Hamels drilling Harper was quintessential old school
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Hamels drilling Harper was quintessential old school
Bob Brookover
Remember when nothing stirred the emotions of the Phillies and their fans more than the New York Mets coming to town?
Not any more. Now, it is the Washington Nationals who have become the most despised baseball team in Philadelphia.
The Phillies got their first look at the young and talented Nationals over the weekend when the Beltway Boys took two out of three games without really taking back their pedestrian ballpark.
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo squirted gasoline on the fire by calling Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels "gutless" for drilling 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper in the back in the bottom of the first inning Sunday night.
Harper, of course, got even by stealing home when Hamels was too casual with his pickoff throw to first base. The Nats also evened the score when Jordan Zimmermann hit Hamels on the left shin as he attempted a third-inning bunt. Zimmermann denied retaliation.
For more than a century, this is how things have worked in baseball, but Rizzo took exception to the fact that Hamels wanted to introduce the Nats' excitable teenager to the world of major-league baseball.
"Fake tough," Rizzo called Hamels. "Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough. He thinks he's going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who's eight games into the big leagues? He doesn't know who he's dealing with."
Wow.
First of all, what Hamels did is as old school as it gets. Had he gone after Harper's head, it's a different story. He did not.
The late Tug McGraw once told me a story about a prominent player moving from the American League to the National League who settled into the batter's box to face Bob Gibson for the first time during spring training in St. Petersburg, Fla.
According to McGraw, Gibson drilled the player in the back with a first-pitch fastball, walked to home plate, picked up the ball and said, "Welcome to the National League."
That's pretty old school, so for Rizzo to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.
More ridiculous was Rizzo's final comment in the above sentence.
Hamels doesn't know who he's dealing with?
Dear Mike, you're taking yourself a little too seriously.
You're the fourth-year GM of a team that has never finished above .500 during your watch. Yes, your team is playing well and has a lot of youthful talent. You've made some good moves and trades, but you've also been fortunate to have the first overall draft pick when two incredible talents -- Harper and Stephen Strasburg -- made the first overall pick a no brainer.
Rizzo, citing player safety and the NFL's recent "bounty" suspensions of New Orleans Saints players, coaches and team officials, urged Major League Baseball to suspend Hamels for at least one start. If that's the case, Zimmermann must be suspended, too, because it was his pitch that triggered a warning from home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher.
Rizzo suggested this incident went beyond rivalry.
Wrong again. This was all about rivalry.
Hamels wanted to make a point and he made it. The Phillies won the game and are still intent on winning a sixth straight division title.
The Nationals won April and the first week of May, but lost another quality player Sunday when Jayson Werth fractured his wrist.
The Phillies have won five straight division titles because they have been able to overcome poor starts and player injuries. The Nationals still have a long way to go before they can say the same, even if they do have Mike Rizzo as their general manager.
- what exactly is it that they get? That right from wrong depend on what the ultimate target is? head or back?
GIVE ME A BREAK!!— Clancee - Matt, your last paragraph is perfect. Until they've won anything, they should stfu and play. Yes, taking two of three is a good start, but still not much this early in the season. And yes, I think Hamels will be fined and suspended. He has to be. I'm glad it's now and not in Sept.— chrismaroldo
- Bob, your last paragraph is perfect. Until they've won anything, they should stfu and play. Yes, taking two of three is a good start, but still not much this early in the season. And yes, I think Hamels will be fined and suspended. He has to be. I'm glad it's now and not in Sept.— chrismaroldo
- Rizzo Nat's remind me of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They stunk really badly, at just the right times, to get Crosby/Malkin and Strasburg/Harper. Try actually having to build a sucessful franchise and maintain it's superiority for more than 20-30 games before you start crowing. Jerk.— akh
- Good job, Cole. Finally redeeming yourself for quitting on us during the '09 series.— Carl Nidray
- This only becomes a rivalry if the teams are close in August. Until then - 5 division titles to nothing.— rickm
- Absolutely no point in what Cole did, and totally selfish and childish as well. He's lucky the run the kid scored didn't end up beating him. I guess I'll count that as the dinger or two he usually gives up every time out. There was NO team purpose in that, and the TEAM should fine him directly, regardless of what the league may or may not do. Why even give this kid a notice by doing this AHEAD of him even proving himself in the long term yet. Save that for the well established! Hamels isn't old enough or mature enough even YET to be old school, and hey, in case you missed it, Cole, this is the 21st century, and players and coaches do it ALL quite differently now. Real role model stuff there, and I hope your fake foundation takes a big hit from it! Rizzo's comments are equally inane...just trying to drum up ticket sales for future "bouts". He probably paid Cole to hit the kid, so that they can both chip in on filling more seats for the next hockey fight on grass. Grown athletes behaving like children...and league supported I'm sure, considering who's in charge of the penalties.
The rest of you write what you what in response, because I won't be reading them. This is flat out selfishness, and deserves no respect!— ocpizza - Well, here's a real piece of opinion - 'here's what I think and i don't care what you do...'
It isn't selfishness. Not sure it was 'old school' either. I do think Cole was establishing himself as a leader of a team that is desperate for leadership with everyone injured, struggling or over the hill and irrelevant. So he plunked the most obvious in-the-lineup guy with the greatest notariety. Then, later, he took his plunking. So message sent, and message sent back. In the end, the beating the Phils put on the team likely can be laid at much at decent hitting and defense as having Cole stand up and take the shot he did.
Now, all that said, no one is giving Harper any quarter here. Harper, for all of his plunking, managed to hustle to 3B, putting himself in place to score; then, given the 'plunkers' indifference, stole home, giving the 'plunkee' a run and his team a one run lead at the time.
In your face. Back atcha, a disgrace. Turnabout good play.
In the end, all good baseball. And good to watch. Even 24 enjoyed this from the vantage of the tweets and the replays as he had games on at the same time.— 24sDad - The Nats so desperately want to fabricate a rivalry with the Phils. They are asking the Phillies out to the dance. They deserve such little attention in these attempts until they play a full season worth talking about.— StruckEeemOut
- Well said akh. Combined with his complete lack of understanding of baseball history, Rizzo has revealed himself to be a buffoon who stumbled into two good players. I think the Phils have another great 2nd half a season left in them. As long as everyone is close to one another the standings are meaningless until September.— TongueWagger
- Exactly!! Nats are a good young team to watch out for, but this Rizzo guy takes himself way too serious. Again, his memory of Nyjer Morgan must have faded.— Chicago_Phils_Fan
- Great point about Nyjerk Morgan. — pizzzmoe
- Great article. May I cut and paste to the Washington Compost?— ACBaughman
- Rizzo is over reacting, whats he going to do...send Luco Brasi?
Frankly, it might have been better NOT to drill Harper so early in the game and would have been a bit more kosher, if Harper had hit Hamels hard or showed disrespect, that said, its really no big deal. Rizzo is acting like he's never been in baseball before, has he forgotten that in the "old days" new players were regularly indoctrinated by getting drilled? Has he forgotten that in the good ole days, pitchers aimed for the head? Don Drysdale would have thrown a tomahawk at the kid:-)— daystrum
