Amaro

Former Phillies batting practice pitcher Ali Modami is suing general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., saying that Amaro defamed him and ruined his job prospects with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Daily News reported Monday. Modami is seeking a judgment in excess of $100,000. He worked for the Phillies from May 2007 until Oct. 11, 2011, when Amaro terminated him because the team wanted to go in a "different direction," according to the suit, filed Monday by attorney Sidney L. Gold.

ALTHOUGH TEAMS are allowed to sign free agents from other teams beginning 6 days after the World Series - which means midnight on Friday this year - baseball's hot-stove season generally doesn't get any hotter than in early December at the Winter Meetings. But Ruben Amaro Jr. worked quicker than most last year. He had a future Hall of Famer and a four-time All-Star closer outfitted for red pinstripes a week and a half before sitting down for his Thanksgiving dinner. So Amaro should have a new centerfielder signed before most people wake up Saturday morning, right?

FOR THE second straight year, Ruben Amaro Jr. sat in front of a microphone at the dais in the Phillies' media room and had to explain why his team, flush with All-Star and high-payroll talent, underachieved. After getting bounced by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round in 2011, Amaro pointed the finger at his team's offensive approach. The general manager hinted at a similar issue in Thursday's season autopsy, saying he wasn't happy with the "brand of baseball" that was played for the majority of the season.

WASHINGTON - The card that bench coach Pete Mackanin taped to a wall in the Phillies clubhouse Tuesday displayed a lineup with a mere $22.5 million worth of baseball players. And that's including Chase Utley, who accounted for $15 million by himself. It was manager Charlie Manuel's 130th different lineup in 161 games. Darin Ruf, starting his eighth consecutive game, batted higher than ever before in the five-hole. All he did was bash two home runs one day after winning a game with a two-run triple as the Phillies lost, 4-2, to Washington at Nationals Park.

HOUSTON - For the fifth time in 2 weeks - and the third time this week - Chase Utley took ground balls at third base before the Phillies' game Friday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. With Triple A pitching coach Rod Nichols soft-tossing underhand throws to the plate, Triple A manager and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg hit a couple dozen hard ground balls to Utley at third. Utley handled them with ease, tossing the balls into a bucket. When it was over, Utley, Sandberg, Nichols, infield instructor Sam Perlozzo and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. converged in a small circle in front of the visiting dugout.

It is going to be a difficult and defining offseason for Ruben Amaro Jr. For the first time during his tenure as Phillies general manager, Amaro will not have the benefit of the doubt or a division title as he goes about the business of putting together the 2013 Phillies. The Phillies are going to finish first in the big leagues in attendance for the second straight season, but that trend will not continue without a rapid rise back to the top of the National League East. That is no easy task when you consider the youth and talent of the two teams - Washington and Atlanta - currently in front of them.

When Ruben Amaro Jr. recently engaged a few of his rival general managers in discussions, the topic of third base arose, and they all reached one conclusion: It is a difficult position to fill. "Somebody's going to play there," Amaro said. "We'll have to try to figure it out. " The Phillies, theoretically, have three lineup holes to fill for 2013. Amaro has effectively guaranteed Domonic Brown one of the outfield jobs, leaving two others, plus third base. The rest of the infield is locked up, assuming the team exercises catcher Carlos Ruiz's $5 million option.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was emphatic: Cliff Lee is going nowhere. On a day the Phillies traded righthander Joe Blanton to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named or cash (believed to be a player), reports surfaced that Lee was claimed off waivers. When asked about the reports, Amaro said he was not at liberty to comment. Then he added, "It is irrelevant because he is not going anywhere. " Jon Heyman of CBSsports.com reported that Lee was claimed off waivers, and Jon Morisi of Fox Sports tweeted that the Dodgers were the team that made the claim.