Five questions with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. that have nothing to do with baseball
Q: Still a soccer fan? A: Yes, very much. My two daughters are involved in YMS — Yardley-Makefield soccer — and even during the [NCAA Tournament] basketball games I was watching the U.S. play El Salvador.
Q: Still a soccer fan?
A: Yes, very much. My two daughters are involved in YMS — Yardley-Makefield soccer — and even during the [NCAA Tournament] basketball games I was watching the U.S. play El Salvador. I'm a huge soccer fan still and my daughters — Andrea and Sophia — have kind of rejuvenated my interest...I'd like to give them a little bit of a plug. I went up to Richmond, Va., to the Jefferson Cup, a very big tournament for youth, and their under-10 team won the championship. It was the first time in 29 years their club won the championship in their bracket.
Q: What are your music tastes?
A: I kind of have an eclectic taste because I've played all over the place, from Venezuela to Midland, Texas. I like country music, I just started getting into some of the rap. I started getting into that because my nephews are into it, my brother's kids, and they have kind of turned me on to some of it. But I guess I'm a Top 40 kind of guy. It's kind of wimpy, but really I like all kind of music. I listen to classical music and all kinds of stuff for relaxation purposes.
Q: Favorite restaurant in Philly?
A: I'm going to get people in trouble now. There are a bunch of them...It's hard for me to say because we have a lot of them. It really is one of the best cities — and I've been to a lot of them, Chicago, New York, San Francisco — I really like Philadelphia as a city. I don't know that there is a favorite one, but I know that downtown Philadelphia has as good of a variety as there are in any big city.
Q: What would your last supper be?
A: I don't eat meat anymore. They made a word for what I do now. I'm a pescatarian. I eat fish, shrimp but I don't eat red meat, I don't eat white meat, I don't eat any meat right now. If I was back eating red meat, I'd probably just go filet mignon and baked potato.
Q: What's your prediction for Villanova this weekend?
A: I love Jay Wright as a coach. I wish him the best. I think they'll be prepared. They are awfully athletic. It's fun to watch them, and I'll be rooting for them. I got a chance to meet Jay Wright because Ed Wade's daughter is one of his assistants. I went to some games when he was coaching earlier, before Jay Wright was Jay Wright, and he was fantastic. I wish him the best. I'd love to see them win it. *
— David Murphy