Interviews and ballpark dimensions

The latest from the genius that is the Phillies head honcho: From the desk of David Montgomery: Dear Phillies Fan: Late this afternoon, a conference call with the media was held to update them on the search for a new General Manager. I wanted to take this opportunity to give you a summary of the conference call. During the past two weeks, more than 40 candidates have either been identified by us or have directly or indirectly expressed interest in the position. After reviewing and evaluating this list, we have selected a group of individuals for one-on-one interviews. Thus far, I have conducted three interviews: Mike Arbuckle, our Assistant GM, Scouting & Player Development, on Wednesday; Gerry Hunsicker, former GM of the Houston Astros, on Thursday and Pat Gillick, former GM of the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners and the current Special Consultant in Seattle, today. I expect to continue this process through the weekend, including interviewing Ruben Amaro, Jr. on Sunday, followed by one or two more interviews early next week and more, if necessary, with the hopes of identifying our new GM as soon as possible. As I've indicated, getting the right person is of the utmost importance. On another matter, a question arose concerning the dimensions of Citizens Bank Park. We have always wanted to have a ballpark that plays fair. After extensive study and charting every home run the past two seasons, we have decided to make changes to the existing left field wall. Details on this project will be forthcoming. As always, thank you for your interest in the Phillies. Sincerely, David Montgomery

Another brilliant Phillies PR idea

I found this waiting for me when I checked my e-mail this morning: From the desk of David Montgomery Dear Matthew: On behalf of the entire Phillies organization, I want you to know that we appreciate your passion and loyalty. We know full well that without our fans there would be no Phillies baseball. I am writing to give you a brief update on ballclub matters. As I am sure you are aware, a search for a new General Manager is underway. Our intent is to conduct a thorough and intensive search in order to select a General Manager who will get us to the postseason and bring a championship to Philadelphia. We know that we have work to do this offseason. Getting the right person as the General Manager is step No. 1. From there, we need to make the necessary improvements to get our win total over 90 games, capture the division title, and play in the postseason. Looking back on the 2005 season, although we didn't achieve our goals, we believe that there were very positive signs for the future. The players played hard to the very last day in Washington. They never gave up and battled to the end for a postseason spot. Some individual performances were outstanding. Jimmy Rollins' 36-game hitting streak during the pressure of a pennant race was a remarkable feat. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- two young players who excelled in clutch situations and fed off the energy of our passionate fans -- provided great excitement. Many other achievements and strengths could be mentioned, but we recognize there is more to do and we intend to do it. Thank you for your support throughout the 2005 season and past seasons. Our entire organization is very appreciative of the dedication exhibited by Phillies fans. We will not take that for granted and we will work hard each and every day to earn and keep your support. We look forward to providing you with further updates as we proceed during the offseason. Sincerely, David Montgomery President For an excellent take on this letter, stop by Balls, Sticks, and Stuff.