What They Are Saying & Doing

Cole Hamels may be cocky but he’s shrewd beyond his 23 years. Rich Hoffmann of the Daily News confirmed as much when he wrote this:

Somebody asked Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels the other day what he thought about all the moves the team has made in recent months, building toward the postseason berth that has so often eluded this franchise, and Hamels said, "For me, being here for [only] the past year, I don't really think I deserve an opinion."

Yikes, Cole, don’t you know that youth, good looks and fame entitle you to an opinion?

* * * * * * * *

By now many of you have probably read about the 18-year old Mets fan who was banned for impersonating a sports writer. Well, The Inquirer’s Frank Fitzpatrick certainly did and he made the story the lead item in his Friday morning complaint, er, I mean column. After listing all the miseries and affronts that are the sportswriter’s cross to bear, Fitzpatrick left me wondering yet again why he does it, that is, write about sports.

* * * * * * * *

The Yankees are moving ahead with plans to establish working relationships with the Chinese Baseball Association according to a report on ESPN’s web site. If that strikes you as odd or premature, bear in mind what the Chinese sports machine has done in basketball, soccer and overall Olympic competition in the last few decades. The only question in my mind is why haven’t other teams rushed to establish ties with the most populous nation in the world?

* * * * * * * *

Our old friend, emphasis on the former, Arthur Rhodes has apparently signed a minor league deal with his old friends the Seattle Mariners. What next? Terry Adams makes a comeback?

* * * * * * * *

An even older “friend”, irony intended, J.D. Drew, has apparently finally concluded his contract negotiations with the Red Sox. The sticking point all along was not Drew’s wondering feet but rather his lousy health. According to reports, the Red Sox can opt out of the last two years of the five-year deal if Drew’s pre-existing injury recurs and, here’s the key, no one can object to the language in the contract, not the players’ association nor Mr. Drew himself. Nothing like signing a long-term deal in which the buyer announces up front, ‘We know what you’re all about and we don’t trust you!”