Amaro: 'Status quo' with Gillick as interim Phillies president
As Pat Gillick takes over for David Montgomery, Ruben Amaro Jr. said there will be no change in way the Phillies will operate.
NEW YORK - A little more than 3 hours before last night's first pitch, Ruben Amaro Jr. addressed the players gathered in the visiting team clubhouse at Citi Field. The Phillies' general manager reiterated the developments of Thursday, that in the wake of David Montgomery's medical leave of absence, Pat Gillick will be interim team president.
"We'll go about our business status quo," Amaro told a group of reporters a few minutes later. "I'll report to Pat. [Manager Ryne Sandberg] will report to me. And this is merely on an interim basis."
Montgomery, the longtime team president, is recovering from May 19 jaw-cancer surgery. Within a month of the procedure, he returned to work. Only Wednesday night, he greeted Taney's Little League World Series team at Citizens Bank Park for a pregame ceremony.
"We're all concerned about David, and that's really the priority, is David," Amaro said.
"Prayers and thoughts are with him for a speedy recovery," Sandberg said.
Gillick, the GM of the Phillies' 2008 World Series team and a Baseball Hall of Famer, has been a senior adviser to Montgomery and Amaro. He has held the position since stepping down from his GM post after the championship season, when Amaro took over.
From a baseball operations standpoint, Amaro said "there's no change" with Gillick at the helm. Montgomery will return and resume his role upon his full recovery.
Montgomery, 68, is in his 44th season with the organization, serving since 1997 as team president and chief executive officer.