Anyone who can successfully needle Ruben Amaro is good by me.

It all happened when I watched a spring training game with Rube in 2012. OK, I didn’t watch the game with him– I happened to be seated in front of him, and so I stalked him for the next 2.5 hours and then chronicled the experience. No matter. I enjoyed watching Rube and Dallas give it to each other. Here’s how it went down (from original post):

Tim Kennelly is a utility minor leaguer who was called up last Thursday to provide depth during Spring Training. It was a surprise to the 25-year-old Australian born player, who batted .215 in 62 games with Reading last year. In the late-innings of Friday’s game, he got a chance to show what he had when Charlie Manuel put him in left field.

Apparently, Rube had been bullish on the career minor leaguer.

A ball was immediately scorched down the left field line, in Kennelly’s general direction.

“The ball will find you every time!” Rube exclaimed as he leaned forward in his seat.

Kennelly tracked it down and made a nice grab, which elicited minor applause from the crowd of roughly 10,000.

“That’s why I have him here, tell Charley (Phillies assistant to the GM Charley Kerfeld),” Rube said loudly and excitedly into the ear of the scout seated in front of him.

The GM then turned around and looked up at the press box, where a grinning Dallas Green and some others leaned forward, laughing and pointing. Rube and his shit-eating grin acknowledged the approval of their peers. It was clear that the GM had a hunch about Kennelly’s ability to fill-in.

Moments later it would be a different story.

Rube engaged in conversation with an older gentlemen, who had stopped by and appeared to know both Amaro and Wade. Meanwhile, another ball was smoked in Kennelly’s direction. This time the utility player didn’t fare so well. He spun on wrong shoulder, read the ball incorrectly off the bat, took a Dom Brown-like route to its anticipated landing spot, and leaped aimlessly as the ball screamed over his head and off the wall.

I immediately turned to look up at Green, who, predictably, was leaning over the press box, waiting for Rube to turn around again.

He didn’t.

Green whistled at Rube. The GM didn’t look up. Instead, without breaking conversation, he lifted his hat off his head and, like Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own, gave it a little wave, acknowledging his gloating colleague. Green laughed and sat back down. Plus one for Green.

Rube never recovered and went on to become a first base coach.