Former Phillies GM says he faked voice to call WIP, but not everyone is convinced

Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr. told quite a story this week on 94 WIP.

Amaro, who coached the Phillies from 2008 to September 2015, claimed he once called in to a 94 WIP talk show after a game in a fake voice to criticize the team and himself.

“I actually called and faked my voice,” Amaro said in the WIP Morning show Thursday, saying that instead of standing up for himself, he “killed him.”

Ruben Amaro Jr. says he called 94WIP after games in a fake voice when he was GM of the Phillies! 😂 pic.twitter.com/aOpkOIFZjg

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) July 11, 2024

But some people are skeptical, and one Philadelphia sportswriter in particular has dismissed the claim as nonsense and written two articles debunking Amaro’s story. Kyle Pagan of CrossingBroad.com wrote Thursday: “I can’t believe people are running with this as if it’s true. … I mean, it’s not like RAJ did it in 1999. Doesn’t he think the stations had caller ID in 2015? A producer would sniff that out immediately.”

“There’s no way he’d risk getting caught when he’s already on thin ice. And if you think he’s criticized himself, I have some beachfront property in Iowa that I’d be happy to sell you.”

Amaro confirmed the story on Friday during an appearance on The Phillies Showand even tried to recreate the voice he may have used.

“Did you really do that?” asked co-host Todd Zolecki.

“I really did. I really did. Yeah, it’s kind of crazy,” Amaro admitted. “I think it was either 2012 or 2013 or maybe even 2014. I’m not sure what year it was and I can’t even remember what name I used. But I definitely used something like Frankie from South Philly. … I called and said, ‘Yo, it’s Frankie from Midtown Philly. You gotta get this Amaro guy out of here.'”

Co-host Jim Salisbury asked him who was hosting the show.

“I don’t know. I really don’t remember. All I know is it was late at night, after a game, we probably got our asses kicked,” Amaro said. “I was just messing around, I made a joke, I thought it was funny.”

“I think I only did it once and then thought about doing it again. I thought, ‘You know, maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea because someone would recognize my voice.'”

What a double whammy from Tricky Rube after he lied about calling on the radio when he was Phillies GM. He doesn’t know the year, the announcer, the name he used, or even the manager he just spoke to. https://t.co/HZQKlyM0Hz pic.twitter.com/Wv3IhSvqBn

— Kyle Pagan (@CBKylePagan) July 12, 2024

Pagan still doesn’t believe Amaro’s story.

“It’s just so weird to lie about it to seem cool and chill,” he wrote on CrossingBroad.com on Friday. “RAJ is the freshman on his first weekend of college who bragged about drinking a million beers in high school, only to end up in a ditch on his first night out with his new roommates.”

The Phillies have the best record in MLB and are a dominant team, so local baseball fans really have nothing to complain about. When the biggest controversy – which isn’t even a controversy, really – is whether the team’s former GM called a sports talk show 10, 12, or even 14 years ago while pretending to be “Frankie from South Philly,” life is good.

(CrossingBroad.com)