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Article: Owens, GM during Phillies' only World Series title, dies at 79.
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- December 26, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Jim Salisbury
PHILADELPHIA _ In Philadelphia Phillies lore, it is simply known as The Speech. Entering the final month of the 1980 season, general manager Paul Owens was unhappy with the way his talented team had been playing. On Sept. 1, before a game in San Francisco, he assembled the players in the clubhouse and went on a 30-minute rant in which he scolded them for their selfish, sloppy play.
Owens' words, caustic and perfectly timed, acted as a cattle prod. The Phillies won 23 of their final 34 games, rolled into the National League playoffs, then beat the Kansas City Royals for what is still the 121-year-old franchise's only World Series ...