Mike Rizzo Calls Out Cole Hamels
Cole Hamels publicly admitted that he drilled Bryce Harper on purpose last night, a move that backfired when Harper ended up stealing home for the Nationals first run. It's the kind of thing that happens when you give batters a free base in a misguided attempt to teach the youngster a lesson.
Today, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo takes aim at Hamels with mankind's greatest weapon: words. Rizzo said:
"I’ve never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball.
“Cole Hamels says he’s old school? He’s the polar opposite of old school. He’s fake tough. He thinks he’s going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year rookie who’s eight games into the big leagues? He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
If this was a generic 80s action movie, that quote would be followed by a montage of weapons being loaded and body armor being snapped on. I'm guessing the Nationals may respond differently.