Middleton defends Phillies scrapping Kalas' name on outfield bar

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — John Middleton noshed on finger foods and even raised a Sánchez Slider — a chicken sandwich named in honor of the Phillies' star pitcher — as sort of a toast in appreciation for the millions spent on a makeover that modernized Citizens Bank Park just in time for the start of an All-Star Game season.

The Phillies owner had every reason to puff his chest over the upgrades: There's a video screen in the rebuilt team store — All-Star Game merch now on sale! — so fans never have to miss a pitch while they shop and a premium Hall of Fame club level that serves as sort of a team history lesson on everything from jerseys to electronic slideshows of great moments to a chance to stop for a photo opp with their two World Series championship trophies.

Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo mingled among influencers and retired team greats as passed hors d'oeuvres — naturally, starters — highlighted new gluttonous menu items like a Schwarbomb Sundae.

You know, just like the song says, buy me some peanuts and a funnel-cake-fried strawberry Uncrustable.

Yet, everything comes with a price, be it for the refreshed concession stand delights at the home of the reigning two-time NL East champions or the combined $249 million in new contracts the Phillies gave to Sánchez and Luzardo this month to anchor the rotation for years ahead.

The bill always comes due, for fans and even the front office.

With finances in mind, the Phillies made the widely panned decision to strip the name of the team's late, beloved Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas from essentially an outdoor bar out in the left field stands and peddled the naming rights to an energy drink company.

Like his famed home run call, Harry the K's is outta here!

The mawkish outrage among Phillies fans was immediate as they directed their anger toward a franchise they believed turned their back on the voice of a franchise — he touched 'em all on the mic, from Mike Schmidt to "The Man" Chase Utley — in exchange for, what, a few extra dollars?

Well, yeah.

"If you want a $300-million payroll, you need about $600-plus million dollars of revenue, you're looking for money everywhere," Middleton said Tuesday night. "By the way, if you go to Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, (advertising) is all over the place. That's the cost of doing business."

(Forbes valued the Phillies this month at $3.4 billion.)

A 2002 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game, Kalas was one of the last longtime announcers closely associated with one city. Kalas, who died in 2009, did the voiceover for "Inside the NFL" from 1977 through 2008. He also was the voice for Chunky Soup commercials and Animal Planet's annual tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl competitor, the Puppy Bowl.

Harry the K's opened in 2004 with the debut of Citizens Bank Park, which replaced the decrepit Veterans Stadium.

There was a kerfuffle years later when Kalas' widow, Eileen Kalas, became embroiled in a dispute with the franchise over payment. Eileen Kalas, who could not be reached by The Associated Press for comment, told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2010 that her husband was paid $1,000 a year plus a percentage of sales from the restaurant.

Middleton said Tuesday he did not discuss the new naming rights with Kalas' widow and that money saved over the yearly payments to the family was essentially miniscule.

"The money we saved, it's going to maybe buy some napkins or something like that," Middleton said. "It's not serious, serious money. We're not going to go out and buy a new player. Now the money that Ghost is paying us, that can fund a player."

Now that's the kind of news that can get Phillies fans to start pounding blue raspberry drinks all game long.

The Phillies haven't abandoned Kalas altogether.

There's still a 7 1/2-foot statue of him out in the left field corner of the concourse and the broadcast booth remains named in his honor. The Phillies play Kalas' rendition of "High Hopes" on the big screen after every home victory.

"I mean, it's not like we're not honoring his legacy," Middleton said. "And it's not like we're not going to continue to honor his legacy during the future."

The sponsored name is the latest attempt at modernizing CBP — a ballpark Middleton expects to still be fully operational in a century — over the last few years. The right field out-of-town scoreboard was scrapped in 2024, and last season saw an All-Star Game logo replace the analog clock out in center that was an homage to the one at their old home, Connie Mack Stadium. Even uniforms have advertising patches on the sleeves.

"I don't think there's any reason to put the clock back up,” Middleton said. "Honestly, if you asked the 3.7 million people who came to our ballpark last year, how many of those people do you think would know that clock represents the clock on top of the (Connie Mack) scoreboard? Seriously? Five percent? Ten percent? The world changes. You have new fans, new customers. There are younger people looking at it saying, why is it there? I've got my phone. I don't need a clock. Why is it there? Who cares?"

There is some good news for die-hard and old-time Phillies fans. Middleton said he would not sell the naming rights to the outfield concourse, Ashburn Alley. The area was named for Hall of Fame outfielder — and Kalas' longtime broadcast partner — Richie Ashburn.

The roster changes every season. The manager, every so often. Hot dogs are now two for $5 instead of a buck on select nights.

Sometimes the spot where you buy a beer changes its name, and fans are hot about it in the moment.

"I get it," Middleton said. "There's an emotion to that."

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