Dear Philadelphia: Deal With It

by Bill Baer on April 13th, 2010
Posted in MLB, Philadelphia Phillies | Print | 78 Comments »

As if February’s fisking wasn’t enough, I must once again take up arms for one Colbert Richard Hamels. Why, you ask? Why defend the indefensible seven runs in 10 and two-thirds innings, the sloppy curves, and the waist-high fastballs?

Because Philadelphia could run yet another athlete out of town. Not this year, but eventually, Philadelphia could pack Hamels’ bags and send him to greener pastures.

Pardon the drama, but I cannot get over the fact that Hamels was booed yesterday. Yesterday, of course, was the Phillies’ home opener at Citizens Bank Park, a joyous day for millions around the City of Brotherly Love. 44,791 fans flocked to the gates, eager to see their Phillies for the first time in 2010. The scent of hot dogs and the booming voices of vendors let us know baseball was finally back.

Despite the baseball holiday, tension quickly filled the stadium in the second inning when Josh Willingham led off the top of the second inning with a solo home run to left field. Willingham turned on an up-and-in Hamels fastball and it landed several rows beyond the left field fence. The score went from 0-0 to 1-0 and the crowd started to boo. I kid you not.

In the top of the second inning.

After a solo home run was hit.

With the powerhouse Phillies offense waiting to come to bat eight more times.

The crowd started to boo.

Would the crowd have booed J.A. Happ in that instance?

I love Philadelphia and its fans, I really do. It’s a shame how Philly is forever connected to the Santa-snowball incident from 50 years ago. I hate how Philly fans are known for hurling batteries when fans of other teams have committed much worse offenses (example: click here, go to #3 with an eye for the Saints). Sometimes though, in an event such as this, the reputation is warranted. I felt embarrassed to be a Phillies fan, to associate myself with the boorish people in the stands at Citizens Bank Park on Monday afternoon.

Cole Hamels probably set the bar too high for himself. He dominated in the Minor Leagues with a 1.43 ERA in four seasons. In his first full season in 2007, he was a crucial component of the team that broke the Phillies’ long playoff drought. The next year, he finished the regular season with an ERA a smidge above 3.00 and was immaculate in the post-season as the Phillies earned their first World Series championship since 1980. He won the MVP award in that series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

What else is there for him to accomplish? Philadelphia fans expected him to continue to get better and better. He, of course, would not.

Somehow, Philly fans conflated almost-unavoidable struggles with an inborn psychological weakness and an inability to improve. It was never more evident than this past off-season when GM Ruben Amaro traded Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners. Phillies fans salivated at the thought of a 1-2 punch of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee going up against the New York Yankees in a World Series rematch, but it was not to be. That dream bubble evaporated and reality set in: it will be Halladay and Hamels in 2010.

Maybe Phillies fans resent Hamels because his reputation as a skillful pitcher gave Amaro the confidence to trade Lee. If Hamels was viewed by upper management as a worse pitcher — the pitcher the fans see — Lee would still be here. The Phillies can’t make a post-season run with Halladay and Adam Eaton Lite, they think.

But what most fans don’t get is that their constant criticism of Hamels is completely counter-productive. Sure, it makes for a nice blog entry — it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. “Cole Hamels Sucks… Again!” However, the Phillies absolutely need an effective Hamels during 2010. What do the fans hope to accomplish with the criticism? Will Hamels take it to heart and try even harder (as if he hasn’t been trying hard enough) to improve?

Imagine a group of strangers stops by your office tomorrow morning and observes you while you perform your duties. You pick up the phone to make an important phone call and you stammer on a couple words. You leave out an important detail. You didn’t clarify how your e-mail address was spelled, so now you can’t download that important document.

What if, after every mistake, you were booed and criticized by that group of strangers? Would that make you want to improve?

Doubtful. Like most people, you would want to curl up in the fetal position. You would consider quitting your job.

As fans, we often hold athletes to a higher standard than regular people, but the fact remains that athletes, aside from their outstanding physical prowess, are regular people. They have the same insecurities as the rest of us. Thus, there are exactly zero benefits to booing a struggling player.

If you boo Hamels, you are actively rooting for the Phillies to fail. Dislike him for whatever irrational reasons you may find, but to boo him is to hurt the very team whose logo adorns your shirts and hats and bumper stickers and posters.

Hamels will likely never be as good as he was in 2007 and ’08. That is a fact that Phillies fans are simply going to have to understand. He is not Tim Lincecum. But you know what? A 3.50 ERA pitcher is not bad — in fact, that’s pretty damn good and it’s something to be appreciated.

I would much rather see Hamels tossing up a 3.50 ERA in a Phillies uniform than in another team’s uniform. If the boorish behavior from Phillies fans continues, Hamels may trade in his red pinstripes for another team’s colors in 2011 or ’12. I fear, though, that that ship has sailed and Hamels is destined to test free agency after the 2011 season. Why should Hamels play for a team with a fan base that harbors such ill will towards him?

Phillies fans: you need Cole Hamels much, much more than Cole Hamels needs you.

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  1. 78 Responses to “Dear Philadelphia: Deal With It”

  2. By Diceman on Apr 13, 2010

    Are you so sure they were booing Hamels and not Josh Willingham? I can’t imagine they would be booing Hamels there. The natural reaction to an opposing teams success like a HR isn’t silence and an amped up crowd like the Phillies home opener is going to respond with booing. I would be surprised if it was actually directed at hamels, I think you’re misinterpreting it.

  3. By Bill Baer on Apr 13, 2010

    Josh Willingham has hit home runs before. He has never been booed (as far as I can recall).

    Players have hit home runs on Opening Day in Philadelphia. (As far as I can recall) they haven’t been booed.

    And I don’t think the fans would have booed if J.A. Happ were on the mound instead.

    What reason is there to boo a second inning solo home run that broke up a 0-0 tie?

  4. By Kevin from Macho Row on Apr 13, 2010

    I don’t know. I actually thought the booing was for the fan not throwing the ball back on the field. The fans always boo when that happens, yet I applaud it.

  5. By Bill Baer on Apr 13, 2010

    That’s a possibility, Kevin, but the boos were cascading throughout the stadium. Would 45,000 people care that much about a home run ball not being thrown back?

  6. By AnarKey on Apr 13, 2010

    Most of the time the booing goes at the player hitting the homer against us. I’m sorry but I think this wasn’t analyzed correctly here. If this homer came at a point late in the game that screwed us over then yeah, you probably would be right.

  7. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more insufferable group of self-appointed experts than the legions of Phillies fans who think they can get inside the head of a professional athlete whom they have never met, nor understood outside of one-off clubhouse quotes and press clippings. “He can’t get over the last at-bat,” “he’s a mental midget,” “the problem is between the ears,” worthless cliche after worthless cliche all smugly announced without the slightest bit of supporting evidence, much less any acknowledgment that such evidence would be completely unavailable to them anyway. Everyday baseball fans, lacking even the barest applicable experience of their own for comparison, somehow conclude that a uniquely talented athlete, who has spent his entire baseball life in one spotlight after the next, is incapable of handling adversity (I suppose arbitrarily dismissing the player’s career prior to 4/5/2009 helps with this). And then the very same turn around and boo and jeer him in every possible moment in which he actually faces adversity. If it weren’t the team that I root for, it would be hilarious just for its absurdity and senselessness.

    This is not even considering the brain trust that somehow think his offseason endorsements and fame have something to do with it, as if he is the only athlete that ever took part in those sorts of things. Every new commercial, every frustrated kick of the dirt, every minor alteration in his mound demeanor becomes evidence to support their theory, despite all of it being completely baseless and fabricated. And then, when you show them actual verifiable numbers and data, they just scoff.

    Baseball Jesus wept.

  8. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    It wasn’t just Willingham’s homer, there was audible booing when he left the field in the middle of the 4th.

  9. By Jeremy on Apr 13, 2010

    Well said! When will the majority of Philadelphia fans move past knee jerk reactions (promoted on WIP) and actually think about the big picture.

    Cliff Lee did have a great post season last year, but the same can be said for Hamels the year before. What’s to say that Lee would be even close to successful as he was in the 2009 post season: nothing. Plus, Lee’s career has been more erratic than Hamels’ career. Hamels had one bad year and was never even close to be sent to the minor leagues. How about Cliff Lee?

    Further, Hamels is a winner and was probably one of the most successful Philadelphia athletes ever in high pressure moments. What is to say he can’t do it again. After all, his arm is fresh this spring and not ready to fall off.

  10. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    Speaking of WIP, I (fortunately) have no way of verifying this, so take it with a grain of salt, but there were rumors that one of the WIP hosts (Cataldi?) was instructing fans to boo if Hamels surrendered 4 or more runs. True or not, it’s depressingly believable.

  11. By Jeremy on Apr 13, 2010

    Cataldi is a complete jackass, to use his own words. Hard to believe that at one time he was actually respected as a sports journalist.

    Maybe, it’s time to call in the WIP morning show and call the jackass out each time he screws up or says something stupid. Oh wait, he says something stupid every time he say something.

  12. By John on Apr 13, 2010

    What do you want people to do?
    Its the Nationals & in 2 starts he last 5 innings in each start. Outside of Halladay/Lee he is our #1

    You expect more out of that type of pitcher.

    So far he is 5bb’s, 11k’s, 5era

    The guy hasn’t gone past 6 innings since Sept 28th of last year & was a key reason for losing the world series.

    So yes, people are going to boo. Now for what happened yesterday, it could have been a mix of boo’ing him & Willingham.

    ps – cataldi is everything that is wrong with sports radio/media which comes back to “fans”.

  13. By Griffin on Apr 13, 2010

    The booing is embarrassing. Sometimes I think Philly fans are mindless drones just following whatever WIP tells them to do.

    I met Cataldi’s son at the Jersey Shore 15 years ago and he was telling me how his dad’s family was from NY and Angelo is a Yankees fan, for what it’s worth.

  14. By slowski on Apr 13, 2010

    it not hard to understand, we cheer and boo. YOU deal with it.

  15. By Dan on Apr 13, 2010

    Bill, I agree that Cole is better than he showed last year and so far this year. But he’s a pro making millions of dollars. If he decides he can’t deal with the pressure, then that’s on him. No fan has ever run a single athlete out of town, and none ever will. Fans like some players, dislike others, but none of them sign the paycheck.

    Lookit, Mitch Williams was the most hated man in Phillies history for a while. He could have left town and spent the rest of his life bad mouthing the fans. Instead, he stuck it out, and the fans respect him for it. If Cole is a man, he’ll stick it out, and he’ll gain respect for it. Or, he’ll leave and no matter how well he plays for the rest of his life, he’ll have only contempt from Phillies fans.

    Bottom line, it’s on him.

  16. By phatti on Apr 13, 2010

    John,

    What do [we] want people to do? How bout not booing him at the first sign of trouble? How bout not secretly wishing him to fail. I was on the philly.com live chat, and as soon as Hamels nicked Dunn, several people were saying things like “here’s the inning where Cole becomes a head case” and such, and it really felt like they wanted him to explode, so they could have something to boo. He had a bad year last year, by his extremely high standards. He’s had a mediocre start. But give him a little bit of a chance before you decide he’s worthless.

  17. By phatti on Apr 13, 2010

    And by the way, here are some other big name pitchers that are having much worse seasons that Cole. How much booing are they getting?

    Carlos Zambrano 1-1 8.1 IP 11.88
    Justin Verlander 0-0 10 IP 9.00
    Jake Westbrook 0-1 9.2 IP 7.45
    Yovani Gallardo 0-2 12 IP 6.75
    Josh Johnson 0-1 10 IP 6.30
    Josh Beckett 1-0 11.2 IP 6.17
    Chris Carpenter 1-0 11 IP 5.73

    Cole Hamels 2-0 10.2 IP 5.06

  18. By Richard on Apr 13, 2010

    It’s the refusal to recognize luck, again, that drives this. From what I gather, Hamels had excellent stuff yesterday, and the homer aside, gave up his runs on some good pitches that went for some not hard-hit hits, throw in the barely-grazing of Dunn and you have 4 runs. Shit happens. Also, the Phillies won.

  19. By LH on Apr 13, 2010

    I sat in left field in section 106 and I heard the groans about Hamels. Folks are on Hamels because he never a World Series. Seriously, some folks look for imperfections in our athletics that sometimes border on fantasy. Here’s a good looking California kid that doesn’t fit the media’s Philadelphia blue collar mentality. But we’ll forgive that aspect if he pitches perfect every time. Your article was well written and the comments are right on target.

  20. By David on Apr 13, 2010

    Phylan,

    You’re spot on.

    For Philadelphia fans, winning isn’t nearly enough. You also have to project this image—this “tough as nails,” or “fiery” attitude—if you want to be adored here in Philly.

    Not to get into a McNabb rant, but I always assumed that his critics relished in the fact that he never won a Super Bowl or “came up short” in big games. I touched on this topic a bit on my blog. My opinion on this matter changed when the Phillies won a World Series and then subsequently people jumped all over Cole in 2009. Where’s the grace period, fellas? We won a World Series—the first championship in twenty-five *very long* years. If we fans can’t give the MVP of the postseason, the man who provided me with the best four sporting weeks of my life, an ounce of slack, then we are beyond hope.

    With the treatment that Cole has received (and so early in the season, too), I’ve realized that an athlete’s personality is just as important to this city. It’s not enough to win. You have to win with “heart” or with “guts.” People hated McNabb because he smiled after an interception, or the *gasp* air guitar stunt in Dallas. “He never won a Super Bowl. He’s not a leader. He jokes around too much.”

    Another underreported aspect is the Philadelphians who have jumped on the wagon given the Phillies’ recent success. We can all admit that for all intensive purposes, the Eagles are the most popular team in this city. So now, many fans have this “Eagles mentality,” where ‘you have to win now.’ Obviously, the biggest difference with this logic is the 146 games between a baseball and football season. The Phillies were 5-1 going into yesterday. They trailed 1-0 early, and our starting pitcher got booed. How else can we justify that?

    I moved away from Philadelphia a couple years ago and rely on sites like the700level or philly.com for my sports fix. For my own entertainment (or as a form of self-inflicted punishment), I read some of the comments below each article. Ho-ly hell. It’s like diarrhea of the mouth. Obviously, these fans, and I use that term loosely, are the minority (or at least I hope so), but they sure are vocal.

    If fans can find something to complain about with this team, then I’m sure glad the internet wasn’t prevalent during the Matt Beech era.

    Nice post, Bill.

  21. By Jon on Apr 13, 2010

    They cheered him when he left. You are mistaken. And, if he does get booed, don’t worry about it – I am sure he isn’t worried and probably thinks he deserves it, when/if it happens. He knows what it’s like to be celebrated in this town, and I am sure he’s none too pleased when he performs poorly. You can be sure he’s more ticked at himself than any fan when he pitches poorly.

  22. By Jim Heron on Apr 13, 2010

    i was at the game there wasnt really much booing after the hr and hamels actually got a nice ovation when they took him out in the 6th

  23. By Phillygirl17 on Apr 13, 2010

    I was watching the game in DC, (horrible announcers btw)and I heard the boos. I was shocked. Hamels’ stuff was pretty good yesterday. He was hitting his spots for the most part. Willingham is a good hitter. Pudge is as professional as they come. I was more impressed with his reaction afterwards. He came right back at the next batter and threw some good pitches in the 5th. I’ll be at Sunday’s game and I will NOT be booing him, but be cheering for him.

    Great post!

  24. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    That is true and a good point — he got a nice little round of applause leaving the field, so there were at least some that recognized he was doing some good things out there yesterday.

  25. By Joe C on Apr 13, 2010

    I was the the game yesterday, and after reading your article it is hard for me to believe that you were at the game. At no point did 45,000 fans boo. The fans were booing after the homer (in left field) becasue the ball was not thrown back (a stupid move that is not even a Philly thing). There may have been a few boos for Hamels, but the majority of people there were showing support. There are some people on WIP that rip Hamels, but a majority of fans support him. If you remeber, when Hamels left the game, he was given a nice round or applause. Get you facts straight, please.

    [Ed. Note: I was in the press box.]

  26. By Matt on Apr 13, 2010

    Cole Hamels has nowhere near a 3.50 ERA last season. All Philly fans would be satisfied with that, but with the day he’s pitching, it doesn’t look like he’ll get that this year either, unless he turns it around. These guys are professional. If they do something they don’t like you have the right to boo. If you clap and cheer for Hamels after he serves up a fastball right down the middle that is crushed in the left field bleachers, then you’re not a true fan. You can’t seriously compare Cole Hamels getting booed to a person in an office getting booed. That is just absurd. Cole Hamels has the attitude of a wimp. I’ll tell you right now why fans like JA Happ more. Happ is composed and shows no emotion out there. That is what we like to see. Cole throws his hands up and always shows facial expressions when he struggles. If anything Philly fans are too lenient on the team. It’s ridiculous to say fans shouldn’t boo when they don’t like something. These guys are getting paid millions of dollars. I think they can handle it.

  27. By ShooterB on Apr 13, 2010

    Asking a Philly fan not to boo is liking asking Tiger Woods not to get his freak on during a road trip. To be fair, other fans can be just as bad. A-Rod was booed in New York on opening day a couple of years back, during the first inning.

    Or maybe it’s just because there has been little to boo about so far, and they just needed to take it out on someone. Donovan isn’t around anymore to cry about, the Phillies are 6-1. You gotta admit, it’s tough right now for the Philly hate crew.

  28. By MG on Apr 13, 2010

    Phils’ fans booing him Hamels will cause him to want to leave town? Please. If you pay him relatively top dollar and he is playing on a competitive team, he will stick around. Money matters first and foremost. Everything else is a distant 2nd with athletes.

    As for the actual booing, it was only really noticeable after the 4th inning. I personally wouldn’t have booed but can understand why people did. He walked a stiff (Kennedy) and then gave up a double to the pitcher to put his team in a 4-0 hole.

  29. By Sweet Dee on Apr 13, 2010

    I think it’s all a matter of opinion. You have to be tough to be any Philadelphia fan, that’s evident. It’s just a thing Hamels has to work through. He’s always been a favorite player of mine, and he’s young. He’ll come back. He just needs everyone’s faith in him and I think most people take him for granted. You’re right, we do need him more than he needs us. I’m sure a lot of teams would grab him if they had the chance.

  30. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    Cole Hamels’ grace period ended last year with his crappy performance in the postseason. You can try to defend him as much as you want but the fact is that he has been crap for more than a year now.

    You’re comparison to someone sitting at a desk on the phone is complete LUNACY because 1.)The person on the phone presumably works everyday and has more opportunities to make mistakes. 2.)Most likely doesn’t have the expert training that Hamels does. 3.)Most likely has other job duties that require special adeptness. As such, their skills aren’t specifically geared to doing one thing, unlike Hamels. And 4.)Does not have 4 days in between work in which to hone their sills.

    I think all of Philadelphia would be fine with Hamels sporting a 3.50 ERA. The fact is that he has a 5.06 ERA so far this year and a 4.32 ERA last season. When/if he ever gets a 3.50 ERA, I believe Hamels will receive proper recognition at that point. But until then, he deserves to hear the boos.

    Hamels is actually taking the criticism well and reminds me of myself in the fact that he is extremely tough on himself which sometimes can be counter-productive. He isn’t making excuses and crying about his performances, so why are you?

  31. By CoquiOX on Apr 13, 2010

    I hate the fact that Phillies fans boo anyone on the team, no matter what the circumstance. I know it can be hard to hold in emotions, especially at a really amped up home opener. But never the less, they are your team, they got the same jersey on as you do, and you should support them no matter what. Booing one player from your team is like booing the entire team… But that’s just professional sports in Philly I guess….

  32. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    When we are getting charged an arm and a leg to enjoy our team (which we do day in and day out), we deserve to let our frustrations be heard. Plain and simple.

  33. By Richard on Apr 13, 2010

    Booing is juvenile.

  34. By WholeCamels on Apr 13, 2010

    Bill, great post and got a well deserved link on The Good Phight this morning.

    I am curious as to how a 4.32 ERA is “crap.” It’s practically league average.

    And why does salary justify booing?

  35. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    Commenting on a blog with the sole intent of rousing up a passionate fan base is juvenile.

  36. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    A 10-11 record in the regular season and a 1-2 record in the postseason as your number 2 starter is what is crap. A 4.32 ERA is fine for your number 4 starter, not for the guy that is supposed to back up your ace.

    “League average” doesn’t win you championships buddy.

  37. By Bill Baer on Apr 13, 2010

    Viper, have you read this?

    http://crashburnalley.com/2010/02/07/coles-curious-conundrum/

    Cole was the same pitcher last year he was in 2008.

  38. By Phillies Fan 20 on Apr 13, 2010

    I think that Cole Hamels is being judged on his total body of work. He performed at a high level in 2008 and we are very grateful and we thank him for that! He did not perform that well last year and especially in last year’s World Series. Cliff Lee on the other hand was phenomenal in the WS. So $6,665,000 for Hamels or $8,000,000 for 1 year of Cliff Lee? I know Cliff Lee is hurt but he is a Cy Young award winner and he deserves a look after his 2009 WS. You state “What else is there for Cole Hamels to accomplish?” You’re kidding right? He is 26 years old. How about some consistency. We can’t expect him or Lidge to repeat 2008 but some better performance would be nice. How can you blame Phillies fans to want the best for their team? Every other team is trying to get better. Your reference to unavoidable troubles sounds like a cop out. The goal of any pitcher is to perform at a high level and compete. When they don’t, everyone is upset by it, for any MLB team. You think Cole Hamels is emotional? Try working with 5 yankee fans on a daily basis! We all make mistakes in our job but we all don’t make $6,500,000 a year. I think it is a bad comparison to try to tie the average work day to Cole Hamels performance. If I had 44,791 people paying money to come watch me work, I think I would prepare to do my best and suffer the consequences! Your reading into this way too much. The Boos were sporadic at best. We need Cole Hamels to perform well to win it all this year. If he is too fragile to take criticism he will never get that big Yankee contract that awaits any high performer! Every athlete or celebrity is subject to fan response and at this point in their career they know that. Totally disagree with your comment that if you boo Hamels you are actively rooting against the Phillies to fail. Boo to your comment! And I am not actively rooting for you to fail. Please don’t pretend that Hamels is going to test free agency because of the fans. That is way too naive. I actually think your article is perpetuating the mystique that Philly fans are bad fans. What do you think about that? Maybe you could write something about how positive the Phillies fans are. Or at least put it into perspective, the number of times they cheer versus the number of times they Boo.

  39. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    Wrong Bill. Cole dominated in the postseason in 2008, that’s a really huge difference from last year that cannot be overlooked.

    If he does in fact produce a 3.50 ERA, I’ll cheer him as loudly as anybody else.

  40. By Bill Baer on Apr 13, 2010

    You could at least give it a read before telling me I’m wrong.

    Obvious troll is obvious. :)

  41. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    Gee Viper I’m going to guess you didn’t really read it.

  42. By Viper on Apr 13, 2010

    I agree Phillies Fan 20, you’d think that with all the numbers that Bill likes to throw in our faces to feed his high-and-mighty complex, he would count the number of times that the Phillies’ fans cheered during the game compared to the number of times that they boo’d.

    It’s pretty obvious that Bill only took from the game what he wanted to take from it and neglected to pay attention to anything else. Shame cause I used to enjoy reading this blog.

  43. By Felix Hernandez on Apr 13, 2010

    Viper,

    Perhaps Richard’s sole motivation was to point out that booing is juvenile (which it is), rather than to rouse a passionate fan base.

    This reminds of a time in 2007, around midway through the season when I ran into a bunch of Phillie fans in Milwaukee there to watch the Brewers and Phils. Predictably, these folks LOVED Aaron Rowand and absolutely HATED Pat Burrell, largely based on respective “attitude” and “toughness” (as if they knew both players personally). I’m a White Sox fan with no dog in the fight, so I politely point out that Aaron Rowand at the time is a tad overrated and that they might not want to give up on Pat Burrell. I wish I could have checked in with them at the end of the year.

  44. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    “It’s pretty obvious that Bill only took from the game what he wanted to take from it and neglected to pay attention to anything else.”

    Irony award of the century right here.

  45. By Rich on Apr 13, 2010

    Are we talking about the same guy who couldn’t wait to get home even though he was in the World Series…?

    I just don’t have the same respect I used to have for Hamels after he said that.

  46. By Matt on Apr 13, 2010

    Bill, I agree with your opinion of booing and the consequences of doing so, especially for a guy who did so much for us.

    That said, I was sitting in Sect. 144 where the Willingham homer was hit. I am always listening for booing, because, like you, it annoys the hell out of me, especially when unwarranted. I really didn’t hear any discernable booing until the fan who caught it didn’t send it back in. Then the booing becomes like the wave and starts to make its way around the stadium. My season tickets are in Sect. 136 and the booing for balls not being thrown back certainly happens there also.

    I’m sure it was misinterpreted by many, including probably Cole, but I don’t think more than an exteremely small percentage of knuckleheads were booing Cole specifically after that homer.

    Jim is right as well that he received a nice ovation when walking off the field in the 6th.

  47. By DAB on Apr 13, 2010

    They were booing the fan not throwing the ball back on the field, not Hamels. (Which is dumb, in my opinion) Way to jump on the Philly fans are haters bandwagon. He got a standing-O when he left the game in the 6th.

    Now that your whole article is based on an incorrect assumption, all it will serve to do is further fuel the negative reputation Philadelphia gets. Good job.

  48. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    Is the negative reputation entirely undeserved? I don’t know if it was just all the more elevated after Aaron Rowand’s catch, but Phillies fans have taken this “blue collar love” crap way too far. Everyone loves a hardworking player, but Phillies fans have this bizarre complex where they have to judge a player’s work ethic and then whine about the stupidest, most petty things they see on the field or read in the papers. Not everyone is Chase Utley. Some players show emotion, bad and good, and that has nothing to do with their production.

  49. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    Also, I think it’s pretty ridiculous to make judgments from clubhouse quotes, collected by reporters at a time where what just happened on the field is most elevated in the player’s mind, and with the intent of finding something interesting to print.

  50. By DavidL on Apr 13, 2010

    Hamels is overrated. He had a great World Series in 2008, but he has never been the dominating pitcher that some folks thought he could be. Somehow the national baseball media people started calling him our “ace,” but he’s never pitched like an ace for any extended period of time. I’m certainly not mad at him; it’s not his fault that he can’t live up to the hype, and perhaps he does deserve a spot on the roster. Maybe he should be our fourth or fifth starter. Maybe he’ll get better.

    But let’s see things for what they are. The emperor wears no clothes. It’s possible he is worth more to the Phillies in a trade than on the mound. I’m sure some other team might be willing to offer quite a lot in return for an “ace.” But please let’s not continue the trend of calling Pat Burrell a slugger and Hamels an ace and Madsen a closer and hope that saying it makes it so.

  51. By doubleh on Apr 13, 2010

    Vocal minority always gets the most press. I was at the game yesterday and no one in my section, and I mean no one, booed Cole Hamels. They grumbled about walking that no-hit Kennedy and giving up a hit to a pretty good hitting pitcher in Marquis, but there were no boos. Everyone was like, still got lots of game left and these are the Nats! Nothing but supreme confidence. It was a weird feeling, for sure.

    I booed Willingham, just cuz he kills us.

    Sometimes boos, like clubhouse quotes, can be misinterpreted. It’s a gut reaction and I find myself doing it without even knowing why.

  52. By Phylan on Apr 13, 2010

    How does Cole’s 2007 and 2008 not qualify as “ace?” What is your definition of that anyway? While you’re at it, how the hell was Pat Burrell not a slugger, despite posting a SLG of .500 or greater and hitting 29 home runs or more in each year from 2005 to 2008, and why is it necessary to call Madson anything other than the best reliever on the Phillies?

  53. By phatti on Apr 13, 2010

    DavidL:

    In Cole Hamels’ first full year (2007), he went 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA (15th in the Majors). He had 177 strikeouts in 181 1/3 innings.

    In his second full year (2008), he went 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA (10th in the Majors). He had 193 strikeouts in 227 1/3 innings.

    He was then 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in the post season, winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP.

    Isn’t that an “Ace”? Isn’t two years an “extended period of time”? He had a mediocre year last year, and has had two mediocre starts this year. But 2007 and 2008 happened. The pennants will be up at Citizens Bank Park forever. Before we bury him completely, or try to rewrite history, let’s give him a little more of a chance to get back to the ace he was and can be.

  54. By John K on Apr 13, 2010

    great post/ couldn’t agree more

  55. By Mark on Apr 13, 2010

    Well written piece. Agreed.

  56. By Murgatroid on Apr 13, 2010

    Reading all of these comments is seriously upsetting to me. I am enjoying the Phillies success tremendously, but I’m afraid Phillies fans have come to expect far too much if a 4.32 ERA is worthy of boos. At least give him a chance this year. Young pitchers have these kinds of problems all the time. Between 2006 and 2007, Cliff Lee had a 5.01 ERA, and he bounced back the next year with a 2.54 ERA. Cole is only 26, he still has a lot of career left.

    Also, if you think that Cole’s contract justifies the boos, he made $500,000 in 2008, a little over $4 million last year, and $6.5 million this year. $4 million is not supposed to give you ace-like numbers. So if you want to boo Cole, don’t say it’s because of his contract. it’s because of your unrealistic expectations of a 26 year old kid who, despite giving your city a World Series, is still an unexperienced pitcher.

  57. By Murgatroid on Apr 13, 2010

    Oh, and on a lighter note, excellent article Bill.

  58. By SoloDolo on Apr 13, 2010

    Philly wants Hamels to do well. We’ll route for him because we know what he’s capable of. What Philadelphia doesn’t want to see is a repeat of last year. I wouldn’t agree that the fans were booing at Hamels after that first HR, but it’s kind of discouraging to be down to the Nationals 4-0 four innings into the game. I want to be able to watch Cole Hamels pitch 7-8 inning games again with maybe only a couple of runs on the board for the other team. We seen it from him before, and the fact is Philly isn’t going to be too happy unless they see that same guy that was able to win them a 2008 WS Championship.

  59. By Bill on Apr 13, 2010

    My concern with Hamels is mostly his command being shaky in the first start. The Nationals don’t have an awful lineup, they just have awful pitching, so don’t be shocked when they score a few runs.

  60. By B on Apr 13, 2010

    I took the booing after the home run as booing at Willingham & then the follow up of not throwing the ball back. No different then after a usual home run, but who knows.

    But I do agree with the overall theme, unfortunately there are tons of fans who just listen to WIP and get their uninformed opinions from what is spewed by the know nothing hosts. It’s a shame but I think all cities have the same problems when it comes to this. Most talk show hosts only throw around knee jerk reactions to strum up reactions and to real in the extremist callers.

  61. By derekcarstairs on Apr 13, 2010

    I like your positive post about Cole and agree with most of it. One statement I didn’t like and don’t agree with: “Hamels will likely never be as good as he was in 2007 and ‘08. That is a fact that Phillies fans are simply going to have to understand.” Cole is young. We will find out how good he really is over the next ten years. I, for one, think Cole could have several seasons as good as or better than his ’07 and ’08 seasons. Time will tell.

    One further point: Hamels is a different pitcher in day games. So, it should not have been a surprise that he wasn’t great in the home opener. Fortunately, 70% of Cole’s starts are at night.

    Cole’s career Day/Night splits:

    Stat Day Night

    ERA 4.70 3.28
    WHIP 1.390 1.096
    K/9 7.9 8.6
    K/BB 2.94 3.98
    BABIP .325 .271
    BA .278 .229
    OBP .329 .278
    OPS .777 .675
    W-L% .458 .650

  62. By defendingphillyagain on Apr 13, 2010

    Who the hell is this guy Bill Baer? …And who are the idiots above who defend his lame argument that booing is counter-productive? I don’t think anybody should be happy about the prospect of Cole being mediocre for another entire season. Sure, one home run and a couple of so-so games does not a season, or a career make, but when Cole very nearly whined in the World Series a few months ago about needing a break we all hoped that the time off would give him a chance to regroup and find his stuff. Guess what? So far it isn’t panning out. I think Cole’s personality might benefit from a reminder that we want him to do better. Maybe it reminds him that perhaps the 2008 season was a little too easy… that if he is going to be looked at as a great pitcher 10 years from now, he’d better figure some stuff out. I don’t believe that a competetive athelete who really loves to win isn’t beating himself up a little bit too… just like the fans… when he isn’t producing. I love the response above that mentioned Mitch Williams. SPOT ON. Mitch was a train wreck waiting to happen in ’93. For months, in the backs of our minds, we could see the future… that the magic season that shouldn’t have been could only be derailed through the arm of Mitch. We hoped against hope that he would find a way to avoid it… but he didn’t. His resurrection as an honest, pull-no-punches analyst is a testament to him as a person. Mitch gives us what we crave… HONESTY. Cole… unfortunately, we see Cole as a potential train wreck too. Booing Cole at this point is being honest. Did you think that the dumb Philly fans were booing at ONE home run? ONE poor pitch. BILL, YOU’RE A MORON! I swear to God Bill, we boo because we actually care.

  63. By defendingphillyagain on Apr 13, 2010

    I just read Philly Fan 20′s response… ALSO spot on!

  64. By defendingphillyagain on Apr 13, 2010

    And for those who think that Cole’s personality won’t benefit from a reminder of our emotional investment in the team… tough. He’s the one who’s got to figure out how to control his emotions. That’s half the battle. …and from some of his recent interviews and his reaction on the bench between inning and while talking to Dubee, he seems to be handling things pretty well. Hopefully, he’ll keep progressing and learn how to be the man again.

  65. By defendingphillyagain on Apr 13, 2010

    Dag… now I can’t stop… Booing Santa was the CORRECT response to a half-assed, drunken, poor excuse for a Santa Clause impersonator. I reiterate, WE BOO BECAUSE WE CARE

  66. By kmart on Apr 13, 2010

    The only real issue I have with Cole Hamels were his post game comments in the WS loss this past year. He’s got to be a little more discerning when he speaks to the media. Whether he intended it to or not, it really came off like he was giving up on the team. That’s not the type of attitude I want from players on the Phils no matter how well or poorly they’re performing.

  67. By ThinMountainAir on Apr 13, 2010

    /facepalm

    I don’t give a shit what the players say in post-game interviews. I don’t care if they have “fiery” personalities or if they get their uniforms dirty or if they scowl a lot and curse after striking out or giving up a home run.

    All I care about is winning. I WANT MY TEAM TO WIN. That’s it and that’s all. Cole Hamels is a very, very good pitcher. Without him, this team doesn’t win the World Series, or even the pennant. He has been a victim of his own success and of people who project their own fears, insecurities and feeling onto the players on the field. And if he goes somewhere else when his contract is up and turns in a career like Verlander or Beckett, I really hope that people calling him “soft” on WIP will admit they were wrong. Can’t say I have too much hope for that, though.

  68. By Mike & Ike on Apr 14, 2010

    If Hamels doesnt want to get booed, there is one sure remedy, whether you pitch in Boston, NY, or Venus–pitcher better!! I dont see where the gray area is….

  69. By WholeCamels on Apr 14, 2010

    I see that lots of sports fans actually buy it when the players say “We couldn’t have done it without you fans!” The sense of self-importance vis-a-vis their role as “fans” is really funny.

    Are you entitled to boo? Sure. Am I entitled to think you’re an asshole for doing it? You bet!

  70. By defendingphillyagain on Apr 14, 2010

    All I know is… whenever I hear the Philadelphia fans boo… whether it’s the Eagles, the Phillies, the Flyers (yes, we actually booed the Flyers this year), or the Sixers (OK, there’s really no reason to boo the Sixers anymore. there’s really no point)
    it’s always a mirror of how I feel inside.

  71. By mratfink on Apr 15, 2010

    I don’t have a problem with booing, but i hate the reason why so many philly fans boo. Look if a guy gives up 7 in 2 (cough kendrick cough) ill boo him on his way out. if the same guy pitches a great game ill give him a standing O. But i hate the fact that too often philly fans boo not performance but players they for some reason just don’t like. Burrell was the biggest sufferer of this, and he was busting his butt, that really pissed me off.
    However, to the point of your article, i was at the game, and i don’t remember booing hamels, however, i do remmeber the homerun ball wasn’t thrown back and for some reason i take a stupid amount of pride in the fact we throw all the home runs back, so while it wouldnt surprise me if hamels was booed i think it was the homerun ball that was the case.

  72. By Mark on Apr 15, 2010

    Baseball is a form of entertainment open to praise and criticism… no one comes to my office to boo or cheer because no one wants to pay to watch me do my job. stop babying the players… philly, new york, and boston would all boo, and they’re all the best places to play (with the exception of the god awful mets). if you don’t like it, become a dodgers fan.

  73. By Marker on Apr 15, 2010

    I was at the game, they were booing Willingham. Phillies fans are tame compared to fans of the rest of the sports in Philly, unless its the playoffs. This is a stupid article, the writer perceived the atmosphere in the wrong light. Hamels may be a head case but not Philly fans were booing him on opening day. Give me a break.

  74. By Marker on Apr 15, 2010

    I was at the game, they were booing Willingham. Phillies fans are tame compared to fans of the rest of the sports in Philly, unless its the playoffs. This is a stupid article, the writer perceived the atmosphere in the wrong light. Hamels may be a head case but no Philly fans were booing him on opening day. Give me a break.

  75. By pounded clown on Apr 16, 2010

    “If you boo Hamels, you are actively rooting for the Phillies to fail.”
    oh please , great a room. Also is this an admission that he maybe be a bit of a head case if he can’t handle negative criticism?

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