Ruben Amaro Jr. you are most certainly the man. You did it with the swagger that personifies the WFC’s. Man, did I have my reservations about you when first hired. I was so afraid you’d be another Ed Wade. I mean you did pretty much learn all you know about the front office from the man. Should have known you were smarter than that, Pat Gillick was your real teacher.
Anyways, how did you do it Ruben? Well by pulling off the deal of the century for the Fightin’ Phils. In true Philly fashion you said “screw you,” to Toronto and soon to be Ex-GM J.P Ricciardi, who wanted the moon for ace Roy Halladay. Then pulled off a deal for reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, while also filling a need with Ben Francisco. You did all of this without giving up our most coveted prospects. Well done Rube!
Not lost in this is the passing of a legend, former Eagles Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Johnson was never a big talker, he let his defense do his talking for him. Even though he never seemed to show it, we all felt like Jim Johnson was like a favorite Uncle. His demeanor and professionalism were second to none and he will be missed patrolling the side-lines at The Linc.
It’s been a rough year for Philly teams and fans alike, watching our legends sail into the sunset. However, this should not be a time of sadness but of celebration and thankfulness. We should celebrate their lives and accomplishments and be thankful we were able to enjoy them for so long.
Part of showing how thankful we are is making sure we enjoy our lives to the fullest now. What better way then to enjoy America’s Past Time and our reigning World Champions making a huge deal to try and repeat?
Knowing how much Jim Johnson loved the fans I know he’d want us to be focused on the Phils and excited for Eagles Training Camp like we normally are.
So in honor of our fallen hero’s whether they were on the sidelines, in the booth, on the field or on the ice, Ruben Amaro Jr. You Are the Man! And don’t you forget it.
- Mike Santa Barbara
*** Follow Me on Twitter @Mike__SB ***
