This Cole Hamels story has taken on a mind of it's own.  I've probably read about it at every website and blog I visited yesterday.  The response was largely the same, "how dare you", "send him home", "he sucks".  That had to be expected because Cole committed one of team sports biggest crimes -- apparently, he quit on his team.  Benny already talked about this at length, so I won't reprint the quotes because I'm sure you've heard it by now.  Also, apparently the entire clubhouse is splitting over the Myers/Hamels blowout, or so the media would have you believe.  I'm more inclined to think they were just joking/there was a misunderstanding and that more of the clubhouse is indifferent to the situation.

If a game 7 is forced, Cole Hamels is the man to pitch it.

So Cole "quit" on the team and is ready for the season to be over?  Come on.  Yeah the comments were unforgivable if you take them at face value, but they came in an honest response about how tough this year has been for him.  In that interview he talked about Game 7 and how important it is.  Cole Hamels did more to seal this town their first championship in a quarter century during last years playoffs than anyone.  The guy stepped up bigger and bigger every single time he threw.  The guy is struggling this time around and understandably his confidence isn't what it was when he was mowing down hitters into November last season.

And it's not the first time that Cole has answered an question candidly and got himself in trouble for it.  As the Mets fans won't let anyone forget, Cole had his comments about the Mets being choke artists (get over it, it was a pointed question and he answered in the context of the question and you can't be mad if it's true).  Now it happens again and everyone wants to jump down his throat like he was trying to recreate the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

More importantly, Cole Hamels is the best pitcher the Phillies have available to pitch a potential game 7.  J.A. Happ has had a great season, but he hasn't started since Colorado.  Big Joe Blanton is good, but he'd be on short rest.  I think this controversy might actually help the old ace to become his former self on the biggest of all stages in the biggest game of his career.  Game 7 is a long way away, but should we make it there, Hamels is going to take us home.  Until then, let's get a W tonight one inning at a time.

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