March 6–13, 1997

hit and run

He's Not Singing the Blues

Gary Giles, the designated national anthem crooner for the Phillies' home opener, has enjoyed a month of success since debuting at the Market East Gallery. Should Giles wind up singing for a living, he will give eternal thanks to Gregg Jefferies, the Phils' leftfielder.

Giles (no relation to owner team Bill Giles) is the social worker who wandered into the Gallery on Jan. 31 and saw a commotion. By the time he walked away, he had an audition to sing the anthem sometime during the season. That audition turned into the gig on opening day. Now John Brazer, the Phillies' promotion manager, reports that the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Kiwanis want to hire Giles and have him sing the anthem at various events this summer.

Giles strange adventure started at the Gallery when he attended the Phillies'"Kickoff Caravan" celebration. Upon seeing the promotional event — a roving crew of players, coaches, announcers and interactive baseball displays which toured area malls this winter — the life-long fan decided to get in line for an autograph.

And when Giles reached Jefferies, he blurted out a dream: "I want to sing the national anthem at the Vet."

Grab the mike, replied Jefferies, and show us what you've got. When Giles finished, the crowd roared.

"It was spine-tingling," says Brazer. "People were touched. On the bus ride back to the stadium, Jefferies was like 'We've got to get this guy!'"

So the team's front-office arranged for the audition on Feb. 10. With cameras from WPVI-Channel 6's Action News rolling at the Vet, Giles won over management.

"He's got a voice deeper than Barry White," Brazer reports.

That seems to be a good thing. Prior to the audition, the team hadn't booked an opening day anthem singer for the 3:05 p.m. game against San Diego on April 11.

Giles has been back to Veterans Stadium since winning his dream date. On Feb. 20, Giles sang the anthem during the Phillies'"Phanata- Hog Day" promotion which parodied traditional Groundhog day celebrations.

For those wondering, yes, the Phanatic saw his shadow.

— Scott Farmelant