Cole Hamels Doesn’t Hate the Phillies, Despite What You’ve Heard

Cole Hamels usually goes about hiding his hate well, but at various points on Tuesday, his loathing attitude towards the Philadelphia Phillies was so strong, his hands of hate felt wrapped around our necks.

Yes, it sure seemed for a while there that Cole Hamels hated the Phillies.

Why do I say that? Mainly, because of this tweet…

Yes, you read that right, America. Cole Hamels hates the Phillies. What’s that you say? You say you saw nothing in that tweet that would lead you to believe Hamels has nothing but scorn and rage towards his handlers? Well then, where did these tweets come from, the sky?

I must have missed something, because nowhere in Joel Sherman’s tweet was there even any mention of Hamels officially turning anything down. In fact, as the Philadelphia Daily News’ David Murphy and others are reporting, the talks are still ongoing, with the Phils optimistic that a deal can get done.

Yes that’s right. The Phillies and Hamels are still talking and the Phils have even upped their offer to Cole, although there appears to still be some work to do.

However, even IF Cole Hamels decides to turn down a 6-year, $140 million contract, does that really make him a “greedy-ass bitch?” (That’s the first time I’ve cursed on this website, but I’m just quoting somebody else, so it doesn’t really count, OK Mom?)

Hamels has watched Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee come to town with much larger contracts, and has silently had to sit and wait until the 11th hour for the Phils to finally make a serious offer. It is incredibly rare for an athlete this close to free agency to sign with his current team, especially when he can score an incredibly huge payday and possibly choose his next destination.

While Cole is said to really enjoy the Philadelphia area, no one can blame him for being tempted by big money with a west coast team like the Dodgers. If it were you, wouldn’t you like to score a mega-payday close to where you grew up?

Cole Hamels is probably the biggest reason the Phillies won the World Series in 2008. He’s had only one bad year with the team (2009) and since then has probably been the most consistent starting pitcher on the Phillies (yes, even more consistent than Halladay when you factor in 2012).

His service to the Phillies, even if he makes his very last start for the team in a few days, should be celebrated. There should not be a single boo.

Of course, telling Phils fans not to boo someone is like telling a fat kid not to eat chocolate cake. It’s a fruitless exercise.

However, Hamels hasn’t said no to anything yet. He’s still a Phillie. The trade deadline is always a time of conjecture and overreaction to radio reports and Twitter messages that contain no real attribution. Most of it is crap.

So, until he makes a decision, everybody take a deep breath. And if he decides not to agree to a contract from the Phillies, so be it. It actually may be better for the Phils in the long run.

In fact, there may even be a small part of Ruben Amaro that is hoping Hamels turns down their contract offer. It gives the Phillies the option to trade him and stock up on some much needed younger talent and gives them more payroll flexibility. There will probably be a small part of Amaro that will feel a sense of buyer’s remorse if Hamels does sign, even though a six-year deal for a 28-year-old pitcher is a decent enough risk to take.

Will Cole Hamels be a Phillie on July 31? No one knows yet, not even Cole.

That doesn’t mean he hates you, though.