Bill Giles' interview re the Myers mess

[jalbright]

Why in the world was Bill Giles dumb enough to get into the middle of the Myers mess? He should have had an innocuous quote like "Of course, spousal abuse is a serious issue. I can only say it's a legal matter, and I've heard Myers' side and I've seem the witnesses' version, and they don't agree. I think it's only right to give Myers the benefit of the doubt until things are resolved. After all, isn't it "innocent until proven guilty"?"

Giles has been interviewed enough to pull off something like that. He wouldn't look like he's apologizing for the indefensible (exactly how does one help somebody by hitting them hard enough in the face to cause swelling?), but yet it would support a player he wants to believe in, but by citing cherished legal rights. Later, if the court case goes against Myers, he'd have an easy out having said we should wait to judge until the courts resolved it. Also, he desperately needed to say spousal abuse is bad. They've taken such heat over their handling of the situation, and, just when they might have been able to sort of put the matter to rest, this will stir it up again by appearing so blatantly on Myers' side, especially in light of the team's initial mishandling of the matter.

God, Giles, you've been trying to sell the Phillies as a contender for most of the last twenty-three years when they only really qualified once (and then because they were lucky enough to keep both Dykstra and Daulton healthy in the same year)--have you come to believe the bullcrap you try to sell?

Jim Albright

[LP fan]

Perhaps it is true that not all the facts are known...that it was made out to be worse than it was, but even if that is the case, its not smart for him to get involved.....weighing in like this, its a lose situation for the organization...maybe some of those guys that left ( block, hardiman, androctus) are right...its time for new ownership and management...

[jalbright]

If he'd prefaced things with something about spousal abuse being a serious matter and pointed out there are two sides to every story and cloaked himself in "innocent until proven guilty", it would be hard to be critical. That approach would have been smart, because at least for the moment, he could have his cake (I don't Myers acted as badly as has been portrayed) and eat it too (if he did, it's a bad thing).

As I read it, the interview basically puts him squarely on Myers' side. He's trapped if it comes out anything like as ugly as has been in the press to date. If it works out that way, he was duped by a wife-beater despite his awareness of eyewitness testimony to the contrary. The only way it works out well for the club is if Myers is vindicated, and that's by no means certain. In that instance, Giles stuck his neck out for a valued employee. Any other scenario, and I can't see how the club avoids being a loser over this interview. Painting yourself into a corner is rarely if ever a wise thing to do, and Bill Giles has painted himself into a corner.

Jim Albright

[Mr. Met]

Montgomery came out and said that Giles had it wrong. Just when this thing had just about blown away.

Nice job Bill. :radio

[jalbright]

It would have stirred again when Myers returns, but this just makes it worse. Now it's less likely to go away until after the legal system deals with it. He would have been better off declining to comment because the situation is a legal matter. What's really sad is he didn't make the necessary if perfunctory acknowledgement of the seriousness of the issue or to point out that what's really important is that the ideal solution has to be good for Myers, his wife and their kids, and only then good for the club. Whether or not such a solution can be found, time will tell--but what he's quoted as saying doesn't even acknowledge those things, which amounts to a repetition of the mistake of letting Myers pitch so soon after the incident. Myopic at best.

Jim Albright

[Mr. Met]

On the brighter side (I would think), I'm seriously thinking that, with the series of events over the course of this season and especially the last few weeks, this could be the beginning of the end for this ownership group. It might take a couple years but it's become obvious that this is where the 'change' needs to be made.