Phillies GM apologizes for remarks about fans: 'It's caused a bit of a firestorm'

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is in hot water with the team's fan base.

Amaro got a little carried away while talking about the team's conservative approach to promoting pitching prospects Tuesday morning.

"They (the fans) don't understand the game," Amaro told Comcast SportsNet's Jim Salisbury. "They don't understand the process. There's a process. And then they bitch 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."

Amaro addressed the media again later in the day in order to make amends with the Phillies faithful.

"Obviously it's caused a firestorm in Philly," Amaro told Ryan Lawrence of the Daily News. "The first thing I wanted to say about the comments I made is, one, I'd like to apologize to the fans. I'm a fan myself. I understand the passion and the knowledge that our fans have for our game and the other major sports, all the other sports in Philly. The comments weren't meant to disparage our fans by any stretch of the imagination. I probably used my words incorrectly or poorly. I want to apologize for that."

The Phillies are 19-28 heading into action Tuesday, but Amaro is still holding off on starting the rebuilding process, failing to trade veterans Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels.

Amaro, who has served as the team's GM since 2009, says he's engaged in talks over his star players, but a deal isn't imminent.