Well, I was not expecting a chat with former MLB utility man Desi Relaford to have the entire city of Philadelphia talking about it. When I asked Relaford if he affiliated himself most with the Phillies since he played the longest amount of time there (five seasons), he said no. After that, calling Philly fans ‘trash’ and why he didn’t like Phillies coach John Vukovich came up. I didn’t send the interview to anyone, besides posting it on social media. Someone saw it and then it hit the headlines on NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Philly 10. It became the talk of sports radio in Philly on Thursday on 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic.
First off, Relaford wanted it to be known that he wasn’t referring to all the fans, just a small percentage of them. Second, I had him on the show because he had a great 2001 season with the Mets. I was 10 years old at the time and he was one of my favorite players on that team. I always will remember when he came in to pitch in a game the Mets were down 15-3 and threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout against the Padres. Unfortunately, the Mets traded him along with Shinjo for Shawn Estes, and Relaford didn’t see as much success after that. Relaford didn’t have an incredible career by any means, but playing in the big leagues for 11 years is no easy task.
Relaford struggled offensively and defensively with the Phillies…but the whole team stunk and the fan base was not happy at all. Boos were heard daily in that old ballpark that needed to be done with. Right now, Philly is a completely different sports city than it was back in 2000. They got a Phillies title in 2008 and the Eagles just won a Super Bowl. I am more amazed at how mad Philly fans got because of what Relaford said. I understand defending your city and fan base, but everyone says how bad he was, yet still manage to want to attack the guy.
Sure, I will take the pub for the show, but the guy said something that maybe he shouldn’t have. Let the man live. It wasn’t a good time for any of the Phillies then, and Relaford isn’t the only player that has said something bad about Philly fans. He seems to have hit a sensitive spot. The interview audio is below along with the pieces that picked it up. Thanks for the support.
NBC Sports Philadelphia – Desi Relaford calls Phillies fans ‘trash,’ blames old coach
NBC 10 Philadelphia – Desi Relaford Calls Philly Fans ‘Trash,’ Blames Old Coach
CBS Philly – Ex-Phillie Desi Relaford: ‘Trash Philly Fans Are The Worst’
The Morning Call – Former Phillie Desi Relaford has thoughts on Phillies fans, and they aren’t good
Crossing Broad – Former Phillies Shortstop Desi Relaford Blasts Philly Fans and John Vukovich
LISTEN (3/7/18):
Radio.com
iTunes
Former MLB infielder and super utility player Desi Relaford joined me on The Jake Brown Show. We talked about coaching the Reds now, his career, time with Mets, his managers, why he hated playing with the Phillies and how bad their manager and fans treated him, how his career ended, and much more.
