Meet the new boss, Phillies fans.
Or maybe that should be bosses.
The hammer fell on GM Ruben Amaro Jr. yesterday, and the fingerprints on it belong to John Middleton and Andy MacPhail.
Middleton emerged from the shadows of the owner's box at the press conference announcing MacPhail would be taking over operations of the Phils.
Yesterday that process started by jettisoning Amaro, who had managed to enrage fans while lording over the Phils' long, slow decline from the glory years that saw them win five straight National League East crowns, two World Series appearances and one crown. Oh, and one other rarity around these parts, a parade down Broad Street, the spoils from that 2008 World Championship.
Sure, most will point out that Pat Gillick was the architect of that team, and that while Amaro steered them back to the Fall Classic the next year, he also was at the helm as the aging Phils slowly disintegrated. The team suddenly found themselves stuck with huge contracts on a bunch of players past their prime, a process that probably started when slugger Ryan Howard collapsed after making the last out of the 2009 World Series, his Achilles tendon having exploded.
The Phils never recovered.
Here's the thing. We honor Howard, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz for winning us a championship. Yet we seem to reserve nothing but scorn for Amaro.
So I will say what few others will.
Thanks, Ruben.
Thanks for being part of what has to be one of the greatest streaks of excellence in Philly sports.
Middleton and MacPhail are looking to the future, not the past.
And it's clear that future did not include Ruben Amaro Jr.
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