Once again, Howard Eskin of Fox 29 reported that Phillies President David Montgomery, currently on medical leave, is out as Phillies president. The Phillies responded to the report, as they did with the initial report. However, there was something curious about the Phillies' "denial" that President David Montgomery was out as President.
"Of foremost concern to this organization is David Montgomery's full recovery from his surgery this past spring," the statement said. "There has been no determination made regarding his future status. Phillies ownership will continue to confer with David about their collective vision for the future."
"No determination?"
Had this been a true denial, the Phillies would have blantantly said that Montgomery was going to return as soon as his health allowed him to do so. This reads more like, "We're probably going to fire him/tell him what his new role is going to be soon as he's healthy".
Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote today that this situation really leaves the whole Phillies organization up in the air:
"I don't know" really is the answer right now to who is in charge of the Phillies. The confusion stems from team president David Montgomery's medical leave of absence that started in late August as he continued to recover from May cancer surgery on his jaw. The team announced at the time that former general manager Pat Gillick would become the interim president in charge of baseball operations while senior vice president Mike Stiles tended to day-to-day business operations.
Brookover points out that if the Phillies really did not pursue Tomas due to money, where did that order come from?
The baseball source said he believed that Gillick, Amaro, and Charley Kerfeld, a special assistant to the general manager, were the three strongest voices in the organization right now. But that still does not answer who is in charge of the money.
With many decisions to come, including eating salaries of players that the Phillies would like to move, this is a difficult predicament.
Dennis Deitch of the Delaware County Times muses that in the middle of this mess, the Phillies are not even communicating. Monday night was the deadline to tender players in arbitration years contracts. The other 29 teams in baseball released statements as to who the teams tendered and non-tendered. But, the Phillies did not even issue a release:
This is not a random oversight. There has been an uncomfortable silence from the Citizens Bank Park executive offices this autumn. It comes on the heels of a season that cemented the Phillies’ fall from grace as one of the elite franchises of the opening decade of the 21st century. Add to declining talent the ham-handed handling of erstwhile team president David Montgomery’s status as he continues a painful battle with cancer. It’s an awkward, sorrow-filled circumstance complicated because the lack of leadership has allowed attention-starved media members to keep prodding about Montgomery’s professional status as recently as Tuesday morning. Hours later, the organization issued a vague statement that continues to kick the can down the road and offer no clarity to those too stupid or mean-spirited to accept that some things are meant to be read between the lines.
This "uncomfortable silence" makes Phillies fans who are smart and really loyal to their team even more starved for new life in the baseball team.
With the winter meetings next week, one would think that the Phillies finally will begin making some moves toward their rebuild. Then again, if no one is really in charge, the baseball minds may have no choice but to be stuck in the status quo. Phillies fans are not willing to accept that.
