Ruben Amaro's Ego

The second Eric Hinske swung through Brad Lidge’s devastating slider marked the end of one of the longest tenured Philadelphia athletes in recent history, Pat Burrell.   New General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. had played second-fiddle to Ed Wade for eight years, and for the past three seasons to future hall-of-famer, Pat Gillick. The world champions had 10 arbitration-eligible players heading into the off-season, but only two key free-agents. Left-hander Scott Eyre, who was resigned to a two-year deal, and Burrell.   Amaro did not sit idly by for the better part of a decade waiting his opportunity only to bring back the same exact roster his predecessors spent the last several years putting together.   Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Bret Myers, and Cole Hamels all were drafted under Wade’s watch. The trades for Lidge and Joe Blanton and the signings of Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino were the work of Gillick.   The new G.M. did not serve as the ... (link)