Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. yesterday apologized prior to the team's game against the Mets after a CSNPhilly.com story quoted him as saying the fans "don't understand the game," according to Ryan Lawrence of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Amaro yesterday said, "I understand the passion and the knowledge that our fans have for our game and the other major sports, all the other sports in Philly. The comments weren't meant to disparage our fans, by any stretch of the imagination. I probably used my words incorrectly or poorly. I want to apologize for that." Lawrence wondered if Amaro is concerned that his comments, which "went viral quickly," could affect his job status. Amaro: "The biggest thing that bothers me about it is how the organization is perceived -- not me personally." He added of team President Pat Gillick, "We had a discussion about it, and he said it was unfortunate and thought it was taken out of context" (PHILLY.com, 5/26). CSN’s Jim Salisbury, who Amaro made his initial comments to, said the GM "respects the fans" and he "misspoke the other day." Salisbury: "It didn’t come out the right way. ... He would never intentionally disparage the fans. We need to cut him a little bit of a break here. When the Phillies were winning five divisional titles in a row, when they were racking up sellout after sellout, many times -- many times -- he looked me in the eye and said, ‘We’re able to do this, we’re able to have these huge payrolls and go after Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, because of this fan support.’ So I think years of those comments should outweigh one brain cramp that he might have had” (CSNPHILLY.com, 5/26).
COMING TO A HEAD: In Philadelphia, Mike Sielski writes "deep down, maybe Amaro believes that he's entitled to more latitude than he's gotten from Phillies fans," that the team's three division titles and '09 World Series appearance over the first three seasons of his tenure as GM "should have earned him a kinder, gentler, longer grace period." And "he'd be right if the Phillies' subsequent collapse weren't so predictable and preventable." It is "understandable if fans find Amaro's preaching patience as off-putting as they find his petulant tone" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/27). In Pennsylvania, Dustin Hockensmith wrote the Phillies are "stuck somewhere between rebuilding and maintaining the status quo, which has their fans growing antsy about the next step and just what that might be." Hockensmith: "From the tone of Amaro's comments, it would appear they aren't holding back with their criticisms. By taking a defensive position, Amaro isn't exactly scoring points with those critics" (PENNLIVE.com, 5/26).
DOES AMARO HAVE A POINT? In Pennsylvania, Stephen Gross writes fans "may not like to hear it, but in this case, Amaro’s right." Gross: "It’s not that fans are incapable of making smart decisions, it’s more that they don’t have all of the information available to them to make the best decision possible. They’re not at the field every day, they don’t have the experience and some merely look at stats as justification for moves when there’s so much more to consider" (Allentown MORNING CALL, 5/27). ESPN’s Keith Law said there is "some merit in what Amaro is saying." Law: "It’s definitely true that if you work inside a front office or if you’re on a coaching staff, there is information you have that the fan doesn’t. You are not responsible or obligated as general manager to tell the public every step of your plan. ... That being said, don’t turn around and blame the fans for the fact that your major league club isn’t good, your farm system isn’t good and they’re not happy about it" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 5/26). CSN Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico said, “The one thing that the fans aren’t understanding right now is that when you look down at the Double-A level, who put that team together? Who brought those prospects in? Ruben Amaro did." Bottalico: "Any way you slice it, at some point, if those guys come up and win, he would have had a big part of it” ("SportsNet Central," CSN Philadelphia, 5/26).
THE END OF THE ROAD? In Philadelphia, Sam Donnellon notes Amaro is in the "last year of a contract that there hasn't even been rumors of renewing," and his comments "couldn't have acted as a trigger to such a conversation." The Phillies' hierarchy "has been loyal to their 50-year-old human shield thus far, but selling tickets to watch this team is already enough of a shell game without someone on the inside mocking the marks" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/27). ESPN.com's David Schoenfield wrote Amaro's comments were "foolish and irresponsible." Additionally, the Phillies "have been behind the curve in advanced analytics." Schoenfield: "There are many reasons to fire Amaro beyond running his mouth" (ESPN.com, 5/26).
