Mitch Williams Discusses Phillies TV Gig

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – There will be two former Phillies in the booth for the team this year during television broadcasts, but neither will be the Wild Thing.

The Phillies and Comcast SportsNet went with Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs for the job, who will each do 100 games in the booth with play by play man Tom McCarthy.

One of the candidates that didn't get the job, also a former Phillie, is former closer Mitch Williams, who currently works for the MLB Network.

"I can't really say [how much of a contender I was] . I interviewed for it, the interview couldn't have gone better, and I have Philly fans saying that I wish I would have taken the job. Well, it wouldn't have mattered. The job was never offered to me," Williams told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday. "I know that I was more than willing to listen, as I said the last time we were on [air], it would take a substantial offer to get me to leave the job I'm at now because I love MLB Network. For them to ask for an interview and not pursue anything beyond that, to me, was kind of odd. They knew it would take a substantial offer. So, I don't know how serious they were, but I was willing to listen to anything. The worst thing that would have happened, was I would have said, 'No I'm going to stay where I'm at' because I have a great job."

It's not about control....So it didn't have anything to with control," Williams said. "I mean, it wasn't like I was going to come out and rip people, I've never done that in my entire life. I know how hard the game is. It couldn't have been about control, in my mind."

Even though Williams didn't get the job, he thinks the team and CSN Philly made a good hire.

"Jamie [Moyer] is extremely knowledge about the game. Matt Stairs is extremely knowledgeable about the game," Williams said. "I've talked to both of them. They know the game inside and out. Now whether or not Matt can speak to pitching, whether if someone is mechanically off, I don't know that, but I know Jamie. They're both very intelligent. Once you get in the booth, you have to treat it like you're having a conversation at a bar."

The end of Williams' baseball career in Philadelphia was certainly not what anyone would describe as 'storybook.' A failing arm, a home run to Joe Carter, and the ire of many fans surrounded his departure. But time has healed, as it often does, and Williams has nothing but good thoughts about Philadelphia.

"The reason I said I had interest in the job was number one, I didn't want Philly fans thinking that I had grown beyond them and that I'm at a place where I can look down on them. I'll never be in that place. And looking at it, it was a chance for me to come full circle. You guys gave me the opportunity there at WIP, after all the crap with the World Series and the fact that I've never hid from it. I've chosen to raise my five kids here in Philly,"  Williams said. "We as a family----I met my wife at a Phillies game. So I mean, our roots are here now. So I looked at it as a chance to come full circle and it was just something that wasn't in the cards. Like I said, it's not like I'm sitting here today all heart broken over it because I have an unbelievable job at the best sports network in all of television [MLB Network]. So, all I can do is sit back and wish the Phillies good luck. I wish Matt and Jamie good luck, and T-Mac [Tom McCarthy]. I hope they have a lot of good baseball to talk about."