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Ruben Amaro Jr. calls out Phillies fans: 'They don't understand the game'

Big League Stew

Normally Ruben Amaro Jr.'s decisions as Phillies general manager are enough to aggravate Philadelphia sports fans. So how do you think fans will react now that Amaro has questioned their baseball knowledge?

Discussing trade talks involving his club's veterans, namely Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley, as well as the progress of Philadelphia's top prospects, Amaro couldn't help but take a swipe at Phillies fans. It was when Amaro was asked if the Phillies could bring up Aaron Nola, 21, and Zach Eflin, 21, that he made the following statement.

From a conversation with CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury:

“They don’t understand the game,” Amaro said. "They don’t understand the process. There’s a process. And then they [b****] and complain because we don’t have a plan. There’s a plan in place and we’re sticking with the plan. We can’t do what’s best for the fan. We have to do what’s best for the organization so the fan can reap the benefit of it later on. That’s the truth.”

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Whoa. Not every day you hear a high-ranking executive talk about the fans like that. Since those comments might have seemed a little harsh, Amaro thought it would be a good idea to clarify in an interview Tuesday on 94 WIP that he didn't mean to take out all the fans, just the ones that annoy him:

“I didn’t say they don’t understand,” Amaro explained. “Some fans don’t understand it’s not all Philadelphia fans.”

“When I said that, it’s more about the fan that really doesn’t understand the process — and it’s not all fans.”

It's well known that Philly is an emotional sports town that doesn't need much to get irrationally upset, but it's also a city filled with passionate and informed supporters. Amaro's comments, even the slightly softer version, certainly won't sit well with those who have watched their team go from being a perennial contender to having one of the worst records in the league in less than five years.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.