General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Friday the team needs to play well before the All-Star break or there could be changes to the 25-man roster. So when the front office watched players giddily shower Jonathan Pettibone with sunflower seeds and place a batting helmet and paper cup (with gum as an adhesive) atop his head Saturday during a FOX in-game interview in a 13-4 loss to Atlanta, it did not sit well.
It sparked Amaro and manager Charlie Manuel to call a team meeting before Sunday’s game.
It sounded like they had a tough audience waiting for them.
“I’m not doing the in-game interview today,” Cliff Lee barked at a Phillies media relations staff member beforehand in front of a MLB.com reporter. “If they’re going to get mad about that, we’re not doing them anymore.”
Asked about the meeting, Amaro said, “I have nothing to say.”
Did it go well?
“Nothing to say,” he repeated.
“I’m not going to comment at all about that,” Lee echoed.
Interesting. It appears some of the powers-that-be were none too happy with smiling and laughing during a rout.
Are you all about keeping it loose during a long season, or are you too upset with how they handled things during the in-game interview?
