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Bill Giles (baseball)

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William Yale Giles (born September 7, 1934 in Rochester, New York) is the Honorary National League President, chairman emeritus, and former[1] part owner of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies.

Personal

He is the son of former National League president Warren Giles.[2] His baseball career began in his father's former organization, the Cincinnati Reds, during the 1950s and he was among a group of Reds executives (including former Cincinnati general manager Gabe Paul and MLB executive Tal Smith) who helped to found the Houston Astros when they debuted as the Colt .45s in 1962.[3] Sporting News' 1962 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book, published in the Colt .45s' maiden season, lists Giles as the club's traveling secretary and publicity director.[4] Subsequently, he became promotions director, and focused on that role after the renamed team moved into the Astrodome in 1965.

Philadelphia Phillies

Giles started with the Phillies as the vice president of business operations in 1969. He worked his way up in the organization, with stops as executive vice president and president, before becoming the chairman in 1997.[5] He became chairman emeritus in 2015, being succeeded as chairman by David Montgomery.[6]

Giles was also part of the ownership group that bought the Phillies from the Carpenter family in 1981.[2] The group is composed of Giles, Montgomery, Claire S. Betz, Tri-Play Associates (Alexander K. Buck, J. Mahlon Buck Jr. and William C. Buck), and Double Play Inc. (John S. Middelton).[7] Mahlon Buck died in 2011.[8] The group reportedly purchased the team for $30 million. As of April 2008, the Phillies were valued at over $481 million by Forbes magazine.[9]

National League honorary president

Giles is also honorary president of the National League—the same job his father held on an official full-time basis. One of the honorary president's tasks is to present the Warren C. Giles Trophy—which is named after Giles' father, Warren—to the NLCS winner.[10]

Other duties of the honorary league president include representing the league at the All-Star Game and the Postseason, among a few others.[11]

See also

Bibliography

  • Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball ISBN 1-57243-931-9

References

  1. ^ Salisbury, Jim (July 14, 2015). "No longer a team owner, Bill Giles still has Phillies opinions". Comcast Sportsnet Philly L.P. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Philadelphia Phillies". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  3. ^ Reiss, Stephen A., The Encyclopedia of Major League Clubs, Vol. 1. Westport, CT: The Greenwood Press, 2006, page 165
  4. ^ Spink, J.G. Taylor, with Kachline, Clifford, and Rickert, Paul, The 1962 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis: Charles C. Spink & Son., 1962, page 6.
  5. ^ Mandel, Ken (2003-04-08). "Giles and the Vet go hand in hand". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  6. ^ Zolecki, Todd (2015-01-28). "Montgomery to return to Phillies as chairman". MLB.com. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  7. ^ "Front Office Directory". PhiladelphiaPhillies.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "J. Mahlon Buck, 85, co-owner of the Phillies". J. Mahlon Buck, 85, co-owner of the Phillies. philly.com, March 18, 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Special Report: The Business of Baseball". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Jensen, Mike (October 16, 2008). "'Fantastic feeling' for Bill Giles". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  11. ^ "Frank Robinson named Senior Advisor and Honorary A.L. President". Major League Baseball.
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies President
1982–1997
Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies General Manager
1984–1987
Succeeded by