"Where's Chris Wheeler?" I wondered in recent days. Upon Wheels' firing by Comcast Sports Net, we were told that Wheels would remain a part of the Phillies organization and continue to be, as he put it, "be Chris Wheeler". Yet, once his public address announcing during Spring Training ended, we have seldom heard from him. Today, Wheels made a public appearance at the All-Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey, as he was honored by being named to their Hall of Fame.
Chris Pawling of SouthJersey.com has Wheeler's own words about how he feels having been let go by the Phillies:
“It’s been a great ride and I miss the life right now, but I’m adjusting….
“It is August and it helps. It was very, very new to me in April. Spring training was the same, but it’s been an ongoing adjustment. If I can keep my health, ask me again in a few years. I might be playing golf at Pebble Beach and living down in Florida."
Wheels mentioned something interesting: both Harry Kalas and Rich Ashburn lived with him at various points:
“To work with those guys was just awesome,” he said. “To spend a lifetime with Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn, that’s worth four books. … Richie Ashburn moved in with me and never paid me any rent and said it was because I called him my boyhood idol. The same thing happened with Harry, so my home at one point was a way for vagabond broadcasters.”
I found it odd that Marlon Anderson, who had no broadcasting experience, would be brought in to fill in for Larry Andersen on radio, while Phillies employee Chris Wheeler – who was supposedly canned by Comcast Sports Net and NOT the Phillies – was nowhere to be found. It would have been a nice touch to hear Wheels for old times' sake.
