Among the first reasons Phillies part-owner John Middleton provided for the organization's selection of Andy MacPhail as its next president was his track record.
In the eyes of Middleton and partners Jim and Pete Buck, the "ideal candidate" to succeed Pat Gillick after the season would be someone who had won multiple world series championships. He would have rebuilt several teams and led them to the playoffs. Middleton said he also would have "worked for different owners, under different economic circumstances, under different financial constraints, and using different personnel."
"Because a person who met all those criteria," Middleton explained early in Monday's news conference, "is somebody who had shown his ability to think and adapt to changing circumstances.