I hope LaMar ends up being the sagely draft guru. He seems to have picked some winners in TB

Press conference at 10 AM tomorrow morning. Amaro is scheduled to go to California for the GM Meetings but I assume he will be there.

Very predictable move. Phils are an old-fashioned organization. They value loyalty and tradition. While they do not sign high-profile Latino prospects, they have a tradition of employing Latino coaches from their system. Ruben Amaro Sr. was loyal for many years. Phils are rewarding loyalty. It's the Philly way--in government, in the underworld, in sports. They also want to show they are supporting MLB in promoting minorities. For them, Latino promotion is a good compromise. Not black, which might alienate some fans, but a minority nonetheless. Don't ever make the mistake that this organization is forward-looking or leading edge and will look for a brainy GM from the outside with connections, charisma, energy, cojones and creativity.

It's something more than just rewarding loyalty, b/c Arbuckle's been a good soldier here longer than Amaro has.

phillychuck wrote:A good owner calls Arbuckle into the office and offers him a promotion, too, and more responsibility. Doesn't just tell him that he lost out. Keep the guy who built the team.

I'm with PC on this one.

DiamondDerby wrote:Very predictable move. Phils are an old-fashioned organization. They value loyalty and tradition. While they do not sign high-profile Latino prospects, they have a tradition of employing Latino coaches from their system. Ruben Amaro Sr. was loyal for many years. Phils are rewarding loyalty. It's the Philly way--in government, in the underworld, in sports. They also want to show they are supporting MLB in promoting minorities. For them, Latino promotion is a good compromise. Not black, which might alienate some fans, but a minority nonetheless. Don't ever make the mistake that this organization is forward-looking or leading edge and will look for a brainy GM from the outside with connections, charisma, energy, cojones and creativity.

Good thing I'm stlll basking in the WS glow, or I'd be totally depressed over this -- all-too-accurate commentary...

DiamondDerby wrote: Don't ever make the mistake that this organization is forward-looking or leading edge and will look for a brainy GM from the outside with connections, charisma, energy, cojones and creativity.

but Amaro has connections with Houston

I think everyone (except laex) knew this was coming years ago before Gillick was hired and while it's not thrilling now, let's give him a shot to see what he can do. There was no chance the organization was going to turn the reigns over to a 30-yr old n00b or a Korean woman, and Epstein and Cashman weren't available. It is what it is....

DiamondDerby wrote:Very predictable move. Phils are an old-fashioned organization. They value loyalty and tradition. While they do not sign high-profile Latino prospects, they have a tradition of employing Latino coaches from their system. Ruben Amaro Sr. was loyal for many years. Phils are rewarding loyalty. It's the Philly way--in government, in the underworld, in sports. They also want to show they are supporting MLB in promoting minorities. For them, Latino promotion is a good compromise. Not black, which might alienate some fans, but a minority nonetheless. Don't ever make the mistake that this organization is forward-looking or leading edge and will look for a brainy GM from the outside with connections, charisma, energy, cojones and creativity.

There isn't a single verifiable element to your theory, you're making conculsions on things you (or any of us) couldn't possibly know by connecting the most tenuous of dots.

With that in mind, though, it's not surprising PTK is on board

VoxOrion wrote:

dajafi wrote:... he's gone in two years.

Because if the Phillies are known for anything, it's not letting losers keep their job for years once they prove they're a failure...

True, but it's different now. After two bad years, their bottom line would go to shit and they'd need a head on a pike. That smug SOB would be the guy--because, improbably enough, Cholly has a lifetime pass now...

World Champion Ruben Amaro

Not sure if it's good or bad, but I expect Amaro will be extremely tentative and cautious this offseason. I'd be shocked if they sign and/or trade for anything more than a bullpen piece and a platoon OF.

I honestly believe that - given proper support - at least a half a dozen BSG posters would construct better teams than Ruben Amaro. That's rather depressing.

But we won the World Series, so fuck it.

Shore wrote:I honestly believe that - given proper support - at least a half a dozen BSG posters would construct better teams than Ruben Amaro.

Weren't people saying the same thing three years ago about Gillick?

I know he had much more of a pedigree, but there was also the notion that the game had passed him by.

Squire wrote:Isn't Wolever like Arbuckle's good friend and right hand man? Its one thing to lose Arbuckle, it would be much more difficult if we lose Wolever and the scouts and have to start from ground zero on that. I am presuming/hoping that Wolever stays and that Amaro learned from Gillick's 2008 draft.

Isn't Wolever the guy who keeps pushing for the 5-tool, no baseball skills guys? I was sorta hoping both he and Amaro would leave this offseason, but then I though Arbunkle was the guy with all the scouts.

Only the Phillies could find a way to mess up the offseason after a world championship. Ok, I guess the Marlins did that after '97, but you get my drift. Looks like it's up to Charlie and the young core to keep this thing going.

Ruben is a politician, not a baseball man. He's a corporate suckup, who may be good at contracts, but I wouldn't trust to build a major league team.

And I realize we don't really know what he'll do because he's never been in this position, but I think you can tell a lot about him by the reaction of people in the organization and his content-free double speak he's thrown our way over the past few years. As far as I can tell, he's an old school guy who thinks players that play like he played the game (poorly, but with gusto!) are the way to build championships. 5 years from now, we'll be looking back on a Sabean-like record of signing veterans who get their uniforms dirty, but get on base by accident.

If not for the euphoria I'm currently feeling about winning the championship, I'd be really pissed off right now, especially since the move seems to have gutted our successful scouting team.

Houshphandzadeh wrote:World Fucking Champion Ruben Fucking Amaro

fyp

The more I think about this the more I get mad. This team better win another championship in the next 3 months to make up for this stupid promotion.

what swish said. calm down y'all.

Amaro is stubborn, he's arrogant, he got his current job because of his father, and everyone knew the day he was hired that he was meant to be the heir-apparent regardless of how well he did his job.

He's Jay Paterno.