Thursday, December 11, 2008

Sore Winner

So Mets fans get to enjoy their new bullpen for, what ... less than 48 hours before Cole Hamels decides to urinate in the oatmeal?
In an interview on WFAN today with Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts, Hamels was promoting the Phillies' World Series DVD when he was asked outright, "Do you think the Mets are choke artists?"

"Last year and this year I think we did believe that [they were choke artists]," he said. "Three years ago we didn't because they smoked everybody, and I think we all thought they were going to win it all. Unfortunately that didn't happen. But, yeah, that's kind of what we believed and I think we're always going to believe that until they prove us wrong.

"For the past two years they've been choke artists."
What? Hasn't Cole Hamels heard about our new and improved bullpen? Forget K-Rod and J.J., We've got Rocky Cherry! It's over!

***

Wait, the Yankees ... who just paid $60 million more than the next highest bidder ... want that next highest bidder to help them subsidize Mike Cameron's contract if they trade for him?

The gall on that franchise never ceases to amaze me.

***

Did you get your message from K-Rod?

I did ... and I was immediately frightened. Because doesn't the music in that little vignette sound eerily similar to the 1:13 mark of this clip:

10 comments:

upstate met fan said...

Coles ia a world champion so he can say whatever he wants. But there's a line and he went right over it. Now, all the Mets have to do is post a print out of Hamels comments everytime they play the Phillies. We'll see what happens in 2009. Go Mets!

Anonymous said...

Well shoot... he's only saying what any Met fan has been saying. He's totally right, the past 2 years the Mets have choked.

I can't wait for the 2009 Mets to make him eat his words.

LIRanter said...

God forbid reyes wags his finger, he gets one in his neck.

Hamels talks about the Mets being choke artists and it's all cool.

Anonymous said...

Hamels is absolutely right and Met fans know its true...and have said so themselves. Hamels is a world champion and MVP so he's on top of the mountain. With that said, you have to go out and play next year and he's just provided some big time motivation to the opposition. I'm stunned at how obsessed various Phillies players and front office people are with the Mets...even while they were having such great success. It makes the Yankees-Boston thing look like they play in a different league.

And hey...the Cameron-Cabrera thing is just business. There's no gall or personal issues involved. They outbid on Sabathia because they could and the Brewers made a bad bet on Cameron and they need bailing out (we have nobody better in the outfield sadly). Its good business to play hardball and seek some compensation. I heard they are going to do it tomorrow.

The Mets are spending huge as well. Think about it...forget about $ for Putz...$12.5MM for K-Rod and $10MM on Wagner in 2009 (who won't even play)...$22.5MM for only these two relievers. The Mets are receiving $20MM in taxpayer money from Citigroup for stadium naming rights. I'd say its appalling that our taxpayer money is going to baseball players. Removing them is easier said than done since their name is plastered all over the stadium...but how about giving them the boot and get a reputable sponsor that is not on public assistance.

Anonymous said...

Um, well, not for nothing but the Mets DID choke two seasons in a row. For as much of an asshat as Hamels may be, he really didn't say anything wrong or offensive or even incorrect by any stretch of the imagination. We can baww all we want about it, but until our team wins something again, we're going to have to eat crow no matter how many positive moves Minaya makes.

Anonymous said...

HA that "think big" video is hilarious...

P.S. thanks to reading your blog, I won one of the Shea DVD sets from Subway Squawkers... so thanks Metstra!

Anonymous said...

We've got nothing to say to Hamels or the Phils until the Mets take care of business. It's not even worth getting your back up over it. He's right. File it away and re-address it if and when the Mets decide to man up.

I really hope we acquire an "enforcer" one of these days. Some bench player who's ready to mix it up when needed.

Metstradamus said...

Agreed on Hamels. He can say what he wants. But there's such a thing as being a (hence the title), sore winner. It goes back to Yadier pointing out the obsession that the Phillies have with the Mets. Granted, in this case, Hamels was baited into it a little bit. The media is good at that. But Hamels could have gone another way.

But there's really no good response to it that will shut any of them up until the Mets play a final game at home with the playoffs or the World Series on the line and not lose. You realize that the last two seasons the Mets have ended the season at home, and do so again this season. Quite favorable when you consider there's another team in the market. And the Mets have spit it up at home three seasons in a row when you count Game 7 in '06 when the odds were in the Mets favor (I think the home team was something like 10-1 in LCS game 7's in the previous eleven.)

Oh and Keith, glad I could help in some small way.

Demitri said...

I say we thank Hamels, this clip needs to be played over and over next year.

My fear is that it will do no good, just like all the other big talk, and utter douchetude exhibited by the likes of Myers, Rollins and Shawn Victorini last year. If having an opposing player stand on home plate clapping while facing into your dugout doesn't provide some motivation than nothing will.

It is also rather stunning how obsessed they are about the Mets. I wonder if it pisses them off that we don't hate them as much as they hate us? I ride the train in Philly regularly and many of the bandwagoners are wearing their Phillies attire, but one Yankees fan is sitting a few rows over, and all I can think about is how much I hate the Yankees.

Here's the other thing. If the Phillies only won because the Mets choked, then what does it say about the Phillies? "Yeah, we were glad we were in the right place at the right time in 07 and 08 for when the Mets screwed the pooch, we'd be right there ready to win the division."

Not much of an endorsement of your team huh Cole?

Anonymous said...

If you actually listen to the whole clip, the hosts basically lead him into saying what he said. They both even said the Mets were choke artist.