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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Hamels: Mets are 'choke artists'

The rivalry between the Phillies and the New York Mets has taken another step, with Cole Hamels' interview with WFAN in New York this afternoon.

Mets fans already seemed miffed this week when new Phillies GM Ruben Amaro greeted the Mets' signing of Francisco Rodriguez with a shrug: “I don’t think it affects us much. They’ve had Billy Wagner, and we still beat them the last 2 years in our division."

Here is the transcript of the key portion of the interview:

Question: Do you think the Mets are choke artists? A lot of Mets fans think they are. Do you look at it from afar and say, honestly, we know they are going to find a way to lose this thing.

Hamels: Last year and this year, I think we did believe that. Three years ago, we didn’t because they smoked everybody. I really thought was the year they were going to go to the World Series. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. That’s kind of what we believe and I think we will always believe it until they prove us wrong.

Q: Wow. It's worth repeating, you say the Mets are choke artists.

Hamels: Yeah, for the past two years they’ve been choke artists.

You can go to wfan.com for the full interview audio and a response from Daryl Strawberry.

Posted by David Murphy @ 7:18 PM  Permalink | 14 comments
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Comments
Posted by bpphilly 07:55 PM, 12/11/2008
"World Campions...World F**KIN' Champions!"
Posted by tony thunder 07:59 PM, 12/11/2008
No story here at all. Loaded question by a dbag NY jockey looking to start a controversy. ESPN overblowing this too. Good for Hamels not backing down.
Posted by JACK V 08:11 PM, 12/11/2008
it's a fact. hamels only answered the question which the interviewer already knew. no surprise here. amaro also stated the obivious. now lets see if the getting older mets can do anything about it starting in april. they will probably sign another starting pitcher at big bucks. sooner or later they will begin to win some. philadelphia is still a football town anyway.
Posted by JACK V 08:12 PM, 12/11/2008
it's a fact. hamels only answered the question which the interviewer already knew. no surprise here. amaro also stated the obivious. now lets see if the getting older mets can do anything about it starting in april. they will probably sign another starting pitcher at big bucks. sooner or later they will begin to win some. philadelphia is still a pro football town anyway.
Posted by Philly Fan in Kuwait 08:27 PM, 12/11/2008
Yo Cole, not good to admit you thought your biggest rival was going to go to the World Series.
Posted by mebphila 08:28 PM, 12/11/2008
As long as they have a player named "PUTZ" - I think that clearly speaks for itself.
Posted by werththewait 09:18 PM, 12/11/2008
That team still doesn't scare me at all. They still lack power in the outfield, they still are way too old, they still have 3/5s of a rotation. Throw all the money you want at the back end of the bullpen, trade your top prospect, you can't fix the problems you have. This season, look out for the Braves, they have the homegrown talent, a few good additions and still the best manager in baseball. Say what you will about Bobby Cox but he's the best baseball mind out there.
Posted by Flyguy12 10:12 PM, 12/11/2008
Media trying to start another controversy. Pretty lame.
Posted by jamarder 10:20 PM, 12/11/2008
you should see the comments on the nypost.com... Philly is a second rate city, the Mess this, the Mess that, Krod this, Putz that.... They are not even talking about the Yankees, who, no offense my fellow Phils fans, probably deserve some respect. We're talking about the NY Mess. A second rate baseball team, with a bunch of overpaid pitchers, and a bunch of hitters that don't know the meaning of hitting in the clutch. Can't wait for next year. Spring Training can't come soon enough
Posted by dj.curly 10:23 PM, 12/11/2008
That's funny! Loser Mets, loser Dj, loser attempt to find anything to try and spark a loser group to play better. WORLD CHAMPS BABY! Who'd of thought the Phillies would be the team to give it to us? Still stoked!
Posted by PAJames 10:52 PM, 12/11/2008
World Champs!!! Hamels was just speaking the truth. I smell a 4th choke coming soon for the Mets.
Posted by scooterj 11:48 PM, 12/11/2008
i took jamarder's advice and read some of the comments on the nypost.com blog. unbelievable. i have never seen so much ignorant and incoherent babble in my life. what a bunch of 'tards. can't spell, can't talk, can't write a complete sentence or make a cohesive point. unreal. one's guy's excuse for all the bad spelling and grammar was that he was "probably at work and commenting at the same time." whooaa dude, don't overtax yourself. i get a visual of a caveman at a MacIntosh. hamels was just agreeing with what the ny dj's were already saying (and what true mutt fans know to be true)
Posted by hatchet 06:05 AM, 12/12/2008
We here in PHILLY refer o them as the N.Y PETS
Posted by BJV 11:42 AM, 12/12/2008
The more I hear from Cole Hamels, the more I like the kid. He doesn't give those standard, 'politically correct answers to dumb questions too often asked by sports reporters, such as the one asked by the WFAN guys. Of course the Mets have choked the last two years. Every commentator I've heard on WFAN the past two seasons has signed-on to that belief, so where's the controversy? More importantly, I like the way Hamels explained the Phillies' reaction to Victorino's prance around the bases after his homerun. The notion of 'let's do the job on the field and celebrate after the win' is one I can really embrace. It exemplifies the true difference between a champion (2008 Phils), and a team of malcontents who cannot (and likely do not) even speak to one another very much.
14 comments
About David Murphy
David Murphy joined the Daily News as its Phillies beat writer in February of 2008. Born in Upper Merion and raised in the Poconos, he attended college at La Salle University before taking jobs with the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun-News and the St. Petersburg ( Fla. ) Times.

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