Eileen Kalas, widow of Harry Kalas, reportedly feels ‘betrayed’ by Phillies over renaming of Harry the K’s

Eileen Kalas, the widow of Phillies legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, is not happy with the Phillies’ decision to rename Harry the K’s.

Eileen told Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer that she felt betrayed when the Phillies informed here earlier this month that they are turning Harry the K’s, a bar in the second deck of left field, into the Ghost Energy Deck.

“Taking down that sign takes away everything he did for the city,” Eileen Kalas told Breen. “I think they betrayed Harry.”

The Phillies have reportedly paid the Kalas family a $20,000 yearly fee to use Harry’s likeness. They will pay that fee again this year, as the team missed the deadline to break the contract in 2026.

The Phillies told Eileen that they will not pay the fee again in 2027. In return, Eileen says the Phillies will not be able to play a recording of Harry singing “High Hopes” by Frank Sinatra after wins unless they pay.

Phillies managing partner John Middleton spoke with a small group of reporters on Tuesday night about the renaming of Harry the K’s.

“I get it,” Middleton said. “There’s emotion to that. But there’s a seven-foot statue of the guy in left field, the broadcast booth is named for him and has a plaque. It’s not like we’re not honoring his legacy. … One of the hard things if you have an old team like we do is there is a lot of people to honor.” Middleton talked about By Saam, Kalas’ predecessor in the broadcast booth, as an example of a beloved figure in team history who doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. “We need to do something for By Saam too,” he said. “Because he was as big for the Phillies as Harry had been.”

“You’re balancing this all the time,” Middleton said. “How do you honor the history when you have so many people who qualify to be honored? You have to just kind of pick and choose where you do it.”

Eileen, however, has a different perspective. She pointed out that fans cannot see the television broadcast booth and that the statue in left field was built by a nonprofit funded by Phillies fans.

“I’ll take (the statue),” Eileen Kalas said. “I’ll send in a truck, pick it up, and get it out if they want that out, too.”

The Phillies have dealt with an onslaught of backlash from fans and media alike over the rebranding of Harry the K’s. Eileen suggested the name, “Ghost Energy Deck at Harry the K’s.”

But that will require the Phillies agreeing to continue paying Eileen and the Kalas family to use Harry’s name. If they don’t, the beloved tradition of fans singing along with Harry to “High Hopes” could be gone for good.

For the Phillies, expanding their corporate partnerships come at a price.

“If you want a $300 million payroll, you need about $600-plus million in revenue. You’re looking for money everywhere,” Middleton said. “By the way, if you go to Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, it’s all over the place. But that’s the cost of doing business.”