Comment on Cole Hamels is Still a Dick by fltnsplr

It takes more games than Opening Day to define a season, but Hamels got shellacked by the Rockies the other day, no mistake. Meanwhile, people in the Phillies' organization are practically crapping their pants defending their star pitcher's lousy performance. Yes, the curveball is ineffective at an altitude of 5000 feet, no matter who's pitching. Yes, it takes several months for a pitcher's velocity to climb into the 90s (at least in this case, anyway). No, he didn't throw that many innings in spring training. Yes, he's behind schedule because he got an anti-inflammatory shot in March. The question is why, and the reason is obvious: he pitched way too many innings last year, and though you can't fault his 2008 postseason in any way, he might have sacrificed his career for a few moments of glory. It's possible that he will recover this season, but even if that happens it will be too late to help the Phillies repeat their championship effort. And that's not the only problem they'll face along the way. Remember, gentlemen, it's supposed to be a team sport.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('54025','fltnsplr'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('54025','fltnsplr','It takes more games than Opening Day to define a season, but Hamels got shellacked by the Rockies the other day, no mistake. Meanwhile, people in the Phillies\' organization are practically crapping their pants defending their star pitcher\'s lousy performance.\r\n\r\nYes, the curveball is ineffective at an altitude of 5000 feet, no matter who\'s pitching. Yes, it takes several months for a pitcher\'s velocity to climb into the 90s (at least in this case, anyway). No, he didn\'t throw that many innings in spring training. Yes, he\'s behind schedule because he got an anti-inflammatory shot in March.\r\n\r\nThe question is why, and the reason is obvious: he pitched way too many innings last year, and though you can\'t fault his 2008 postseason in any way, he might have sacrificed his career for a few moments of glory. \r\n\r\nIt\'s possible that he will recover this season, but even if that happens it will be too late to help the Phillies repeat their championship effort. And that\'s not the only problem they\'ll face along the way. Remember, gentlemen, it\'s supposed to be a team sport.'); return false;">Quote</a></div>