Phillies Press Conference: Rapid Reaction

At 2:30pm today the Phillies are going to name Andy MacPhail as president of baseball operations. Probably. It hasn't happened yet, so we don't actually know 100% that they're going to do that, but all signs point to yes.

This is a good thing. John Stolnis even said so in this piece from four days ago entitled "Why hiring Andy MacPhail is a good idea". At the most basic level, this hire means that we won't go back to the days of David "Emperor Palpatine" Montgomery running the show from deep within the shadows, using Amaro and his ilk as cannon fodder as he makes enormous mistakes like the Ryan Howard extension.

MacPhail is being introduced by outgoing temporary president and all-around awesome baseball guy Pat Gillick, and by part-owner John Middleton. That's right. For the first time, Middleton is taking a visible role in team affairs. (John Stolnis is going to cover this interesting development later this week.)

To watch today's exciting press conference (if a press conference can ever be considered an exciting event), use the video below, or head to http://www.phillies.com.

What are your thoughts on the announcement? Share them in the comments below.