The Phillies are undergoing some controversial changes.
Harry the Kay’s, located in the left-field section of Citizens Bank Park, has been a tribute to legendary announcer Harry Callas since the stadium’s opening in 2004.
However, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team has sold the naming rights for this area to Ghost Energy.
Callas’s widow expressed her feelings of betrayal, stating that the decision undermines her late husband’s contributions to the city.
“Removing that sign takes away everything he did for the city,” Irene Karas told the Inquirer. “I think they betrayed Harry. It’s not just my problem. It’s about what they’re doing to him. I really think they betrayed him for everything he’s done for them.”
The team has chosen not to comment on the situation, according to the Philadelphia paper.
Eileen Karas, Harry’s widow, mentioned that the Phillies had been compensating her $20,000 annually to use her husband’s likeness.
With the team having passed the deadline to terminate her contract in 2026, she will receive another payment this season, but it will not continue into 2027.
Reports indicate that the Phillies plan to keep celebrating victories by playing a clip of Harry Callas singing “High Hopes,” though Eileen clarified that the team would need to compensate her for the song’s usage in 2027.
“They’ll say, ‘Eileen Callas got rid of it. She’s just after money,'” she told the Inquirer. “They’ve always said that. But here’s the thing… I don’t care if they have it or not. They have to pay for it. It’s intellectual property. They know it.”
She further remarked, “They say, ‘Oh, we’re still going to keep the statue.’ What are they going to do with it? If they really want it, I can send a truck to pick it up, and take it away too.”
Harry Callas served as the team’s play-by-play announcer from 1971 until his passing on April 13, 2009, just months after the Phillies clinched the 2008 World Series.
