Opening Day record last year of 250. Every single year there are people in the parking lots that come over and hang out with our group because they find it such a great tradition that we have been carrying on for all these years. I am sure you could get into the archives of the phillies and watch the 15-20 minute short they did on us in the Holiday Inn parking lot.
We are in no way a drunken rowdy bunch, deserving of being denied a continuation of our tradition because of “The Almighty Dollar”. Every year, we all look forward to Opening Day and as for all of a sudden stating there is a high demand, EVERYONE GOES TO OPENING DAY! I even did some homework to find that from Memorial Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, the Phillies ticket prices go up a few dollars in almost all sections. (This is like a seasonal ticket price, but isn’t Baseball itself a seasonal sport?)
PLEASE Rich, would you be the first to open up this can of worms for us? I am going to send this to every media outlet I can find that might be willing to help us discourage them from this practice in the years to come. By the way, you are the first Journalist I have sent this to and I have the utmost respect for your work. We also are not going to let this years Corporate Slap in the Face get us down. We are still going to have our large group at the Holiday Inn Lot enjoying the tailgate festivities, only 50 of us will get to attend the game.