Middleton Looking For Multiple World Series Titles For Phillies
John Middleton addressed the Philadelphia Phillies at the beginning of spring training.
The managing partner told the players what he was expecting this season and beyond.
He didn’t mince words.
"You have short-term goals, and you have long-term goals,” Middleton told Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie in a recent radio interview on 94 WIP. “I spoke to them in the locker room on the first day of full practice. … I started out by saying, 'I don't want to win a World Series.' And people kind of looked at me. And then I said, 'The reason I don't want to win a World Series is, if the people in this room only win one World Series, I'm going to be really disappointed.’”
The Phillies surprisingly advanced to the World Series last season and came up two wins short against the powerful Houston Astros.
The atmosphere was electric at Citizens Bank Park and Middleton was right in the middle of the action. He was present everywhere throughout the postseason, soaking up all the excitement.
He’s not your average owner. He’s as passionate as the fanbase, if not more.
"My goal -- doesn't mean I am going to get there -- is to create a team that 50 to 100 years from now, when people ask the question, 'What are the greatest teams to ever play baseball?' A Phillies team is in that conversation,” Middleton told WIP. “Now that goal has to then translate down into shorter goals, so the goal this year is to win the World Series. I am not saying that is the expectation. I am not saying people should take that to the bank. I am not arrogant about it. But that's the goal."
It’s hard to not want to play for an owner like this. That’s why Bryce Harper signed. That’s why Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker and others signed.
Not just to win one championship. The goal is multiple championships.
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