This was such a good comment I thought it deserved a place on the front page for a little while. Thanks Anonymous Hero. Now get an account and don't be a stranger. -- jbox
I've been looking around for information on Giles' free agent status and read both this thread and the "good looking catcher link," and I must say, I'm having vivid flashbacks to when Giles was a Cleveland Indian on the 1997 team.
Giles has always been of my favorite players because he was so damn Quirky (note the capital "Q".) Who knows. Maybe he just gets off on making his teammates uncomfortable with his...er... antics, but apparently he still is raising eyebrows. I think it's hillarious. If you'll forgive my indulgence, I'll relay some of my favorite examples:
The "Hernandez kiss" that I read about is almost a mirror of the smooch he gave Omar Vizquel after the Tribe had defeated the Yankees in the 1997. Same setup: Omar's trying to give an interview and Giles strolls over puts a hand on Omar's neck and pulls him closer to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek (to this day, I swear I saw some tongue). Meanwhile, Omar's doing his best to ignore him and carry on the interview, and Giles is looking bored. After watching O, he puts on this devious smile and, as Omar is still talking, starts to mumble or whisper in his ear to distract him. Apparently, it must have tickled, because Omar freaks, laughs and starts shaking his head like a dog. End of interview--Giles looked very pleased.
Omar must have been on of his favorites. Another time, Omar was hosting his "Omar y Amigos" radio show for kids (cute show), and Giles was his guest. Omar bluntly asked him, "Why the heck are you always touching people and blowing in their ears and stuff?" Giles sidestepped the question with, "Well,...Omar's just one of those people I really like to touch," and the next thing you hear was Omar struggling a little, and going, "Hey!...HEY!!!" and the audience laughing.
Marquis Grissom was another target. Announcer Tom Hamilton remarked that when the Tribe defense leaves the field, Grissom would run like a madman for the dugout. Why? Grissom was trying to avoid a little game that Giles played: "Touch Marquis Grissom before he gets to the dugout." Grissom wanted no part of that, and I can see why after Giles presented Marquis's birthday cake to him in the nude. Hamilton said, "Yes, folks, in the clubhouse, Giles presented the cake to Grissom wearing only his birthday suit...and that's all I can say on the air."
Another favorite story: The team was in Texas, I believe, and reporters noticed angry red lumps on Giles' legs, and asked him about it. He decides to screw with them and says that he was bitten by a "red-horned scorpion." It makes the papers, Tom talks about it on the air, it makes the subject of talk radio, everyone is concerned and fascinated by this bizarre story. Turned out, it was a rash from shaving his legs. The media was miffed, and so was Tom Hamilton, who grumpily reported that his young son awoke screaming from a nightmare days before, yelling that there was a "red-horned scorpion" in his bedroom.
Sheesh! Always entertaining, and certainly crazy, he's one of my all-time favorite players.