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Phils Sign Hamels for 3 years!

Phew, everyone smile a little more. The Phillies and Cole Hamels have reached a 3 year agreement worth a total of $20.5 million according to Philadelphia Inquirer. This great move comes a day after the Phillies reached a two year, $2.5 million deal with pinch-hitting king, Greg Dobbs.

The Phillies have reached agreement on a three-year, $20.5 million contract with lefthanded ace Cole Hamels. The New York Post reported the signing today. A Phillies source confirmed the deal and said it would be announced within 24 hours.

The deal is great for both Cole and the Phillies because it buys out his three years of arbitration. Hamels will make $4.35 million in 2009, $6.65 million in 2010, and $9.5 million in 2011. Pretty damn cheap for one of the better pitchers in baseball. It is possible that Hamels would have seen $9.5 million in arbitration for the 2010 season. Good job Ruben. Great deals on back to back days.

In 84 career starts, Cole Hamels is 38-23 with a 3.43 ERA, 133 ERA+, and a 1.13 WHIP. Pretty damn good, without even considering his K/BB ratio. In the postseason, he's just a measley 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA. King Cole is happily here to stay. Hopefully he brings home the title again, again, and again.

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Cole Hamels' Top 10

After winning the NLCS and World Series MVP awards, Cole Hamels was given the opportunity to describe his top 10 thoughts after winning the World Series on the David Letterman show.

Thanks to The Fightins for cutting the video.

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One Down, Three to Go!

Throughout the 2008 regular and postseason, we have been able to watch the Phillies win 100 of their games. Their 100th win came last night on the biggest stage as the Phillies stole homefield advantage with a 3-2 victory in game 1 of the World Series.

King Cole took the mound and continued his postseason masterpiece. He is in the midst of putting together one of the best postseason performances in Major League history. In 4 starts, he is 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA.

Last night, Cole threw 7 strong innings and before some middle inning trouble, he was on pace for an easy complete game. He did a great job of keeping the Rays' hitters off balance and his only real mistake on the night was a hanging curveball that Carl Crawford hit into the right field seats.

Thank you Chase Utley. His 2-run home run in the first inning shut those fucking cow bells up. Seriously, I felt like last night's game was being played in Japan. Is it that necessary to have noisemakers to create a loud atmosphere? Are their fans really that lame and boring? Carlos Ruiz later pushed the lead to 3-0 with a RBI ground out. The offense did have their problems. They struggled mightily with RISP hitting 0-15 with only 1 RBI. Things will have to change if the Phillies are going to win 3 more games this series. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, specifically, really need to get it going.

Lastly, how good of a combo have Madson and Lidge become? They both pitched perfect 8th and 9th innings to get te job done. Madson struck out Upton to end te 8th with a beautiful change-up. Lidge got both Pena and Longoria to chase sliders before getting Carl Crawford to pop up in foul territory. It was a great win to answer all the questions about the long lay-off. This is our year! We're three wins away from our destiny!

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Why Manuel was Right!

I know, I normally, almost never agree with Charlie Manuel, but he made the right decision yesterday.

Stop with all the hindsight nonsense. Charlie Manuel made the correct decision to go to closer, Brad Lidge. The Phillies had a 3-0 lead, Cole had 101 pitches, and Lidge is a premier closer. Everything pointed toward Manuel making that move. What happened in the inning is a completely different story. First, did the wet ball effect his slider? Were the Brewers more patient than they had been with Cole? Lidge had not pitched in a game since Saturday, did that effect him?

Lidge was set to face the top of the order and they were very right-hand heavy. The same right-handers that were about to face Cole Hamels for their fourth at-bat, something that proves better for the hitters. Yes, Braun made a good pitch on a good swing, but the run only scored because Utley fell down. The same events could have happened to Cole as well in the ninth.

Game 1 of the series is more important than game 2 because it gives you the early momentum and advantage. 24 of 28 NLDS winners won game 1. Because we did not overextend Hamels' workload, he may be able to start Sunday on three-day's rest if necessary -- or be able to relieve.

When Charlie made the move, he's was not able to predict what would happen. From what normally happens and what did happen is all hindsight. The Phillies' fans cheered loudly when Lidge came out. No one seemed upset with the move then. In fact, there were moments when I felt the 7th inning would be Cole's last, but he had some quick innings. Cole's 6th inning was only different by one base-runner than Lidge's 9th. Anything could have happened.

Oh and then you have this: Lidge said he's still available today.

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1 down, 10 to go!

The weather was nice, but got miserable fast. Cole Hamels' dominance, however, was consistent all game. King Cole struck out 9 and allowed on two hits in 8 shut-out innings of work.

The offense took advantage of some defensive mistakes by the Brewers in the third to score all of their runs. After Carlos Ruiz lined a single to center, Hamels laid down a bunt and reached first base on an error by second baseman Rickie Weeks. The rest of the inning, well that can be seen in the videos after the jump! These were all my videos shot behind section 116. Sorry, I'm not tall so the video gets a little shaky at times as I had to hold it over my head (I was stuck behind MLB.com's camera lady).

Phillies Team Announced


First Strike-out for Cole Hamels


Utley 2-run double


Victorino RBI Walk


Lidge Closes it Out

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Phils Continue Chase With Win

Shane Victorino said Cole Hamels' last start was a fluke. Well he was right. Hamels went 6.1 strong innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 4. Manny Para got absolutely shelled in his 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 5 runs.

Jimmy Rollins went 3-5 with a homer, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Chase Utley went 2-4, scoring 2 runs and driving in 1. It's about time he contributed. Ryan Howard also drove in 2 and Jayson Werth and Victorino added 1 a piece.

There's not much left to report on the game. The Phillies are now 2 games back in the Wild Card and 2.5 behind the Mets. They Mets split today so they gained a half game on the Phillies, who play a double header tomorrow.

Probables:
1:35 - D. Bush (9-10, 4.23), J. Blanton (7-12, 4.86)
7:35 - J. Suppan (10-8, 4.63), B. Myers (9-11, 4.22)

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Hamels Will Start Sunday

The question we've all been asking this week has been answered: Cole Hamels will start Sunday against the New York Mets in what will be Hamels-Santana Part 2 on ESPN. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

No decision has been made on when Kyle Kendrick will be making his next start.

Yay! The organization made the correct decision. Let's all thank Cole for becoming a man.

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Sorry Everyone

Hey,

Sorry that the posts have been lacking lately. I've been insanely busy with work, Labor Day, and now I am sick. I don't know what it is or where the hell it came from, but I have a headache and a sore throat. Hopefully Alavert D-12 helps out.

Anyway, I'll try to make a post about something of value. Yesterday, the Phillies fell 2 games behind the Mets because of Tim Redding. Why can we not hit Tim Redding? It'll always be an unanswered question that I neither care or have the time to dive into. Whenever Redding is starting, I expect a loss and I accept it. It is what it is.

However, what I do not appreciate is Kyle Kendrick's month of shittiness that is continuing into September. The good news is that the Phillies might be finally planning to skip Kendrick's start on Sunday so Cole can finally pitch against the Mets. Of the 15 games against the Mets, Myers and Hamels have only faced the Mets one time each. Once a piece, though the Phillies had ample opportunities to set the rotation otherwise. Hopefully, they make the right decision for Sunday.

Sixers News! The 76ers will be signing Donyell Marshall in the coming days. Marshall is just a player who will offer outside shooting. He'll be a nice role player for an already deep team. I love what Stefanski continues to do with this team.

What is that thing that starts this weekend? Some green-jerseyed Philadelphia team begins their games? Oh yeah, the Eagles! Expect a pre-game preview in the next few days for their game against the St. Louis Rams.

The "Orange and Black" being a much anticipated preseason also begins shortly. Recently, Eric Lindros declined an invitation for the final game at the Spectrum ceremony. Well, the ceremony that doesn't mark the final Flyers game at the Spectrum, but they're pretending it is (they added a game against the Phantoms).

We've also added a new writer and his name is Dan. He will be writing a "State of the City" address regarding the local teams shortly.

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Another shitty night but it's a win

Cole Hamels pitched fantastic as the Phillies won 2-1, beating the Padres. They remained 2 games back of New York as they shit out Pittsburgh. Hamels (10-8) went 8 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits. He also struck out 3. Brad Lidge came in to close his 30th game.

Pat Burrell hit his 29th home run to put Philly up 2-0 in the 6th and Jayson Werth drove in Jimmy Rollins in the first on a sacrifice fly after Rollins made it to 3rd on a throwing error. Nothing more to report because the game was fucking boring. Oh the Phillies struck out 8 times.

Thank God they are off tomorrow so they can figure out their shit when they come home to play Washington, LA, and NY.

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Say No to Fox!

Is it just me or do the Phillies consistently lose whenever they play a 3:55 game on Fox. I know as of right now, we're at least 0-4 in games on Fox this year and they weren't very good last year either. In day games alone, the Phillies are 12-18 this year. Over the past four seasons, they're well over .500 in day games, but not this year. Too hot? Who knows, but it continued yesterday as the Phillies lost 9-5 to the Florida Marlins.

Kyle Kendrick had nothing close to his best stuff as the Marlins pounded out 3 home runs. In a game that went back and forth early on, the Marlins stayed ahead for good when they put together a 3-run fifth on 2 of the 3 home runs allowed by Kendrick. Kendrick watched his season ERA jump nearly half a run in his outing.

The Phillies offense continued to struggle with RISP and they left 9 men on base. Pat Burrell was the lone positive for the Phillies as he hit two home runs to up his total to 25. The Phillies now have 3 players in the lineup with at least 25 home runs: Howard, Utley, and Burrell.

Today, another day game, the Phillies will have Cole Hamels facing off against Josh Johnson who just recently came off the 60-day DL. In the past, the Phillies have hit up Johnson. Let's hope it continues today. On the other side, Hamels has somewhat struggled against the Marlins in the past, at least for Cole's standards. The team has lost its last two starts against the Fish, but in his last start, he threw 8 innings and gave up 2 earned, while striking out 13.

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Phillies Earn 2nd Straight Sweep in Atlanta

As Justin would say: "Cole Hamels will win a Cy Young this year and 10 Cole Hamels in his career."

Hamels (9-5) was filthy in his outing versus Atlanta, pitching 8.2 innings, giving up 1 run in the 9th, a double by Brian McCann that scored Chipper Jones. He allowed 5 hits total and 1 walk, a .81 WHIP. He also struck out 7. King Cole's ERA improved to 3.22. Tom Gordon pitched the last out, earning his 2nd save.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pedro Feliz all had solo home runs. Utley leads the league with 24 and Howard has 22 on the season. Those were the only hits for Utley and Howard. Pat Burrell went 2-4 with a double. Feliz went 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBIs, driving in Burrell and himself. Jimmy Rollins had a triple in the 3rd.

The offense got an early run in the first with Utley's solo shot. In the fourth, Feliz singled to drive in Burrell. In the 6th, Howard homered and in the 7th, Feliz had his shot.

The Phillies (47-39) have won 3 straight since their dry spell in June. They start a 4 game series tomorrow night versus the Mets (41-43). They face 4 pitchers capable of shutting down this offense. Being back in the comfort of their own park should settle the offense back in. No Hamels in the series could be huge. Probables for the series are:

7/4: J. Santana (7-7, 3.01), J. Happ (0-0, -.--)
7/5: J. Maine (8-6, 3.86), J. Moyer (7-6, 4.13)
7/6: O. Perez (6-5, 4.98), K. Kendrick (8-3, 4.58)
7/7: P. Martinez (2-2, 7.39), A. Eaton (3-6, 4.79)

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"Hamels will win 1 Cy Young... and 11 Cole Hamels"

In Cole we trust. Cole Hamels took the mound tonight and pitched extremely well after giving up a wind-aided home run to Michael Young in the first inning. Hamels pitched at times during pouring rain and only allowed 4 earned on 6 and 2 walks in 7 innings. Cole struck out 8 giving him 103 on the year. Hamels is now 8-5 on the year.

Offensively, the Phillies beat up on former teammate Vicente Padilla. Padilla came into tonight's game with a 10-3 record and a 3.74 ERA, but the Phillies had none of that. Once they got Padilla rattled, he started having the same mistakes he had in Philadelphia. The Phillies never trailed after Jayson Werth's game-tying single in the second and Pedro Feliz scored on a wild pitch.In the third, the Phillies extended their lead to 6-2 after 2 long home runs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, which you can watch below.

Later in the game, Jimmy Rollins tried to score on the inside-the-park-home run, but he was thrown out at home.

The Phillies bullpen made things a little scary in the 8th inning as 8 Rangers came to the plate, but only 2 scored. Brad Lidge closed out the 8-6 win, though he made it scary, to help the Phillies widen their division lead over the Marlins to 2 games. Hopefully, Jamie Moyer can help the Phillies win their first series in a long time -- like since we swept the Braves in Atlanta.

When the hell will we get another easy win?

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Dobbs Delivers for Phils in 9th

Cole Hamels was stellar in his outing as the Phillies shut out the Nationals 1-0. Hamels recorded the no decision as it took 9 innings to finally get a run on the board. That one run was enough to get the Phillies the win.

Greg Dobbs delivered with the heroics in the ninth as he drove in Eric Bruntlett with a one out single. Dobbs was later thrown out at the plate by Lastings Milledge off of Shane Victorino's 2 out base hit. It was okay because it was more than enough to win.

The real star was Hamels as he struck out 11 and gave up 4 hits and walking 2. The bullpen continued it's dominace tonight as well. Tom Gordon entered in the 8th and pitched a scoreless inning. Brad Lidge pitched a good ninth for the save, despite his scare. He struck out the first two batters and walked the next two but ended the game with a groundball to Chase Utley.

The Phillies ended their 3 game losing streak but the offense continued ot struggle. The squandered a lot of scoring chances again tonight. It seems like the same problems from last year are occuring in leaving too many runners on base. The Phillies improved 25-22, remaining 2 games out of first and in a three-way tie for 2nd place

Jamie Moyer (3-3, 4.39) will walk the hill tomorrow as he faces Matt Chico (0-5, 6.07)who is still seeking his first win.

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Hamels is All Pissy

King Cole has been known to have the attitude of a diva, and he has shown it once again. The Phillies recently renewed his contract for $500,000 and Hamels deemed it to be a "low blow."

From the Daily News:

"You just want to be treated fairly, equally, and if you're not, then you're going to remember it," Hamels said after pitching two innings in his spring-training debut against the Yankees at Legends Field.

"They do want to keep you happy . . . you can't just all of a sudden throw everything out at [a player] at the last second and think that's really going to make him happy, because he's still got check marks for what they didn't do in the years before," said Hamels, who could be eligible for arbitration as a "Super Two" after this season. That status would mean he is ranked among the top 17 percent of players who have at least 2 years of service and less than 3.

Cole Hamels is not the only one upset. Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are also crying about their contracts. These young kids have to understand that this is the way the system works. They'll get a bigger pay day in the future if they follow the system up properly. When the players sign the CBA, they agree to this system. When compared to Chien-Ming Wang, Hamels got similar pay after his first full season in the big leagues. Hamels asked for $750,000 and he is getting around $500,000. Hamels continued to come off as a drama queen who always complains when he doesn't get his way. I love his ability, but he and the rest of the league need to understand how the system works. From now on, we'll call this the Ryan Howard Effect. Ryan Howard's record-smashing contract will likely start the new inflation in baseball contracts and the crying of young players who feel they're undervalued. News flash, if the players don't like it, don't sign the CBA.

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Myers Opening Day Starter/ Hamels Okay With It/Phillies Open with Win

Brett Myers has been named the Phillies opening day starter and Cole Hamels is perfectly okay with it. Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee selected Brett Myers as the opening day starter, not only to get Myers focused on becoming a starter again, but also to set the rotation up with a righty and a lefty.

"We wanted to set our rotation up with a righty and lefty," Manuel said. "We lined the rotation up the way we wanted to go. I talked to Hamels and he seemed like OK with it. I told him he was our No. 1 starter last year and had a big year. That's the way we wanted to set our rotation up."

It appears that Kyle Kendrick will be third in the rotation followed by Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton.

"The only thing that played into it was how we wanted to go," Manuel said. "To me, we have two guys who are pretty equal and we can go either way. Both of them to me are No. 1."

And get this, Hamels actually prefers to be second in the rotation right now.

"It's not a big deal to me," Hamels said. "It just gives me two days off. My understanding going into Spring Training was to go out and play. I wasn't [sure if] I was going to be the No. 1 guy because Brett was coming back, and I like the fact that he is coming back. He and I can work off one another."

"There's a lot of hype that goes with Opening Day, and for myself, it's not a big deal," Hamels said. "I have plenty of years; I'm trying to chase after Jamie Moyer. Eventually I'll get one of those. I haven't really been involved in Major League Baseball for too many years. It'll be my third year, and second year going into the season for Opening Day. It's all new to me still."

The way it is setting up, Hamels will likely match-up against Santana and the other aces in the National League during the first month anyway. I don't mind it, and maybe it will boost Myers confidence and preparation for the 2008 season. We all know what we're going to get out of Hamels, but Myers return to the rotation is somewhat of a question. Once you get into the schedule of pitching every 5 days, it doesn't even matter anyway.

Jamie Moyer looked sharp as the Phillies opened Spring Training with a blow-out win over the Reds.

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