Philadelphia is good for its history, cheesesteaks and booing. Just ask Cole Hamels about the latter.
The Phillies’ fourth ace couldn’t get out of the third inning Tuesday against the Mets, so the fans let Hamels have it as he strolled toward the dugout.
“That comes with the territory,” Ryan Madson said. “You’re going to have your ups and downs. The fans here cheer when we do well and they let you know about it when things don’t go so good.”
Phils skipper Charlie Manuel doesn’t think it’s a big deal that Phillies fans jumped all over the 2008 World Series MVP, after his dismal 2011 debut.
“It’s part of baseball,” Manuel said. “I heard fans boo star players on teams that I was on. They’ll boo you in Cleveland. They’ll boo you in Minnesota. If they don’t like the performance or how the team is doing, you’re going to hear boos.”
Manuel heard boos. Sometimes, he crossed the line and went at fans.
“I remember when I first managed with the Wisconsin Rapids [in 1983],” Manuel said. “This guy [on the Rapids] bunted into a double play. This guy [in the stands] was screaming. He had his beer sitting there on the fence. I walked over to where he was and took off my shirt and gave him my shirt. I put it down over his head and told him to coach third base. I said, ‘I’ll stand here and drink your beer.’ He didn’t go.”
3 things we saw at the ballpark …
Final: Phillies 10, Mets 7
1 Heart of the matter. Who says Ryan Howard needs protection? Howard, who has a .524 average, hit a pair of doubles, homered over the center-field wall, singled, drove in two runs and nearly solved the crisis in Japan. The slugging first baseman is a near lock for NL player of the week honors.
2 Average Joe. Joe Blanton pitched liked one of the four aces, Roy Halladay, during the first three innings. But Big Joe pitched like another one, Cole Hamels, during the fourth and fifth, blowing a seven-run lead.
3 Striking a balance. Overall, it was a balanced 16-hit, 10-run attack for the Phillies’ offense. Placido Polanco drove in three runs, with Howard (2), Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco and even Blanton (2) registering RBIs. eC
