High fives, hugs and kisses, and heartfelt congratulations to general manager Pat Gillick, who will be inducted today into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unassuming and reflective, the man is a genius of baseball. Without him, the Phillies would never have made it to the World Series in 2008. Peter Gammons called Gillick "the best general manager since Branch Rickey." High praise and much-deserved. Gillick twice steered the Toronto Blue Jays to World Series championships, took the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners to the post-season, and in 2008 led the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ruben Amaro, Jr., current GM of the Phillies, always says that he learned from Gillick to listen to the people around him. Gillick, an old-style baseball man, believes baseball goes beyond the numbers and even beyond talent. When assessing a player, he wants to see him firsthand. "Is he intense? Does he have passion? What's his body language? How does he interact with the other players on the team?"
Congratulations to Pat Gillick!
