Phillies Spring Training Talk

[PhillyPhreak54]

Dodgers signed 78-year old Vin Scully to a 2-year extension yesterday.

Phillies signed soon-to-be 70 year old Harry Kalas to a....oh wait. They haven't given him shtein.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Bill Conlin's column today...good one. Major props for the Pulp Fiction references...

FOR MONTHS, Scott Palmer worked under deep cover. Lunch with a writer here. There, lots of probing questions directed at almost anybody with an emotional stake in the Phillies. Lots of input and what Paul Owens used to call "exput."

Palmer is a pleasant man who did solid work during his first
career as a Channel 6 sports guy. His easy manner gave him good ratings and a deserved "good guy" reputation.

Who knew when Scott left the "Action News" set he would embark on his second career as the Phillies' Dr. Phil? Or, in the case of one of the most dysfunctional organizations in all of sports, he would be a baseball equivalent of "Pulp Fiction's" Winston ("I solve problems") Wolf.

Palmer covered all this exploratory ground without a title or specific job description. His No. 1 mandate to be sure was to audit as best he could the massive 2005 fan mutiny that saw nearly 600,000 admissions bail out on a team that took the National League wild-card race down to the final day.

Scott reluctantly advised beleaguered club president Dave Montgomery that he would have to fly the plane into the aircraft carrier. He would have to sacrifice his friend and handpicked general manager, Ed Wade, not because it was necessarily right (at least in the ballclub's view), but because it was necessary.

The day before Charlie Manuel's full squad reported to spring training, Montgomery bestowed a title that put some
focus on Palmer's role. The ombudsman was officially
branded director of media and public affairs. He would sniff out
problems, mediate them and act as a buffer, concentrating on the
always contentious player-media-fan triangle.

It didn't take Palmer long to be handed a mess as explosive as the brain-splattered Chevy Nova that had "The Wolf" speeding to the aid of Jimmy, Jules and Vincent.

This newspaper's Paul Hagen asked Montgomery a few pointed questions Monday about the future of broadcast icon Harry Kalas, who turns 70 next month and is on the final lap of a 3-year contract signed amid a tornado of controversy.

Monty must think this is still the 1980s, when he could leak a trade rumor to a favorite media person and stay under the radar.

He must have forgotten that anything involving the future of Harry The K is big news in this town, bigger than the Jimmy Rollins hitting streak. Bigger than Bobby Abreu's bruised feelings or the humorous claim by GM Pat Gillick that his rightfielder was not shopped this winter.

And Monty must have forgotten the huge flap that erupted in the winter of 2003 after Kalas went public with his desire to work crunch time with Larry Andersen, not organization-groomed Chris Wheeler. During that furor, a lot of dead fish floated to the surface of the roiled waters. The focus, inevitably, fell on a Kalas-Wheeler falling-out dating to the 1996 season, when Montgomery replaced Bill Giles and started paying off debts. Rich Ashburn believed Wheeler was behind his loss of the ninth-inning plum.

Monty sketched a 2006 TV and radio scenario for Hagen that, shockingly, has Wheeler involved in all nine TV innings, six of them bookending with Harry around three with Scott Graham. Even more shocking, the popular Andersen would be relegated to the dead-end of radio only, teaming with Graham and newcomer Scott Franzke.

At this point, you've got to take a step back and ask out loud: Just what the hell are these people thinking?

Does anybody else get the feeling that if the Phillies were put in charge of catching a baby dropped from the roof of a burning building, they wouldn't give the job to Winston Wolf; they'd bring in Edward Scissorhands?

The fans are not fooled a bit and they are back out in force, flexing entitlement muscles that were strong enough to fire Ed Wade. To them, this is not about the Phillies dumping Kalas. That is not going to happen. (A note here that the Dodgers yesterday signed 78-year-old legend Vin Scully, who does nine TV innings solo, to a 2-year contract.)

Joe Paterno, John Chaney and Harry Kalas get to write their own exit terms. Paterno admitted during a fascinating Charlie Rose interview the other day, "I'm not as good a coach as I was 15 years ago." But he's learned to delegate, listen and be a better administrator of the Penn State football program.

Kalas is not as good an announcer as he was 15 years ago, when the man never missed a home-run call. Now he misses a few things and forgets others. It happens when you hit 70 and the ball is a lot harder to pick up than it used to be, when a player's first name sticks in your throat and it comes out wrong. But those are fly specks during nine long innings. The Marlboro and Tanqueray-tuned pipes remain resonant as Yo-Yo Ma's cello.
Besides, who the hell cares if Harry The K's exuberant home-run call occasionally turns into a warning-track never mind?

Where this has taken such an ugly turn - and Palmer knows this now if he read any of the more than 100 e-mails I have
forwarded to him - is it has morphed into a referendum on Chris Wheeler.

If anybody out there has anything good to say about Wheels, pass it on. You will be the first, and I will relay it.

Meanwhile, Scott Palmer will not be hard to spot at Bright House Networks Field next month. He'll be the guy with both hands heavily swathed in bandages.

The least Dave Montgomery could have done was wrap this flaming hot potato in asbestos foil

[MURP]

i sent an email to Palmer telling him to get rid of Chris Wheeler. holler.

well i actually got a response.

Thank you for taking the time to contact the Phillies.  We appreciate your interest and input.



            First, please be assured that there is not the slightest truth to the suggestion that the Phillies do not want Harry Kalas to continue broadcasting our games.  We are well aware that Harry is a treasure not only for the Phillies but for the entire Delaware Valley.  We are both lucky and proud to have this Hall of Fame announcer in the booth, now and in the future.



            Second, as you know, Tom McCarthy has taken a broadcasting job with the New York Mets. His departure caused us to re-examine our broadcasting lineup.  One thought was to have the announcers do less cross over between radio and television.  That remains an option, along with several others under consideration.



No final decision has been made, but it is important that we think about all the possible ways we might achieve our ultimate goal of providing the best broadcast package for our fans.  In making these decisions we fully understand the connection broadcasters make with fans.  It is one of baseball's strengths and we don't want to do anything to diminish those connections.

           

            Again, thanks for expressing your opinions.



Larry Shenk

Vice President, Public Relations

[BigEd76]

You got the same preformatted response everyone else did. 

[MURP]

figured as much. 

[MDS]

Loved Conlins article. I'm more for making this an anti-Wheels bregade than a pro-Harry one. Harry's gonna have a job for as long as he wants. Wheels is worse than the SNF team.

[stalker]

I am for the Kalas/Reese pairing on radio.

[Rome]

You got the same preformatted response everyone else did. 

And people have the nerve to say that the Phillies are out of touch with their fan base.

Ha!

[ice grillin you]

just got my tickets for the opener....holla!

[MDS]

I normally like Zolecki, but man oh man does he have to listen to a bit more Wheels:

I don't understand the fuss. The Phillies decided to shuffle their TV/radio lineup. Yawn. First, I don't think the Phillies would be foolish enough to fire Kalas, or try to push him out the door (if they are, they're dumb). So speculation elsewhere is just that, speculation. The Phillies have had enough PR problems in the past few years. They don't need to fire their Hall of Fame broadcaster, for years their only draw. I'd like to see Harry and LA on TV, but it's not the end of the world they're not. I grew up in Milwaukee. Bob Uecker broadcasts only on the radio. But as long as Uke is somewhere, I'm happy. If I'm a Phillies fan, as long as Harry is somewhere, I'm happy. Like somebody told me today, shouldn't it be about baseball? The product on the field? To have so many people upset about the broadcast lineup just doesn't make much sense to me. It almost seems silly -- and completely overblown. Somehow I bet that if the team wins, nobody will care about LA being on the radio, or Harry working with Wheels. Somehow I think that if the team loses, nobody should care about it either. It's just getting a little attention because it's well-known that Harry and Wheeler don't get along. Again, yawn.

Seriously. There wouldn't be this much backlash if the guy wasn't so farging bad.

[Philly_Crew]

I normally like Zolecki, but man oh man does he have to listen to a bit more Wheels:

I don't understand the fuss. The Phillies decided to shuffle their TV/radio lineup. Yawn. First, I don't think the Phillies would be foolish enough to fire Kalas, or try to push him out the door (if they are, they're dumb). So speculation elsewhere is just that, speculation. The Phillies have had enough PR problems in the past few years. They don't need to fire their Hall of Fame broadcaster, for years their only draw. I'd like to see Harry and LA on TV, but it's not the end of the world they're not. I grew up in Milwaukee. Bob Uecker broadcasts only on the radio. But as long as Uke is somewhere, I'm happy. If I'm a Phillies fan, as long as Harry is somewhere, I'm happy. Like somebody told me today, shouldn't it be about baseball? The product on the field? To have so many people upset about the broadcast lineup just doesn't make much sense to me. It almost seems silly -- and completely overblown. Somehow I bet that if the team wins, nobody will care about LA being on the radio, or Harry working with Wheels. Somehow I think that if the team loses, nobody should care about it either. It's just getting a little attention because it's well-known that Harry and Wheeler don't get along. Again, yawn.

Seriously. There wouldn't be this much backlash if the guy wasn't so farging bad.

He is right in a way that if the Phillies were winning, we would be more concentrated on the field.  Unfortunately, they continue to miss the playoffs so the enjoyment we get from watching them play is Kalas.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Zolecki gets to watch from the pressbox.

We have to listen to Wheels babble on and on about nothing.

Get a clue, Zolecki.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

Just got my tickets for the opener. Since I am a lazy bastich, I waited until today. We got seats in section 428, behind third base. My first trip to Citizen's Bank, so I don't care. Get to watch the Phils get hammered by the Cards. Should be a good time.

[BigEd76]

2006 CBP Wall of Fame nominees

Lenny Dykstra (89-96)
John Kruk (89-94)
Darren Daulton (83-97)
Von Hayes (83-91)
Juan Samuel (83-89)
Dallas Green (79-81)
Ron Reed (76-83)
Dick Ruthven (73-75, 78-83)
Larry Christenson (73-83)
Jim Lonborg (73-79)
Mike Ryan (68-73)
Rick Wise (64-71)
Tony Gonzalez (60-68)
Gene Mauch (60-68)
Jim Konstanty (48-54)
Don Hurst (28-34)
Spud Davis (28-33, 38-39)
Pinky Whitney (28-33, 36-39)
Fred Luderus (10-20)
Al Orth (1895-1901)

Induction ceremonies will be on 8/11 vs Cincinnati...

[PhillyPhreak54]

John Kruk
Lenny Dykstra
Juan Samuel

My 3 votes