IN THE TWO months since the Phillies hired the man who was expected to fire their general manager, five major league organizations have actually gone ahead and done the thing the old-fashioned way. You know, by saying goodbye to the old guy and starting a search for the new one.
As of yesterday, Ruben Amaro Jr. was still plugging along, suddenly the eighth longest-tenured GM in the game, trailing only Walt Jocketty (Reds), John Mozeliak (Cardinals), Neal Huntington (Pirates), Dayton Moore (Royals), Jon Daniels (Rangers), Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Billy Beane (Athletics). Of those seven, only Jocketty and Beane entered yesterday with teams that were out of the playoff race, and all of them had made at least one postseason appearance since 2012.