Last week, the Phillies announced that they had hired Chuck LaMar and installed him as the director of pro scouting. My first reaction? WHY???? And that’s partly when I didn’t mention this earlier, because I needed some time to assess the situation, assess LaMar fully, and then try and figure out the ramifications of the entire ordeal. My negative first reaction is based simply on his inability to handle major league talent and make proper moves for his franchise. Then I began to think that maybe his job here would simply allow him to evaluate talent and advise Gillick, and that was the role they had for him. Then I remembered that Gillick is likely going to walk away from the team after 2008. When he does, we’ll need a new GM. Most people who tend to have a pessimistic outlook on the Phillies general decision making process assume (rightly or wrongly) that Ruben Amaro is the man to take over the job. Some people (like myself), hope that they look outside the organization, maybe to a guy who believes in 21st century baseball. But now, Chuck LaMar adds another twist to this impending situation, and with that, we’ll take a look at his ledger.

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