Not that guy again

When his career is over and he has his lone Cy Young Award and six Cole Hamels Awards in his trophy room (or a cardboard box in the garage), Phillies’ left-hander Cole Hamels could remember the 2007 season as the year he found his footing as a Major Leaguer. But until then Hamels is likely pretty peeved that he blew a two-run lead in the sixth inning of last night’s game against the Florida Marlins.

Worse, Hamels was touched up for a four-run, game-breaking sixth inning against Marlins goofy lefty Scott Olsen, who seems to be despised by opposing ballplayers and sportswriters equally. The players seem to dislike Olsen because he appears to talk an inordinate amount of trash for a rather ordinary player. Writers seem to dislike him because he ruined a few stories with poor pitching during last season’s wild-card chase.

If there is one thing that irks writers more than anything it’s having to rewrite a perfectly good story when deadline is quickly approaching. In that vein, Travis Lee was a killer during the 2001 season. Worse, he was miserable when approached in the clubhouse.

Nevertheless, Hamels could have been adding victory No. 7 to the ledger based on his first five innings of work and the fact that he was facing the combustible Olsen. Certainly seeing that dude on the other side is enough to give the opposition some confidence.

Said Hamels to reporters last night: “I definitely saw that light at the end of the tunnel. I knew I was pitching well enough to pitch another couple innings and get the ball in the hands of Brett. And when Brett has the ball, the game is over. I saw that. I felt it. I know the team definitely saw that, too. Especially when you're playing against a pitcher that's not on everybody's good side. You want to go out there and win as bad as anything, but especially against him.”

If there is a bright side to the loss it’s that Ryan Madson pitched two perfect innings in his return from the disabled list. Madson whiffed two hitters and threw 16 of his 24 pitches for strikes. Certainly adding a healthy Madson back to the bullpen could be a huge lift for the Phillies.

***
It's worth noting that last year's first-round draft pick, Kyle Drabek, is pitching well for Single-A Lakewood. In two of his last three starts, the hard-throwing righty has tossed two-hitters through 7 2/3 innings and 7 innings. And in eight starts, Drabek is 4-1 with a 4.04 ERA and has 43 strikeouts in 49 innings. Opponents are hitting just .227 off him.

Meanwhile, struggling first-round pick Greg Golson has shown marked improvement this season. With five hits in his last 10 at-bats for Single-A Clearwater, Golson is up to .295 and is second in the league with 14 stolen bases.

Ovandy Suero, for the Lakewood Tigers, leads the league with 33 stolen bases in 35 games. Yeah, 33 stolen bases in 35 games… what are other teams thinking when he gets on base?

“Uh, guys. I think he might try to steal. Call it a hunch.”

Keep on dancing

Since the first time I went to a Major League Baseball game in 1976, I’ll guess that I’ve been to over 1,000 games. Add in little league games, legion games, high school and college to go with a bunch of minor league games and it could be another thousand ballgames.

Whatever the actual total is, it’s a lot of games.

Yet of all those games I’ve seen exactly one – ONE – no-hitter. I watched a few on TV, but as far as being in the park to witness a no-hitter that honor goes to Kevin Millwood when he blanked the Giants at the Vet in 2003. I saw Eric Milton get to within three outs of getting one and Vicente Padilla come four outs away. I also saw one-hitters from Jim Gott/Roy Lee Jackson in 1982 and Randy Wolf at the Vet against the Reds in 2001.

I’ve seen more cycles at the Bank (David Bell and Brad Wilkerson) than no-hitters, ever.

Nevertheless, I thought I was going to witness one last night, though in the end it really didn’t get that close.

Cole Hamels, of course, carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and came within nine outs of finishing the no-hitter. That’s close, but still an inning away from it really getting interesting. Regardless, in facing one of the better hitting teams in the Majors (the Brewers lead all of MLB with 51 homers) Hamels seemed like he was the Harlem Globetrotters with the bucket of confetti and the ball on the string against the Washington Generals.

Quite simply, Hamels can pitch the way most people breathe, eat or go into out-of-control credit debt.

But what’s most interesting about this fact is that Hamels knows he is very, very good and doesn’t mind saying so. Better yet, he does this without arrogance or coming off as too overbearingly cocky. Instead, he’s just refreshingly confident and candid. In the clubhouse after the game last night, Hamels was asked if he thought he was going to get the no-hitter and if he believes he will get one in sometime soon in the future and he didn’t even hesitate with the answer.

“Oh course,” he said. “I try to think that every night… ”

Or:

“Of course. Every year I go out there and try to get at least one.”

It doesn’t sound outlandish that Hamels will someday toss a no-hitter, but then again people used to say it was just a matter of time before Steve Carlton threw one, too. When his career had ended, Carlton had six one-hitters to his credit and zero no-hitters.

***
Last night Brett Myers pitched in the third game in a row and his fifth of the last seven despite the Phillies holding a comfortable four-run lead and a bullpen full of relievers waiting to get a little work in. Manager Charlie Manuel has always maintained that he views four-run leads as save situations in cozy Citizens Bank Park, but even so using Myers in such a situation was a little curious.

Sure, Myers is stretched out and pitched around 200 innings for the last few seasons, but there has to be a delicate balance for how much a reliever can pitch…

Right?

Nevertheless, when asked if he would be ready to go today if he got another call in the ninth, Myers was succinct.

“Yep,” he said.

Meanwhile, much has been made about Myers’ choice of entrance music that is played over the PA as he makes the jog from the bullpen to the mound for the ninth inning; though it wasn’t queued up for last night’s outing because no one thought he’d get into the game.

Anyway, Myers wants “Children of the Grave,” the White Zombie version of the Black Sabbath song, to be played as he comes into the game. Apparently, in some sort of faux machismo, Myers believes Rob Zombie and the gang get the crowd “pumped up.”

“Doesn't it have that aura about it?” Myers asked.

Uh, no. No it doesn’t.

If you're going with Sabbath, it has to be "War Pigs."

However, here’s an idea – instead of some pretend phony toughness delivered through the majesty of song, maybe it would be more of a mind scramble if Myers entered the game to Lesley Gore's "Sunshine and Lollipops?"

Better yet, I have always believed that if a player was going to take the time to select a song in which to choreograph his appearance in a baseball game, that player should also perform an interpretive dance or performance art piece using the song on their way to the batters’ box or mound.

Hey, it’s a game, right? Let’s have some fun.

Here we are now, entertain us.

More: Lesley Gore – Sunshine and Lollipops

Re: Add to Cole Hamels facts

You cannot jinx Cole Hamels. Cole Hamels jinxes you.

Just some baseball stuff

According to some reports, Cole Hamels had 160 strikeouts in his first 25 starts (in 145 1/3 innings or 9.91 per nine innings), which is the second most by a left-hander over that span behind Fernando Valenzuela. Of course this doesn’t include his 15-strikeout performance against the Reds last week, or the six strikeouts he had last night in grinding out the win over the Braves.

Speaking of which, the win over the Braves was interesting for a couple of reasons, but mostly because of the way Hamels bounced back after the first and second innings. In those opening frames Hamels gave up seven hits to the first 11 hitters and, more importantly, three runs in the first inning. From watching on my TV (a set that is both falling apart, but artfully decorated with the post-modern crayon musings by a three-year old boy) and based on conversations from folks in the know, it was clear that Hamels had become a bit unhinged after giving up a home run to Chipper Jones in the three-run first.

Hamels also was a little beside himself during last Thursday’s loss to the Washington Nationals at the Bank when he struggled through 5 1/3 innings for his first loss of the season. Yet according to reports, Hamels was put back on track thanks to a visit to the mound by pitching coach Rich Dubee, who asked the lefty if he was on anything.

Yeah?

“He asked me if I was on anything,” Hamels told the writers. “I wasn't, I just get that way sometimes with my adrenaline.”

As far as the strikeouts go, Hamels only got his first one in the fourth inning in the win over the Braves. He finished with six to give him 43 in his six starts (40 2/3 innings). Only the Padres’ Jake Peavy has more.

***
Also at the top of the strikeout-leaders list is Dodgers’ lefty Randy Wolf, who has 36 strikeouts in six starts and 35 2/3 innings. At 3-3 and riding a two-game losing streak, Wolf has worked into the sixth inning of all his starts, which puts him on pace for 210 innings this season. Wolf needs to pitch 180 innings to have a $9 million option for 2008 kick in.

Speaking of former Phillies, the Dodgers are considering using Mike Lieberthal at third base because of some injuries, poor play and few other options. Lieberthal, of course, has caught more games than any other Phillie in franchise history and hasn’t done anything on the diamond other than squat behind the plate since his junior year of high school.

Whether or not it comes to Lieberthal getting a new glove and standing upright on the field remains to be seen. At this point it seems that the ex-longest tenured Philadelphia athlete is struggling to get used to his new role as a backup catcher. Listen to Lieby tell the Los Angeles Times about the adjustment.

“I miss playing,” Lieberthal said. “That's the best part of the day.”

***
Brett Myers threw nine of his 11 pitches for strikes in his two-thirds of an inning last night.

In his eight relief outings covering 8 1/3 innings, Myers has thrown 154 pitches, compared to 283 pitches in three games and 15 1/3 innings as a starter. I don’t know what any of this means, though manager Charlie Manuel and Dubee believe that Myers is still easing into his new role.

“He's using up a lot of adrenaline right now because it's so new to him,” Dubee told Courier-Post raconteur, Mike Radano.

For some reason it still makes sense to me to have Myers go for a four, five or six-out save on occasion even though Manuel seems to be locked in to using his players in well-defined roles. Until it’s proven to me that Myers can’t be like old-school closers like Bruce Sutter and pitch more than one inning, I’m always going to think it should be an option from time to time.

***
Phil Sheridan of the Inquirer columnized about the death of Josh Hancock and Tony La Russa’s “agenda.” According to reports it appears that Hancock might have been impaired while driving at the time of his accident. Meanwhile, La Russa was arrested for DUI during spring training and still awaits misdemeanor charges.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, La Russa “has declined questions about his arrest since making a brief statement to media hours after being released.” Asked about whether his manager should be more aggressive when dealing with such issues since his DUI arrest, Cardinals’ GM Walt Jocketty told the paper, no.

“Personally, I don't think so. I see how he deals with things. I think he would tell a player, ‘Look, it could happen to anybody. It happened to me. You've got to be careful how you conduct yourself.’”

Either way, it seems to that this would be a good chance for Major League Baseball to do something bold or Tony La Russa to take a stand… or both.

Hall of fame

Today’s London Marathon featured another stellar field that was arguably the deepest race outside of the Olympics. According to press notes, the London Marathon was televised in 160 countries to well over a million viewers, none of which were in the United States.

To watch the race live in the U.S. fans had to get up at 4 a.m. and get on the Internets to check it out. Or, watch the tape delay here where *SPOILER ALERT* Kenyan Martin Lel outlasted American Khalid Khannouchi, world-record holder Paul Tergat, all-time great Haile Gebrselassie, Olympic gold medalist Stefano Baldini, two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib, and NYC champs Hendrick Ramaala and Marilson Gomes dos Santos. Lel won in 2:07:41 over Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco in his marathon debut in 2:07:44, and last year's champion, Felix Limo of Kenya, was third in 2:07:47. Lel lost to Limo in a sprint finish last year.

Afterwards, Lel said the marathon was one of the most tactical he had ever raced.

But for fans of American marathoning, the 2007 London Marathon could be a watershed moment. Why? Two words:

Ryan Hall.

Hall, just 24, ran the fastest debut marathon for an American ever by clocking a 2:08:24 for seventh place. He was 18 seconds behind Tergat and 30 seconds behind two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib.

It was the fastest marathon ever run by a someone born in the United States.

Most impressively, Hall (a 2006 Stanford grad who trains in Big Bear, Calif. with Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi as well as former local elite runner Terrance Mahon) not only ran in the lead pack until the final mile and a half of the race, but he also actually took the lead at the 35-kilometer mark. To do that against those runners takes more than guts – that takes brass ones. Big and brassy.

“I dreamed about being with those guys for 23 miles and I did that today and I took my swing,” Hall said after the race. “Hopefully I’ll be a bit stronger next time and run a bit smarter.”

In the end, though, the more experienced runners surged away from Hall though he said he thought he had a chance to catch up until he started tightening up. Nevertheless, for Hall, who smashed the American half-marathon record (59:43) in Houston last January, the next big race is on Nov. 3 at the Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City. If he finishes in the top three in that race, it’s off to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

For Hall, who threw down with the all-time greats in the sport, that seems like a foregone conclusion.

“With the Olympics coming up so quick, I really want to take a swing at a medal,” Hall said today. “If I’m going to do that, my best shot is going to be in the marathon.”

***
Speaking of young kids mixing it up with the elites of their field, check out Cole Hamels. Like Hall mixing it up with Tergat, Gebrselassie, Khannouchi, et al, Hamels may have set the fickle pendulum of momentum swinging back the Phillies’ way after a 15-strikeout, complete game on Friday night in Cincinnati.

Hamels’ latest outing was certainly a work of art, but at the same time it made me look smart, too. When asked about Hamels by friends and followers of the sport my opinion is always the same.

“The kid is a killer. On the mound he’s nasty and smart. Of the field he’s smarter and has it all together. He trains smart and is definitely ahead of everyone else.

“We could be looking at a second Steve Carlton here, only without a case of the crazies.”

That’s right. Hamels is that good. I bet he could run with Ryan Hall, too. Of course he’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 175-pounds – to be a good runner at that size he’d have to lose a good 20 pounds.

In the need of relief

After looking at the names above the lockers in the Phillies’ clubhouse on Friday night it’s obvious that the team really needs another reliever or two. Because of the roster moves made on Friday where Jon Lieber and Freddy Garcia were placed on the disabled list retroactive to March 23, it seems very likely that Zach Segovia, the second-round draft pick from 2002 who missed all of 2004 recovering from Tommy John surgery, will make the Opening Day roster despite never having pitched above Double-A.

Of course there are a lot of successful big league pitchers who never pitched in Triple-A and Segovia could be one of them based on his solid numbers in 2006. But is Segovia a pitcher on a playoff-bound team in 2007? Maybe he is though it seems evident that the Phillies’ brass would rather have a complimentary arm or two.

As Ruben Amaro Jr. said while standing in the middle of a veritable rugby-esque scrum of baseball scribes, “The fact we're going to have Opening Day on Monday for us doesn't mean we're going to stop working. We're going to continue to try and improve our club. We feel comfortable with what we have right now and actually, the bullpen has thrown very well lately. They get a chance to hold down their jobs.”

Meanwhile, here’s what the authors of the Baseball Prospectus 2007 yearbook say about the Blue Jays’ Francisco Rosario, the reliever reported to be the subject of trade talks:

Once considered a high-upside guy, Francisco Rosario has had his share of arm troubles and has gotten older without the upside coming around, but he could be salvaged as a decent arm out of the bullpen if he maintains the uptick in control he experienced with Syracuse last year.

More observations and notes
Cole Hamels gave up four home runs to the Red Sox on Friday night, but he didn’t look all that bad. The telling at-bat was when the lefty had Manny Ramirez in a 0-2 hole, seemingly had him struck out on a 1-2 curve before giving up a 3-2 homer that sailed over the right-field fence like a waffle ball gently clearing a hedge in a suburban yard.

Afterwards, Hamels said he was just working on some stuff.

“I'm just throwing pitches on counts that I normally wouldn't,” Hamels said, noting that he threw 20-plus pitches in each of the first two innings. “I think along the lines of throwing fastballs in fastball hitters’ counts, which is just something that will help me in the long run.”

***
This is the fourth season for Citizens Bank Park, which is one year more than the amount of time I spent covering games at the Vet… how did that happen? Regarding the Bank, I’ve received a number of e-mails from readers suggesting I post reviews of the cheese steaks and other concessions at the park. I assume these suggestions are serious so I’ll just start by noting that I’m one of those annoying vegetarians that leans toward the organic side of dining. That said, I was informed that Rick's Steaks, the cheese steakery located on Ashburn Alley now serves something they call a “veggie” cheese steak, which I assume is not a steak at all. Besides, all vegetarians want to eat food that almost tastes like dead animal carcasses. I assume my sarcasm font works…

Nevertheless, I will walk out to Rick’s and give it a try at some point and tell everyone all about it.

***
I just heard Gary Matthews work with Harry and Wheels for the first time...

***
If more evidence of the Philadelphia print media was needed, it seemed to be proven this week in its relative neglect of Ted Leo’s arrival in town to kick off his much-heralded tour of the U.S. and Europe. I say much-heralded based on the almost ridiculous amount of coverage for a performer of Leo’s ilk and political stance. Outlets like NPR produced long interviews and even presented a web cast of his show in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, while the The New York Times, Washington Post, New York Observer, and The Onion AV Club (just to name a few) have offered glowing a full reports on the new album and tour.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia – hometown of sumptuously tufted drummer Chris Wilson – there are crickets. Actually, that’s not true or even fair. There were six or seven paragraphs in two of the town’s papers, which includes all the local shoppers and “alternative” weeklies.

Anyway, here’s the MP3 of the NPR show at the 9:30 Club in D.C. Sounded like it was a good time.

More: NPR Interview
More: A.V. Club

Deep thoughts...

Here’s an idea that will probably make a few people hold their heads as if they have a really bad migraine – you know, the kind where it pounds at the temples and feels as if someone or thing is shooting a low frequency wave through the skull that emits a shrill buzz in the inner ear – and question my sanity for such “unconventional” thinking.

I’m throwing it out there any way…

Maybe the Phillies should keep all of their starting pitchers. Yeah, that’s right, all Six. Before anyone goes crazy, here’s what I’d do – Cole Hamels, Freddy Garcia and Brett Myers would pitch every five days just like they customarily would in the square-boxed thinking that guides such things. Meanwhile, I’d try to figure out how to work it so that Jamie Moyer, Adam Eaton and Jon Lieber started at least one game a week and if there were too long of a lull between outings, I’m sure there would be some relief work available, too.

What?

Exactly. My guess is that Moyer, Eaton and Lieber would be perfect compliments to the top three starters and would be much more effective if they were used like a dash of seasoning instead of as a main course. Better yet, if the trio made one start per week over a 26-week season then they would be that much fresher when the stretch run approached. Besides, it seems to me that good baseball teams treat the season like a chess match or a golf game where the importance of a move or shot is to put one in position to have an even better move or shot the next time.

Hey, I’m not kidding myself by believing that any manager or team would go for something like this, but what the hell? It certainly isn't convention thinking, but ideas have to come from somewhere. Right?

***
Meanwhile, it looks as if Tom Gordon’s achy shoulder is aching again.

Last season, as everyone remembers, Gordon broke down a bit and went on the disabled list in August despite a first half in which he earned a trip to the All-Star Game. At 39, the Phillies are concerned about over working their starter as evidenced by the fact that he’s appeared in just two Grapefruit League games and by the fact that they sent him back to Philadelphia for a checkup with team doctor Michael Ciccotti.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions (how could they?), the team says the trip is simply for a routine checkup and it’s something that occurred last year at this time, too. But before anyone can say Mike Jackson, perhaps the Phillies ought to get another arm for the ‘pen to go along with Ryan Madson and Antonio Alfonseca.

Until that happens, be sure that Charlie Manuel sticks to his guns and allows Gordon just one inning per outing no back-to-back work early in the season.

Talkin' baseball

Jimmy Rollins says the Phillies are the beasts of the NL East.

Cole Hamels chatting with reporters this afternoon.

Charlie Manuel talks baseball with a few writers.

Charlie wants Ryan Howard to just say no to too many interviews.

Injuries looming for Hamels?

Certainly I have written a fair amount about Cole Hamels and his durability, how he was able to stay healthy during his first full season of professional baseball (going wire to wire, that is), and how he plans on remaining healthy during his big league career.

There is no doubt that Hamels has a smart approach in preventing his chronic injuries from resurfacing. But according to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, it might not do much good for Hamels. You see, Verducci has come up with something he calls “The Year After Effect” where he identifies young pitchers headed for arm trouble and/or stagnant performance. The flashpoint, according to Verducci, is an increase of more than 30 innings from one year to the next and he correctly targeted the Twins’ Francisco Liriano as the casualty for 2006.

Based on an increase of more than 80 innings, Hamels is looking at some trouble in 2007.

Verducci's Year-After-Effect Candidates for 2007

Cole Hamels Phillies 23 181.1 +80.1* Justin Verlander Tigers 23 207.2 +70.2 Anibal Sanchez Marlins 22 200 +64 Jered Weaver Angels 24 200 +56 Sean Marshall Cubs 24 147.1 +53.1 Scott Olsen Marlins 22 187 +50.2* Jeremy Bonderman Tigers 24 234.1 +45.1 Adam Loewen Orioles 22 183.1 +41.1 Anthony Reyes Cardinals 25 187 +39.1 Scott Mathieson Phillies 22 164.1 +33* Boof Bonser Twins 25 192.2 +31.1* *-players exceeding their previous professional high

I’ve been trying to mine the depths of my memory and for the life of me I can’t think of a Major League pitcher who has gone through a career without getting injured. Of course I’m drawing just on the past six years, but if one is into masochism and wants to spend time in examination rooms there are two choices. The first one is to become a pitcher. The second is to get a motorcycle.

Those are two surefire ways to get some type of injury.

In the meantime Hamels will continue to remain diligent in his training regime. Will that make a difference in keeping the young lefty healthy? Definitely. But that doesn’t mean he won’t get injured. Health and a long career seem to be mutually exclusive for big-league pitchers.

Nevertheless, one veteran pitcher once told me “sometimes injuries just happen.” I respectfully disagreed. Injuries happen when one becomes a pitcher. It doesn’t appear as if anyone is immune.

ART of the deal

Cole Hamels was an injury waiting to happen, I wrote repeatedly during the first half of the 2006 baseball season. In a blog and in regular-styled writing, a stint on the disabled list was inevitable, I mused.

Why not? Throughout his professional baseball career, the delicate left-hander never completed a full season. Injuries to his back, arm and hand always seemed to be lurking despite the once-in-a-lifetime talent the 22-year old had.

But after 23 starts following his call-up from the minors, Hamels never got hurt. His first full and complete professional season came as a Major Leaguer. His chronic back trouble, as well as his arm, elbow, hand and everything else held up under the rigors of a tough season in which the Phillies were in the playoff chase until the bitter end. Oh sure, he did a two-week stint on the disabled list and missed two starts, but that was strictly a precaution. In retrospect, Hamels said, he didn’t need to go on the disabled list.

So in September, after Hamels turned in another winning late-season outing, I asked the kid what the deal was. How was he able to keep himself healthy and from breaking down after struggling with injuries since high school? After all, it was the history of injuries that kept Hamels from being selected with one of the top handful of picks in the 2002 draft instead of falling to 17th. Finally, after all this time Hamels was recovering well enough to be dependable.

What was the deal?

Part of it was an improved diet rich with organic fruits and vegetables, no alcohol, regular massages as well as regular chiropractic adjustments. But the coup de grace was the active release technique (ART) treatments that Hamels said he received twice a week.

Suddenly a light bulb went off. Active release, huh?

I had recently been informed about ART a few weeks prior from a chiropractor who referred me to the web site, which defines ART as, “a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.”

Plus, if it worked for someone as “delicate” as Hamels, why couldn’t it work for someone like me… you know, because I’m so tough.

In a nutshell, the theory is that the layers of muscles form adhesions that can produce scar tissue to an affect area. According to the official ART web site, as scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain.

To free up the muscles and tendons (my word) and alleviate the adhesions, a series of soft-tissue massage and stretching movements are preformed by the chiropractor.

When I developed something others referred to as “runner’s knee,” and regular massage and chiropractic adjustments didn’t lessen the pain, I figured it was time for ART after talking to Hamels.

It’s a good thing, too, because a few months later – after a weekly session with my chiropractors who also work on a bunch of well-known NFL and NHL players – I have not missed a day of running. In fact, my training is much more consistent, my recovery is better than ever and my knee hasn’t hurt ever again.

Better yet, my chronic calf and hamstring soreness is much more manageable. After a week of hard running I typically show up at my sessions with my achy calves and hammys and am as good as new within 20 minutes.

It’s pretty amazing.

No, my consistency and health is not all because of ART. I eat better and pay much more attention to my recovery than in the past, but my flexibility is better and I haven’t had to worry about injuries.

That’s pretty important.

After Friday afternoon’s ART session, I didn’t feel any discomfort in my hamstrings when I sat down. The muscle spasms in my calves were gone, too. Because of this refreshed feeling, I decided Saturday afternoon would be the perfect time for a hill workout. Speed would have been preferable, as in a race or something like that, but high winds and steady made such a plan a battle on Saturday morning. The point of the training is to get strong and fast, and not to beat myself up in the rain and wind.

So I headed for the hills on Saturday, doing climbs and descents on every substantial hill I could find for the first 61 minutes of the run. And no doubt there were plenty of hills on my regular routes through the neighborhood and its outskirts – I suppose that’s the luxury of living in an area called School Lane Hills.

Nevertheless, I ran extra repeats up and down the hills I run regularly and then ran three circuits on North School Lane between Wheatland and Marietta avenues. After the 61 minutes I was legitimately whipped – so beat that I felt a little weak in the knees when I stopped for a quick drink about 12 miles into the outing.

Because of that I took it easy on the back portion of the run, skipping my regular hills in attempt to keep some semblance of pace on the gently rolling roads back to my house.

But that’s also where it got tricky, too. Figuring I was just a few meters short of running 18 miles, I took the wrong way around on the back loop to home. That’s when I looked at my watch and realized that I was either running very, very slow or the loop was longer than I thought.

It was longer.

Final stats: 19 miles in 2:11:59

Despite the tiredness from the hills, I ran miles 12 to 15 in 19:40 as well as one of those miles in 6:27. That’s not blazing, but quick enough for the workout I was doing.

Maybe it’s the ART? Better yet, it was probably the tailwind that pushed me across the Harrisburg Pike stretch near F&M.

Running nugget
Paul Tergat still wants to run fast. At least that’s what a story in The New York Times indicates.

Yet another Hamels update

Chances are Cole Hamels next start will not be in the minor leagues, but instead for the Phillies. The big question, of course, is when. Hamels, the Phillies' rookie phenom starter, completed a rehab assignment for Single-A Lakewood on Thursday night where he worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks, while striking out three. The lefty threw just 55 pitches.

With general manager Pat Gillick and his assistant Ruben Amaro Jr. watching from the stands, Hamels worked pain free and could pitch for the Phillies five days from now against Arizona.

If that happens it would be likely that Gavin Floyd will be removed from the rotation. Floyd allowed three homers and seven runs with seven hits and four walks in a rather auspicious outing against the Dodgers on Thursday night. Thanks to those numbers, Floyd's league-worst ERA jumped to a rather eye-popping 7.29 over his 11 starts.

Other options include shifting Ryan Madson back to the bullpen, adding Ryan Franklin to the rotation or standing pat with Eude Brito in there.

The liklihood of any of these actually occuring are about the same as Charlie Manuel setting himself on fire and circling the bases naked. Well... maybe not that far-fetched, but you get the idea. Chances are that when Hamels returns, Floyd will go.

Nevertheless, the question still remains when will Hamels return? The answer to that is a rather cryptic, soon.

-- John R. Finger

I hate to say I told you so, but...

Yeah, yeah no one likes a smart guy -- especially one who rubs it in and gloats. Then again, there really isn't much need to gloat when my solid premise about Cole Hamels and his durabilty is just a few posts down. There was no way he could go an entire season without breaking down, it says. And...

There's no reason why he should have started the seventh inning in his last start when it took him 90 pitches to get through six.

But of course hindsight is always 20-20 and there is no pleasure taken out of another man's pain. That's especially the case when the guy in question is so much fun to watch.

Nevertheless, Cole Hamels, the Phillies' super phenom, is sitting inNew York and watching the ballgame on the newest Comcast SportsNet (shameless plug) after he felt a pop and some soreness in his left shoulder while throwing before Tuesday night's game at Shea. In fact, Hamels was probably watching last night's game on Comcast SportsNet since he went back to Philly during the game, but we'll touch on that in a moment. Let's deal with Hamels first.

To say that Hamels in injury prone or delicate would be like saying Michael Jordan was a pretty good basketball player. Yes, it's correct, but there's a lot more to it than that. The Phillies, or whomever Hamels ends up pitching for through his days in the Major Leagues, will have to just accept routine stints on the disabled list like the one Hamels is going through now.

The good news is that this injury doesn't sound too serious -- at least based on the following paragraphs from the Phillies' official statement. To wit:

The diagnosis [strained left shoulder] came following an examination by Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti and an MRI at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

According to Dr. Ciccotti, the MRI revealed no structural damage to his shoulder. Hamels will be treated medically and through an exercise program.

The other piece of good news is already known -- Hamels is tough. Oh sure, he looks like a movie star, and probably needs a Roger Clemens-esque workout regime (who doesn't?), but this kid has... how can we say this without being vulgar... cojones. Big ones. He is the opposite of his pal Gavin Floyd in that he pitches and plays without self-doubt or fear. In a sense, Hamels is a lot like the pitching version of Chase Utley or Aaron Rowand.

But, that's the thing... those little aches and pains and the everyday rigors of professional baseball seem to take a much harsher toll on Hamels' body.

Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you... The local scribes sitting in the old, cramped and uncomfortable press box at good ol' Shea showed up at the park at 3:30 p.m. yesterday. No surprise there, because that's what time writers always show up at the ballpark. The thing about that was that the game didn't end until after 12:30 a.m. and they were not told about Hamels' injury until after the game.

Hamels, as everyone knows now, was injured before the game.

So in the two hours from batting practice until game time and then the five-hours, 22-minutes it took to actually play last night's game, the Phillies did not think to inform the local press (and in turn, the fans) that Hamels had left the park to return to Philadelphia, and would not be pitching on Wednesday for close to 10 hours.

Seriously.

Yeah, I know. The fans aren't interested in the plight of the press. Though as an aside, it always interested me before I got into the business. Actually, I always found the entire soap opera interesting and looked at the writers as just as much a part of the show as the players, but that's me. But the problem seems to be with accountability. The writers are the pipeline to the fans. That's not something to take delicately by any group.

Now I didn't make the trip to Shea this week, which is a story to come later. Besides, there are two more trips to the most difficult ballpark to get to, as well as a full slate of trips during the month of June. Nevertheless, I'm usually just an IM or call away from constant comminique with the folks in the press box, so I'm pretty plugged in.

When I heard that the Phillies didn't reveal the injury until after the game, I figured the team was trying to conceal something from the Mets. Why let them know that the Kid isn't going to pitch. But then Mike Radano set me straight -- as he often does -- and told me my thinking was a bunch of hooey.

"Did they think maybe no one would notice Jon Lieber on the mound tomorrow?" Radano said and wrote in his blog.

Here's the thing -- general manager Pat Gillick has a good relationship with the writers, and everyone really seems to like him. Actually, he really is an impressive professional and I suppose he was just trying to protect his player.

It just turned a really long night into an even longer one.

Insert whiner/crybaby noise here.

News stuff After firing seven innings starting in the ninth inning last night, Ryan Madson will take the ball on Sunday against Milwaukee. Gavin Floyd will start on Saturday. ***

I'm not basing this on anything, but I bet the Mets' trade for Orlando Hernandez (for Jorge Julio) from Arizona will trigger a few more deals in the NL East.

Finally Is this turning into the Cole Hamels blog? Geez, isn't there anything else to write about?

Hamels placed on D.L.

more to come later, but here is the press release from the Phillies: Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels has a strained left shoulder and has been placed on the 15-day disabled listed, retroactive to May 19, when he last pitched. He is eligible for reinstatement on June 3.

The diagnosis came following an examination by Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti and an MRI at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

According to Dr. Ciccotti, the MRI revealed no structural damage to his shoulder. Hamels will be treated medically and through an exercise program.

Hamels was scratched from tonight’s start in New York after experiencing “a couple of pops” in his left shoulder while playing long toss in the outfield at Shea Stadium before Tuesday’s game against the Mets.

Condrey purchased

To fill Hamels’ spot on the 25-man roster, the Phillies have recalled right-hander Clay Condrey from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). Condrey, 30, appeared in 3 games for the Phillies earlier this season. He allowed one earned run in 2.0 innings.

With Scranton, Condrey was 2-0 with one save a 1.09 ERA in 15 relief appearances. He leaves Scranton in the midst of a 20.0-inning scoreless streak (12 games).

Observations for early Friday morning

Maybe this is just me -- and I really dislike second-guessing, but then again, that's what we do -- but I probably would have turned to the bullpen to start the seventh inning in yesterday's game vs. the Brewers. Here's why: Cole Hamels was at 90 pitches after running a bunch of deep counts through the first six innings with a 4-1 lead. His strike to ball ratio, to be frank, was bad. Even more troubling was that Hamels' efficiency was so bad despite the fact that he had been the polar opposite during his quick run through the minors.

At the same time, after 35 minor league starts, Hamels reached the 100-pitch plateau just a handful of times. Sure, earlier this month he tossed 114 in a complete game shutout, but he was throwing strikes back then. Certainly at 90 pitches, the often delicate Hamels had put the Phillies just where they wanted to be where they could go Ryan Madson in the seventh, Arthur Rhodes in the eighth and Tom Gordon in the ninth.

That's how it was set up, right?

Of course there are reasons to allow Hamels to start the seventh, too. For one, he had been pitching well, probably felt good and 100 pitches isn't really that much. Why baby the kid -- he's in the big leagues now.

Besides, Madson, the demoted starter and now setup-to-the-setup man reliever, has looked lost on the mound in his last few outings. To use the old baseball writer cliché, Madson is a fireman whose best weapon is gasoline.

Precious, precious gasoline.

Anyway, perhaps we'll delve more into Madson's troubles tonight, because it's interesting since he is a pitcher who is pretty sharp and definitely gets it. But maybe he would have pitched better yesterday if he had started the inning instead of coming in with runners on base.

As an aside, Cole Hamels is really good.

Here come the Red Sox This weekend is shaping up to be a pretty exciting one for baseball fans in Philadelphia. The Red Sox, one of the big-money, trendy glamor teams, have a tendency to put fannies in the seats. But more importantly, the series gives the Phillies a great opportunity to show which team they are.

You know, who they are with four months remaining in the season.

But after playing in a bunch of one-run and two-run games during the 3-3 road trip, in which the bullpen wasn't so great, clutch hits came in bunches in the late innings, Ryan Howard went to the hospital with food poisoning but still bashed a pair of homers to win a game, and Hamels made his much-anticipated debut, it should be interesting to see how this weekend shapes up.

Then they go to New York for three games against the Mets.

Thank you, sir, can I have another? If you're like me, you drive a lot. Not because you want to, but because the office -- via the Turnpike and Expressway -- is roughly 85 miles away from home. That means money spend on gas can add up, so I refer to this site as much as possible, though some of the better (read: cheaper) gas stations are a bit out of the way.

Meanwhile, is it me or are hotel rates and airline fares up significantly this summer?

What's going on? Well, actually, it's not hard to figure out... I just don't want to say it out loud.

Those who can't do... For the life of me, I never have been very good at fantasy baseball. I can't figure it out, either. I regularly talk to scouts and managers -- both general and field -- and think I have some pretty good insight on which players are regarded as "good" and which ones are not. Based on my insider info, I have put together a team over the past three years that looks good, at least according to traditional baseball folks, but I'm always in the second division of the league.

What's going on?

My guess is that I don't have enough statboy in me. I regard player who can actually play the game with more credence than the ones who simply post numbers. That's might be the way to build a winning baseball team, but not a make-believe one.

Just look at my roster: P Akinori Otsuka, Tex P Brad Lidge, Hou P Francisco Rodriguez, Ana P Jason Isringhausen, StL P Trevor Hoffman, SD P Tom Gordon, Phi P Vicente Padilla, Tex P Keith Foulke, Bos P Bobby Jenks, ChW P Noah Lowry, SF P Roy Oswalt, Hou P Cole Hamels, Phi

BATTERS C Ivan Rodriguez, Det 1B Nick Johnson, Was 2B Jeff Kent, LA 3B Chipper Jones, Atl SS David Eckstein, StL OF Bobby Abreu, Phi OF OF Torii Hunter, Min OF Jermaine Dye, ChW OF Jose Guillen, Was OF Preston Wilson, Hou 2B/SS Craig Biggio, Hou 1B/3B Brandon Inge, Det Util Wily Mo Pena, Bos DL Jason Repko, LA

If anyone has any suggestions on how to get this club out of the cellar, send them in. I think my team might be getting old -- too many veterans, right?

Two days in Cincinnati

How about this: the Reds are 3-for-44 (.068) against the Phillies' starters in the first two games of the series. Better yet, in taking a perfect game through 6 2/3 innings and handling a pretty tough lineup like the Reds for nearly nine innings , it appears as if Jon Lieber has solved the problems that plagued him through the first month of the season. Then again, Lieber said he was throwing the ball well even though the Phillies lost his first five starts.

Check out what he said after the loss in Denver on April 16: “You look at my stats and you'd think I'd been giving it up. I'm throwing the ball fine. There are no mechanical issues. I had a rough opening day, but I haven't been hit hard the last two starts.”

Or this one following the loss to the Marlins at the Bank on April 21: “Right now, I suck. Bottom line. I'm not getting the job done and it’s no one else’s fault by mine. I'm going to leave it at that. I'm going to keep trying and I put all these losses on me.”

And this after the April 27 loss to the Rockies in Philly: “I always felt like if you got to the seventh inning, you did your job. I just have to build off that.

“I can only get better.”

After posting this line (8 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 110 pitches -- 83 strikes) vs. the Reds, there is nowhere to go but down. But that's OK.

*** After walking just one hitter in 23 innings and three starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, I thought this was an interesting quote from Cole Hamels following his debut in Cincinnati:

"The main thing I realized is that the strike zone definitely shrinks in the big leagues. You have to make quality pitches. It was definitely frustrating, because I'm not used to walking guys. I knew that to compete I was going to have to bear down and throw strikes."

This kid gets it. At 22, he's a real pro. He was that way last year at Reading -- he doesn't shrink from the attention.

Live blog of Hamels' debut

First inningAfter stretching and seemingly trying to expel some of his nervous energy in the dugout while his team was batting, Cole Hamels finally made his Major League debut and quickly fell behind his first hitter, Ryan Freel, 2-0. But Hamels came back with a bunch of fastballs to make it 2-2 before throwing his trademarked changeup to get Freel to ground out to shortstop.

He battled with Felipe Lopez for eight pitches after falling behind 1-0 to get his first Major League strikeout, and then whiffed Ken Griffey Jr. on three straight pitches, including a 0-2 changeup that froze Griffey.

Griffey's expression when home-plate umpire Jim Reynolds rung him up looked as if he was saying, "What the hell was that?!"

Strike three, Griff.

0 hits, 16 pitches -- 12 strikes

Second inning The first time I saw Hamels pitch? How about his debut in Reading on July 6, 2005.

Austin Kearns hits the first pitch to Pat Burrell in left for the first out. It seems as if maybe the Reds are looking for the first fastball they can handle to avoid falling behind the Kid...

So of course hard-hitting Adam Dunn walks on four pitches. Hamels walked just one hitter in 23 innings and three starts. Dunn took off on the first pitch when he was sure Hamels wasn't going to pay attention to him at first. Dunn swiped the bag, but catcher Carlos Ruiz showed off the canon he has for a right arm.

Gets Edwin Encarnacion to ground a 2-2 changeup to short for the second out. Dunn moves up to third. Then he walks Brandon Phillips on four pitches -- that's twice as many walks in one inning than in three starts in Triple-A. Clearly the kid must be a bit nervous.

Hamels walks Javier Valentin on a 3-2 changeup, which sends Rich Dubee charging out of the dugout. Ryan Howard joins the party at the mound and says something that maks Hamels smile. That moment of levity must have worked because Hamels whiffed Easy Ramirez on three straight pitches. Then again, Easy's front foot was halfway to the first-base dugout before the pitch was even delivered.

0 hits, 3 walks, 40 pitches -- 22 strikes.

Third inning Hamels looks like he can swing the bat. Has a very athletic swing despite the three-pitch whiff in his first at-bat. He kind of hits like Steve Carlton, though he appears to be more athletic. The same thing goes for his delivery, except for his kick and where he transfers the ball from his glove to his pitching hand.

One pitch and one out in the second as Freel gounds to Utley at second. He then gets Lopez to pop to Bobby Abreu to right on the second pitch of the inning. Expect Griffey to look at a few in his AB...

How about that? Griffey walks on four pitches. Finally, he gets Austin Kearns to pop to short on a 2-1 pitch.

0 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts, 51 pitches -- 26 strikes.

Fourth inning I still remember the day when Easy Ramirez was called up from Single-A Clearwater to joing the Phillies during the 2004 season. That game was the first big-league game he had ever seen and he spent it in the bullpen. At the time I wrote that Ramirez would have been the team's top pitching prospect if not for all the hype surrounding Hamels and Gavin Floyd.

Ramirez was and is a strike-throwing machine. He doesn't walk too many hitters and usually has a low pitch count. Easy is the perfect nickname for him, too, since he is very affable and laidback. He thought it was really funny when I tried to speak Spanish to him.

Here's the story from that day.

Nonetheless, Ryan Howard gives Hamels some runs with a long homer to left-center to make it 2-0.

Dunn smacks a 3-1 pitch just short of the warning track in left field. Perhaps Hamels is settling in the second time through the order?

So how about a five-pitch walk to Encarnacion? There you go. One thing is for sure -- Hamels works fast and when he misses it's usually high with the fastball. Next, he whiffs Phillips on a 2-2 breaking pitch.

Finally, Hamels gets Valentin on a 2-2 change on the sixth pitch. He seems to have settled in.

0 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts, 74 pitches -- 38 strikes.

Fifth inning I wonder what cards were drawn for the press-box no-hitter pool?

Hamels whiffs Ramirez for his third strikeout in a row. He then gets ahead of Freel 0-2 before getting him to ground to Howard at first on a 2-2 pitch.

He misses badly on a few pitches to Lopez before he loops a 3-1 shot into center that Shane Victorino dives for but nabs on a short hop. That's the first hit vs. Hamels.

Griffey quickly falls behind 0-2 before Hamels gets him on a 1-2 change.

1 hit, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts, 92 pitches -- 51 strikes.

Sixth inning This very well could be Hamels' last inning since his pitch count is so high and the fact that he has only six starts above Single-A. He also has never pitched a complete season as a pro, so it might be difficult to depend much on him in late August and September -- I foresee the Phillies having to shut him down the way the Cubs did with Kerry Wood when they were making a run in 1998.

He's not going to get the chance to work in the sixth because Charlie Manuel has decided to try and cash in for some runs with two out and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth. Abraham Nunez is called upon to pinch hit.

But when Nunez whiffs to end the frame, Manuel and the Phillies turn to the bullpen for the rest of the way... and with that, Hamels' debut comes to an end.

Hamels' final line: 5 IP, 1 H, 0, R, 5 BB, 7 K, 92 pitches -- 51 strikes

Hamels pre-game press conference

I feel really good. I think I feel more confident mentally and physically.

I don't think I'll stop my exercises for as long as I play baseball and continue living.

On nine-inning game in SWB: That was a big deal. I didn't even know what my pitch count was.

On Floyd: We've just been contacting each other with AIM text messaging on the phone. we haven't really had any detailed conversations. Now that I'm up here, we'll definitely be able to have some time to talk and get to know each other a lot better.

Take it like I do every day. Going out there, try not to make it feel like there's a difference. I know there will be a lot more fans in the stands, a little bit better competition. But I prepare every day to go out compete at my level.

I think it's all the hard work I've done just starting to pay off

My realistic goal was eight weeks, so I accomplished something.

I plan on staying. That's my main goal. I want to be here as long as I can.

Reason for success: Just more focus. I know that there's a lot of fun in everything out there. You can get yourself in some trouble. But you have to really set aside the other aspects of life to accomplish your goals.

I go out and try to treat every game the same.

All that matters in winning. That's what the fans of Philadelphia like.

The day I got drafted was the same type of experience.

The majority of the people I ever got to watch were right-handed. I did get to watch Tom Glavine. The other people I got to watch were Trevor Hoffman, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux.

On Phils taking a chance on him: It's one of the keys to motivate me, but deep down, it's what I've always wanted to do.

It's always been a dream, and now it's becoming a realistic dream at that.

On how he got notified of his call-up: Coach called me into the office, and I figured, 'OK, the only reason you get called into the office is if you're going to get yelled at or if you get good news and I didn't do anything wrong."

I felt I was executing on everything I possibly could and I needed another challenge out there.

It's a lot different up here with your competition, and things can change in a heartbeat.

The first call was to my girlfriend and the second one was to my parents. I know my mom won't like that.

On hype: I've become more aware of it going to Scranton. In Clearwater, you average about 100 fans, so you don't experience the Hoorah that you get at the elite levels.

I'm definitely flattered by that. I'm the type of person that would definitely like to be under the radar. Being in the situation I am, I don't think that will happen, so I have to learn how to deal with it.

I don't think I'd really like to look at the scouting reports. I'm more focused on just getting out there.

Hamels called up

Uh... never mind. Just as Todd Zolecki reported in this morning's Inquirer, Cole Hamels will be activated for Friday's start against the Reds in Cincinnati. To make room for Hamels in the rotation, Ryan Madson has been bumped back to the bullpen . To make room for Hamels on the roster, the Phillies will have to make a move before Friday's game.

Here's the official Phillies' release:

PHILLIES TO CALL UP HAMELS

Phillies left-handed pitching prospect Cole Hamels will have his contract purchased on Friday and will make his major league debut that night in Cincinnati, Vice President & General Manager Pat Gillick announced today.

To make room for Hamels in the Phillies’ starting rotation, RHP Ryan Madson will return to the bullpen, where he went 15-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 130 appearances from 2003-05. The Phillies will make a roster move prior to Friday’s game to make room for Hamels on the 25-man roster.

Hamels, 22, is 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA this season in seven combined starts between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) and Clearwater (A). He has 65 strikeouts in 43.1 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .168 average (26-for-155).

He began the season with Clearwater and went 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in four starts before being promoted to Scranton. Hamels pitched 7.0 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts in his triple-A debut and followed that up with his first professional 9.0-inning shutout, May 2 at Richmond. In his 23.0 triple-A innings, he struck out 36 batters, posting double-digit strikeouts in each of his three starts.

Hamels was originally selected by the Phillies in the first round of the 2002 draft (17^th overall). In 35 minor league starts, he was 14-4 with a 1.43 ERA (31 ER, 195.1 IP). In his 195.1 innings, he allowed only two home runs and amassed 273 strikeouts, an average of 12.6 strikeouts/9.0 innings. Hamels pitched shutout baseball in 16 of his 35 professional starts and held minor league hitters to a .174 average (114-for-654).

Oh my! Part two

Cole Hamels made his second start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday afternoon in Richmond. For an encore to his 7-inning, 3-hit, 14-strikeout debut in Triple-A, Hamels pitched a complete game shutout in a 5-0 victory. His line? Well, see for yourself: 9 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts. He threw 114 pitches of which 76 were for strikes.

Yeah, that's sick.

So if you're counting, here's Hamels' stats for his two Triple-A starts:

16 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 26 strikeouts and a 2-0 record. He has thrown 212 pitches (142 strikes).

Now here's the big question: when does he make his debut for the Phillies?

Oh my!

A few of us scribes have a bet regarding the Phillies' top prospect Cole Hamels. If Hamels makes it to the big leagues during any part of the month of June, I win. If Hamels makes it here in July, Steve Miller of the Allentown Morning Call is the big winner. Any time after August 1 -- give the pool to the Courier Post's Mike Radano. Of course we all laughed when Ken Mandel from Phillies.com went with May. That's just the way we are with Ken. But after Hamels' Triple-A debut, it looks like Mandel might have the last laugh.

Hamels pitched seven innings in his debut for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He allowed just three hits and he did not walk any one. Pretty good, right. Wait... he struck out 14 hitters. That's 14.

Let's look at it this way:

7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 K

Needless to say, Scranton won the game, 5-0, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to win the bet.

Don't blame Lieby It's popular in some circles to heap some of the blame for a poor pitching performance onto the catcher. After all, goes the reasoning, the catcher calls the pitches (not always) and it's his job to know the hitters' tendencies, how well the pitcher is throwing, and all of the other nuances of a particular moment of a game.

Most of that is true to a degree.

What often is overlooked is that the pitcher throws the pitch. Ultimately, it's the pitcher's decision and not the catcher's.

At least that's what Ryan Madson says.

Still, Phillies' veteran catcher Mike Lieberthal has taken a lot of criticism for what many people say is his inability to call a good game.

"It's not Lieby," Madson said. "I throw the pitch."

Madson says that, yes, it's nice when he and his catcher are in synch. It helps with his rhythm to be ready to throw a pitch and see that the catcher is thinking the same exact thing, Madson says.

But more importantly, Madson says, it's not the pitch calling, relationship or rhythm that's important. It's the pitcher's confidence.

"I'm only going to be as good as I am mentally," Madson said. "It's the uncertainty that kills you."

Not Lieby, he says.