It was not a lack of respect for Bill Giles, who was well-liked and correctly perceived as the man who saved most of their jobs by putting together an ownership group that made a seamless transition from the Carpenter Era. GM Paul Owens elected to stay. At his age, and with the amount of Phillies blood coursing through his veins, The Pope's loyalty was to the logo, much as Tommy Lasorda remained loyal to Dodger Blue despite two ownership changes since Peter O'Malley sold the ballclub. But Green had finished building the powerful farm system Owens started. Many of his hires were intensely loyal and did not hesitate to clean out their desks or turn in their scouting reports when
Big D headed to Wrigleyville. Ruben Amaro Sr. . . . John Vukovich . . . Lee Elia . . . Fred Goodman . . . Many of the Phillies' best area scouts. It was a big-time hit. Giles, who had no experience at organization building, was left with too few good men. The once-proud farm system turned into the National League's Dust Bowl.
Don't be surprised if a number of key minor league people loyal to Mike Arbuckle also seek other opportunities. Director of scouting Marti Wolever and director, minor leagues, Steve Noworyta, worked closely with Arbuckle. Wolever was one of Arbuckle's first hires in 1992. Arbuckle hired the well-respected Noworyta in 1998. Gordon Lakey, director of major league scouting since '98, had previously worked under Pat Gillick in Toronto. Charley Kerfeld, special assistant to the general manager, was a 2006 Gillick hire. Ditto charter Tampa Bay Rays GM Chuck LaMar, hired by Gillick as director, professional scouting, last October.
