Steve Phillips
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- For the English footballer, see Steve Phillips (footballer).
Steve Francis Phillips (born on May 18, 1963) was the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997-2003.
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[edit] Early life
Phillips was offered a football scholarship to Northwestern University after high school - he even signed a letter of intent - but opted instead to sign a professional baseball contract after being drafted by the Mets. Phillips attended De La Salle Collegiate High School in Detroit, Michigan, and later completed a psychology degree at the University of Michigan during baseball's offseasons.
Mr. Phillips currently resides in Wilton, Connecticut, with his wife and children.
[edit] New York Mets
He joined the Mets front office in 1990, was promoted to General Manager of Baseball Operations on July 16, 1997 [1], and was fired by chief operating officer Fred Wilpon on June 12, 2003 after a 29-35 start to the season. The Mets replaced him with assistant GM Jim Duquette on an interim basis.[2]
In the late 1990s, Phillips assembled a Mets team comprised of big name stars, such as Al Leiter, Mike Piazza, and Robin Ventura, and excellent role players, that played in the 2000 World Series against the New York Yankees. He is also credited with drafting David Wright, Scott Kazmir, and Lastings Milledge, and signing Jose Reyes. He had an uneasy, if not volatile relationship with manager Bobby Valentine, and when Phillips decided to fire Valentine before the 2003 season, many expected the GM to be next. He was often criticized for holding on to aging, brittle veterans too long, and was fired in a season marred by numerous injuries.
[edit] Harassment allegations
For a brief stint in 1998, Phillips took a leave of absence as general manager because of a sexual harassment suit. He admitted to consensual sex with the woman who filed the suit, as well as multiple other affairs, but denied harassment and the civil suit was settled out of court. Phillips was away from the team for a total of 8 days. The Mets defended Phillips privately and publicly, and the alleged victim's attorney was even quoted as being sympathetic to his sincerity. [3]
[edit] Broadcasting career
Phillips was hired as a baseball analyst for ESPN prior to the 2005 baseball season, and serves as a regular anchor on the nightly program Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter. He primarily serves as a game analyst during Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts. Since his debut on Baseball Tonight, Phillips is notorious for prematurely denying the Yankees a chance at a playoff berth. He has been wrong every year.
He was extremely critical of the Cincinnati Reds Rule V Draft acquisition, Josh Hamilton, suggesting that the Reds were condoning Hamilton's years of substance abuse and other off-the-field problems.[4]
Some[who?] have noted the irony that Phillips was given his own second chance after some missteps in his private life while serving as the Mets General Manager[citation needed].
[edit] References
| Preceded by Joe McIlvaine |
New York Mets General Manager 1997-2003 |
Succeeded by Jim Duquette |
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