PHILADELPHIA -- This is where they booed Santa Claus but gave a standing ovation to a dog killer named Michael Vick. This is where they taunted Mike Schmidt, maybe the best third baseman ever. This is where Donovan McNabb is viewed as an emotional dishrag, where MIchael Irvin was cheered when he lay motionless on the field, where I saw a woman in an UTLEY jersey tell a guy to "stop being a (p----)," where men are men unless someone wonders otherwise, which means your life is screwed.
It is in this Yuengling-and-cheesesteak culture that Cole Hamels, a California pretty boy not blessed with the Bruno/Rocco/Angelo first name like many Philly tough guys, decided to commit parochial suicide. Shelled again in Game 3 of the World Series, he emotionally unraveled afterward, suggesting very strongly that he wanted his season to end right then and there. In any town, such an acknowledgment would be viewed as a breach of cowardice. In Philly, where the home team trailed only 2-1 at the time, Hamels is being called a sulker, quitter, crybaby, wimp and (p----) of the worst ilk.
NEW YORK -- Cole Hamels may still have to fight a public perception that he's not ready to pitch a possible Game 7 of the World Series, but his manager apparently has no qualms about giving him the ball.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel isn't saying whether Hamels would pitch that game, but he said on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium that he is convinced that the flap over a Hamels comment following Game 3 was overblown or misunderstood.
"He came in and talked to me [Monday] night, and we sat in there for 10 or 15 minutes and we talked about some of the things that were said, and I felt very good about it, really," Manuel said. "I know Hamels. I've been a Hamels guy ever since I seen him pitch in Lakewood and when I first came to work here. I never, ever -- I want you to listen to this -- never ever questioned his mental toughness because he's just as tough as anybody on our team."
PHILADELPHIA -- They have nothing in common but history. Chase Utley is a southern California dude with gel in his hair who speaks in cliches and has all the pizzazz of a resin bag. Reggie Jackson was the portrait of flamboyance, the straw that stirred the drink, the problem child who jarred the equilibrium. But today, they are joined in baseball lore by the five home runs each hit in a single World Series, with Utley's latest two shots propelling the Phillies to an 8-6 victory in Game 5 and renewed life for a repeat title.
"It's pretty cool. It's pretty surreal," Utley said with typical nonchalance. "I'm glad we got the win. It was a do-or-die game."
PHILADELPHIA -- Now that the possibility of a Game 7 start is looming for Cole Hamels, he is backtracking madly from his eye-opening comments about being eager for the season to end, comments that reportedly sparked a clubhouse tussle with Brett Myers.
Although the Phillies still may opt to give someone else the ball for Game 7, assuming they even get there, Hamels said that his perceived mindset should not be a reason for him not to pitch.
"The way it came out was not the way I intended," Hamels told reporters after the Phillies' 8-6 victory in Game 5. "It hurt the way it came out. I was shocked. I didn't even know what I said. It's not what I was thinking."
PHILADELPHIA -- As losses go, this one was pretty ugly for the Phillies. On the bright side, those are the ones that are easiest to forget.
Other than Jayson Werth's two homers, nothing went right for the Phillies in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Yankees, which left them down 2-1 in the World Series.
The All-Star quartet at the top of the order -- Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- was awful, going 1-for-11 with five strikeouts. Starter Cole Hamels had another of his meltdowns, spoiling a promising early performance. The bullpen couldn't hold the Yankees, giving up three more runs as the Yankees ran away.
PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels is the victim of his own success, in more ways than one.
As the Phillies lefty prepared to start Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees, he was asked repeatedly what happened to the guy who was so dominant last October, when he was named MVP in the National League Championship Series and the World Series.
Hamels not only has had to deal with the emotional pressure that comes with the high standard he set, but pitching so deep into last year's postseason affected his physical preparation for this season, and he still hasn't recovered.
LOS ANGELES -- It happens suddenly and inexplicably, virus-like, an out-of-body experience that can turn the best ballplayers into hopeless head cases. Worse, the condition might linger for weeks or months, even years. For sure, it comes with the worst possible timing for Chase Utley, heretofore known as baseball's most productive second baseman, a man whose only previous gaffe in his professional life came at the World Series celebration last fall in Philadelphia.
"World champions! World [bleeping] champions!" he shouted to the fans, apparently unaware that the ceremony was being telecast without a tape delay.
In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.
In a matchup of elite lefties, both Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels appeared to run into brick walls in Game 1. Kershaw, as dominant as he looked early on, was exposed by a good lineup as an immensely talented, but ultimately inexperienced pitcher. Hamels, on the other hand, took a little different path to his problems in the middle innings.
Out of the gate, Hamels looked amped up. It showed very early with his velocity topping out at 96 mph and sitting around 93-94. However, the location was not there and he was quickly burned by a second inning home run off the bat of James Loney.
It had been one of the greatest mysteries of the baseball postseason thus far in 2009. Who would start Game 3 for the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS matchup with the Colorado Rockies? It was an answer that became somewhat clearer, yet more confusing at the same time, on Thursday afternoon when the Phillies brought both Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ in to relieve Cole Hamels.
Happ threw only four pitches before having to be removed from the game after taking a line drive off his leg, and Blanton gave the Phillies an inning of work. All of which made you think that Charlie Manuel was leaning toward veteran righty Pedro Martinez. Friday it became a fact when MLB.com's Todd Zolecki announced it on his Twitter page.
Hamels had a relatively poor outing for his team, as he worked five innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits. Give credit to the Rockies, who are too solid offensively to be shut down two straight days, but if Hamels was a bit distracted it would be difficult to blame him.
PHILADELPHIA -- This is where they booed Santa Claus but gave a standing ovation to a dog killer named Michael Vick. This is where they taunted Mike Schmidt, maybe the best third baseman ever. This is where Donovan McNabb is viewed as an emotional dishrag, where MIchael Irvin was cheered when he lay motionless on the field, where I saw a woman in an UTLEY jersey tell a guy to "stop being a (p----)," where men are men unless someone wonders otherwise, which means your life is screwed.
NEW YORK -- 
PHILADELPHIA -- Now that the possibility of a Game 7 start is looming for 
PHILADELPHIA -- As losses go, this one was pretty ugly for the 
PHILADELPHIA -- 
LOS ANGELES -- It happens suddenly and inexplicably, virus-like, an out-of-body experience that can turn the best ballplayers into hopeless head cases. Worse, the condition might linger for weeks or months, even years. For sure, it comes with the worst possible timing for 
In 
It had been one of the greatest mysteries of the baseball postseason thus far in 2009. Who would start Game 3 for the 
The life of a starting pitcher can be boring at times. They only pitch every fifth day, after all. For 
