Hamels Tabbed For Opening Night
Posted by Amanda Orr, Sat, February 14, 2009 03:46 PM | Comments: 35
News, Posts
It isn’t a surprise. However, in the past Charlie Manuel has waited deep into spring training before announcing the Opening Day starter. It’s the first day of spring training, and Manuel already made his decision.
“Yeah, you might as well go ahead and pencil [Cole Hamels] in,” Manuel said. “I don’t think there’s any sense in me playing games. Go ahead, pencil him in.”
Hamels was excited to hear the news, but knows he must be ready.
“So if I’m not feeling right and I need a couple extra days, I will definitely pass it down to anybody. I’m all about benefiting the team. But with him saying that, that’s my goal. That’s what I’m going to strive for — April 5. Be as healthy as I can, be as strong as I can and go out there and win the first game.”
Posts: 0 Griffin
Lowe vs. Hamels, rematch of NLCS game 1.
Posted: 03:52 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Fran
yeah thats gonna be sweet
Posted: 04:33 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
not to be a jerk but the title says “opening night” and the article says opening day…
Posted: 05:25 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Greg V.
Opening night is opening day stupid!
On Hamels, it’s obvious but still good news! I look forward to it!
Posted: 06:03 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
actually they are two different thing, being that the first game is alwyas a day game, Opening day. And then there is the first night game, opening night
Posted: 06:10 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 jim
I believe jim is right. What is it, is he opening day or night starter. We shall wait and see.
Posted: 07:05 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 NEPA
No he’s not. Opening Day is a night game this year so they’re the same exact thing. Hamels will be pitching on April 5th. I think I’m going to this game too, so pumped.
Posted: 07:19 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
nepa is right, as the world champs we get to start the season a day earlier.
also, how come we dont get to go to japan or mexico like the red sox did
Posted: 07:27 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Chapps
This is great news for Cole, but we’ve had some pretty good luck with making the playoffs when Brett is our opening day/night starter.
Posted: 07:32 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 IRONPIGPEN
Day or Night, Hamels is Right (Guy to Have Starting)!
Posted: 07:46 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Dan L
Remember Robert Person pitching opening day?
Thank God for the FO opening their minds (and wallets) over the past few years.
Hamels deserves it, he is an athlete that all young kids should look up to
Posted: 08:52 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Brooks
Who wants to have the first game played overseas?
I am looking forward to April 5th, 8:00 PM start time vs the Braves right here in the town of the WS champions.
Way to go Cole!
Posted: 09:56 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Rob Cowie
Because of the WBC, they don’t go overseas.
Posted: 10:51 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Brooks
OK, everything looks like its ready to go. Myers & Howard have slimmed down and both say they feel great. Utley is ahead of schedule, there are some more arms around who could start a game or 2 if needed, that is a plus from last season… OK, so if everything is in place, why am I feeling a little trepidation?
Hey, we could all listen to Jimmy, expect a Cy Young award, an MVP award and another WS trophy. That would be heaven on earth.
Perhaps it is the years of frustration that are keeping me a little hesitant? Help me figure this one out AO.
Posted: 11:22 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
April 5th? Isn’t that WrestleMania 25? lol. Who do you expect to start for the season…..Adam Eaton?
Posted: 11:31 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 mets09
why wouldnt he be ready?
Posted: 11:35 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Georgie
I was sort of wondering that myself??
Posted: 11:37 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 amanda Orr
what I meant was that in the past Charlie didn’t name his opening day starter until late into spring. this is the first time in a while the phillies are opening at night. other years they opened during the day. sorry for the confusion.
brooks, I don’t know what to tell ya. maybe it’s years of frustration but look on the bright side. the phillies are 2008 world series champs! ya gotta believe!
Posted: 11:43 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Chutley
im glad they didnt go to Japan or Mexico. the fans get to enjoy it here in the U.S. of A.
Posted: 11:51 PM on February 14, 2009
Posts: 0 Jeff
There’s a no brainer LOL
Posted: 12:17 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
Is anyone else listening to Keith Law on ESPN radio?
Fed up of this the Phils have taken steps back, the Mets are great…. Just tiring…
Posted: 09:29 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
“Fed up of this the Phils have taken steps back, the Mets are great…. Just tiring…”
The Phils have taken a step back in LF, Utley may miss some time and Romero is out 50 games. Hamels is a health risk after his huge spike in innings pitched, Moyer having another sub-3.00 ERA is a stretch.
The Muts added Putz and K-Rod while losing no one.
Keith Law does not hate the Phillies, anyone who doesn’t like an opinion can just say “he/she hates our team.”
Posted: 09:56 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Early Vegas over/unders have the Muts at 90, Phils at 89, Braves at 83, Marlins at 72.5, Nats at 69
I’m surprised by how low the Marlins # is.
Posted: 10:05 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
I can’t believe the Amazins are gonna win the NL East!Now I’m stoked for the season to start.OK…now I hate early predictions esp in mid Feb,but I will drop this in…..even before the season starts.At least wait until late March when the WBC is over (expect a huge injury) and for the opening day rosters (after trades and upstart unknown rookies) to look complete b4 making a call
Posted: 10:20 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
The good news for Mets fans is that they are favored to win the division in ’09, the bad news is that they were also favored in ’08 and ’07. Also, the Phillies were favored a few times from ’04 to ’06 and they obviously didn’t win.
The Phillies and Mets will be close though, closer than most people on this blog think.
Posted: 10:22 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
Keith Law has nothing good to say about the Phils period, he hates Ibanez and overlooks that the Mets paid a massive premium to address the bakc of their bullpen without addressing the rest of it.
I don’t think anyone here expects the Phils to repeat but the ‘drop-off’ is barely noticable if at all. It’s back to that point in the year the writers jump back onto the Mets bandwagon and predict the Phils to resemble a mess.
I can take some stick but some very prominent writers are jsut a broken record.
Posted: 10:23 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Keith Law just ranked the Phillies minor league system 10th overall, the highest anyone has ranked them in the last 4 years.
Posted: 10:25 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Also, Keith Law recently called Chase Utley “the best player in baseball” when taking defense and position scarcity into consideration.
Again, Keith Law does not hate the Phillies.
Posted: 10:26 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
^Oh and predicting a 90-95 win Tampa Bay team without batting an eye-lid is shallow. The Yankees are better, the Sox look better and the Orioles look better and I wouldn’t put it past the Rays building on last year but Law, Rosenthal and some others just steamroll on with their bandwagon’s trashing certain franchises at every chance and rarely looking at the outside influences or visceral impacts.
Posted: 10:30 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
Well then it seems ESPN are censoring Law like no others…
Posted: 10:34 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Tampa Bay’s o/u is 88.5, so 90 wins isn’t much of a stretch.
Again, if you don’t agree with someone’s prediction than that’s cool, but to be outraged over a prediction to the degree that you accuse a national sportswriter of having a bias is silly. I’ve given you examples of praise that Keith Law has heaped on the Phillies.
Law isn’t alone in not liking the Ibanez move: The Phils’ LF this year will be older, lower OBP, lower SLG, equally terrible fielding, but hey-he has a higher BA, so everything will be great!
Posted: 10:35 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
I just don’t like the way Law puts a lot of his arguements forward, I like those like Gammon and Kurkjian rather than the young headline wrattlers. I try and like Law but I find what I hear from him constantly so narrow-minded so many issues.
Posted: 10:40 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
K-Law is very snarky and comes across as a snob. I can see how turns off a lot of people. He does know his stuff though and isn’t afraid of making bold predictions.
Posted: 10:45 AM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
Keith Law probably picked the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Rays in the World Series too, so who cares what any of these “experts” think-or-say
Posted: 03:25 PM on February 15, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
I think Law probably still picked the Mets, wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on salary with them. It’s just frustrating, the insiders have somewhat of a gate-keeper quality and you don’t want to continually here your team trashed and your rivals over-praised when your the ones coming of a championship.
Posted: 04:00 PM on February 15, 2009