Andy MacPhail weighed in on the state of the Phillies' rebuilding plan early last week and it would have been much bigger news if he had been disappointed in the direction the team was headed.
Instead, the first-year president said, "I'm actually more encouraged today than I ever would have dreamed I would have been after my first month with the Phillies."
Not many people were paying close attention a year ago at this time because: A.) they were angry that Ruben Amaro was still the general manager and B.) the Phillies gave them little reason to pay close attention.