Cole Hamels is NOT soft, folks. During Tuesday night’s game at the ballpark, I got into a little discussion with the numbskulls behind me who were bitching that Cole must have “broken a nail” and that is why he was being lifted from the game.

I am not sure how twisting your ankle, the one you push off on to pitch, defines you as soft. The guy pitched 262 innings last year, and had just a little something to do with Philly actually having something legitimate to celebrate for the first time in 25 years.

Yet, here we are in the first month of the season, and there are idiots out there who would rather see Hamels fight through a sprained ankle in a game the Phillies already had well in hand.

I think Hamels is one of the more honest players I’ve ever seen in terms of knowing what his capabilities are and whether or not he is going to be helping or hurting the team if he pitches.

I wonder what the catcalls would have been like from the stands toward Charlie if Cole had stayed in the game and allowed the Nationals back into it. “Jesus, Charlie. You shoulda yanked him. A guy can’t pitch on a bum ankle. C’mon. Go back to Virginia, ya inbred hick!”

There are some fans in Philly that I wish never got to see “their” teams win. When you can find something to bitch at Cole Hamels about after what we went through in 2008, you are a knuckle dragging moron and you don’t deserve any sports happiness.

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I like Chris Coste’s rags to riches story as much as anyone else, but it’s clear that he is beyond lost at the plate (.182 BA and OPS+ of 39), and his work behind the plate in Carlos Ruiz’s absence hasn’t exactly been stellar. The pi5tching staff has suffered during Ruiz’s DL stint, and perception, as they say, is reality.

But in today’s Inquirer, Charlie Manuel is quoted as saying that Marson is headed back to the minors once Ruiz returns:

“He’s definitely going to be a big-league player,” Manuel said of Marson. “He needs to play. Sitting on the bench, especially for a period of time, that doesn’t help him. That’s not what Lou’s about.”

Ok. So, at what point will it be ok for Lou to come up and sit on the bench for an extended period of time? Isn’t that what is going to happen regardless when he is promoted for good? Or are the Phillies going to wait until Marson is going to be their everyday catcher to promote him? I don’t get it. Backup catchers sit on the bench. They get spot starts. They pinch hit.

Marson needs to learn the pitching staff. Shouldn’t that season be occurring now instead of in August if Coste is completely done at that point?

Chris Coste, on the other hand, needs to start working on his next book, “The 36 Year Old Landscaper”.

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“Paging Chan Ho Park,circa March 2009. Mr. Park? You’re starting spot is leaving in a moment. Please join your team for the regular season. Thank you.”

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I am a little behind these days on my blogging. “Real work” is a nightmare right now. I’ll update my Bennett Award standings sometime this weekend and hopefully will have an opportunity soon to post daily.