Nats GM calls Hamels 'gutless'
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Nats GM calls Hamels 'gutless'
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The blowback from Cole Hamels drilling Bryce Harper on the back has already begun. Count Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo as one who believes the lefthander should be suspended.
Mike Rizzo called out Hamels in comments to The Washington Post on Monday morning. He held nothing back.
"Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school," Rizzo said. "He's fake tough. He thinks he's going it intimidate us after hitting our 19-year rookie eight games into the big leagues? He doesn’t know who he's dealing with."
Rizzo said he has "never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball."
"This goes beyond rivalry and all that stuff," Rizzo said. "This points to, you take the youngest guy in baseball. He's never done a thing. And then Hamels patted himself on the back. Harper’s old school. Hitting him on the back, that ain’t old school. That’s [bleeping] chicken [bleep]."
The Nationals come to Citizens Bank Park in exactly two weeks. That will be fun.
Read Adam Kilgore's full interview with Rizzo.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
- No reason to hit the kid. I agree. I think I have a better theory. I think Cole really threw a bad pitch but came out acting like it was on purpose. Cole did get hit with a pitch in the third so in the tough guy world, doesn't that make things equal? I wouldn't want to see Cole suspended. He's one of our better hitter.
— aNutter1inDgutter 
Be fair fellas. The fact that they are making such a big stink about this means it will happen again, just a matter of when. The Kid was coached well as to what to say in front of the cameras, but his head is as big as a watermelon. He wasn't showboating/cadallacing just a tad?— DUDESKINS- Bunch of losers limiting ticket sales by zip code.— 420-24-7
- ekw, when your "Natinals" winning percentage at the end of the season gets close to your handle (.555) - which it never has in their sorry history in D.C. - get back to us, tough guy.— NYC sucks
- No fans in Washington...city if filled with criminals. Great selection though - white collar on Capitol Hill and ghetto quality in the hoods.— flyers Groupie
- Tough guy Hamel played the same act in a Clearwater bar when he was a rookie. Got the sh*t kicked out of him.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Wilhelm besides getting 100% of this story wrong you are dead accurate. LOL. Do your homework next time. — philsfan in the atx
- Hit every National player. They are a bunch of weenies -nobodies like Rizoo who is an A hole— flyers Groupie
- Mike Rizzo, nobody here cares what you think. You should be happy this makes your forlorn team almost relevant and I'd guess you are. And btw, a GM's job is not at all to 'fill the seats'. We'll see you guys in a few weeks for the next round.— PhillySubsMac
- Chicken [bleep] is your pitcher retaliating, then feigning innocence in post-game comments. Newsflash, Rizzo: the game was played right (on the field), on both sides. Your rookie is talented and cocky, and he got his traditional big-league 'stop-running-your-mouth-kid' Welcome. Now lie to everyone and say you'd never want Hollywood on your team (while you secretly salivate giving him a Werth-like FA deal next winter).— chopperdaddy
- The Nats GM has a legitimate point here. No matter how much big leaguers like Hamels might hate Harper, it does not legitimize hitting him intentionally. I respect that Hamels at least manned up and was honest about it. Put yourself in this GM's shoes. Your stud pitching prospect (Strasburg) blew out his arm in his first season. Your stud closer has been injured. Now your stud OF prospect is getting beaned. You would be irritated too.
Oh, and hamels deserved to have Hamels STEAL HOME on him after that. (and yes I'm a Philly fan).— MattPSU 
Comment removed.- man up wussies— Verbal Tourettes
- I never did like guys named Rizzo— exphillyinvegas1
- Rizzo beats his wife.— stoptothinkisanidiot
