Point: Good For You, Cole Hamels!
Phillies' starter Cole Hamels said he was, in fact, actually trying to hit Nats rookie Bryce Harper ON PURPOSE in the first inning of Philadelphia's 9-3 win last night.
What did Harper do in retaliation? He just so happened to claim retribution by taking third on a single and then banging it in home for his first steal.
When asked why he did it, Hamels said that he wanted to stick to the tradition of "old baseball" where the strike zone was very small. He said, "I think unfortunately the league's protecting certain players and making it not that old-school, prestigious way of baseball." Hamels added, "It's just, 'Welcome to the big leagues.'"
Of course, don't be surprised when Bud Selig steps in to drop the suspension hammer on Hamels as a result of his candid admission.
To this, I have to say: Good for you, Cole Hamels!
God forbid we stick to baseball in its purity; baseball of the days of yore. God forbid, someone puts this 19-year-old punk in check for his cocky attitude. Let's do the rundown. Yes, Harper is the same power tool that blew a kiss to an opposing pitcher after hitting a home run. Yes, Harper once argued a third strike call by the home plate ump. His bratty, self-entitled attitude lent itself to going as far as taking his bat and literally use it to draw in the dirt just how far outside he felt the pitch was. The brilliant twist in that move? Upon further review, replays revealed that the pitch was even further outside of the line that Harper drew. And yes, Harper is the same clown that seemingly poses after each fly ball as if to proverbially say, "see what I did there?"
Read Tom Duerr's Counterpoint on why he's disappointed in Hamels
Maybe Hamels should have taken a page out of Harper's own playbook and blown HIM a kiss after he beaned him.
More importantly, let's be honest. Hamels just did what anyone who is extremely annoyed by Harper's stupid war-paint style eye black or his douchey mohawk wanted to do -- and that's plunk him with a baseball.
Or, maybe that's just me.
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(Information from The Associated Press was used as a source.)
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