Hayes: David Montgomery is leader of Phillies’ family

From Marcus Hayes at Philadelphia Inquirer on March 31, 2016:

For the last 20 years David Montgomery has been the head of that [Phillies] family. He has operated behind the scenes with the empathy of a clergyman and the stealth of a thief. He has been found out.

Any man so heavily burdened by the curse of decency will always be found out.

It is the nature of baseball to nurture. It takes a patient patriarch to oversee the process of building a winner again and again. Montgomery is the template. He has, in his 45 years with the Phillies, manufactured a model of inclusion to create the most functional of families.

He considers himself the fortunate one, a lifelong fan lucky to latch on with the team in 1971 in the sales department, lucky to become executive vice president when Bill Giles and his partners bought the team in 1981, blessed to succeed Giles as president in 1997. He operates with no hint of entitlement.

In pedigree, Montgomery is Ivy to the core; a history degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a graduate degree from the Wharton School of Business.

In practice, he’s as egalitarian as any Temple grad.

Read the full article here: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20160404_David_Montgomery_is_leader_of_Phillies_family.html



Originally published: April 1, 2016. Last Updated: April 1, 2016.