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Perfect Pitch

With an improbable World Series win on his resume and another season of dominance within reach, Phillies ace and man-about-West Chester Cole Hamels takes our questions.

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For what seemed like a long time, Cole Hamels was the ace-in-waiting on the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff. Young and often injured, he was seen as physically fragile—soft even. Then, last fall, he helped end our world championship drought. The 17th pick in the 2002 amateur draft went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts, hastening his arrival as a franchise pitcher.

Now, at 25, what more could a guy want? He’s already won two postseason MVP honors, a World Series and the newly minted devotion of the nation’s most demanding fans. He’s married to Survivor alum and Playboy model Heidi Strobel; he inked a new three-year $20.5 million contract in the off-season; and he just bought a ritzy new penthouse in Center City—though he’ll keep his townhome in West Chester, a place he still loves. In February, he even landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Is he confident? You bet. Fragile? Forget it. Has he matured? Enough to speak intelligently about his own past, while enjoying the present and contemplating longevity and ultimate baseball immortality. Can he—along with a diverse cast of talented, (finally) well-paid cohorts—embark on the creation of a dynasty? We sure hope so. For now, let’s just be thankful we have Hamels (and the Mets don’t).

MLT: In the off-season, a sports radio station in New York coaxed you into calling a certain Eastern Division rival “choke artists.” So what do you really think of the New York Mets?
CH: That was truly a comment that occurred without me realizing it was occurring. I have a lot of respect for a lot of their players. They’re talented. I love New York City, and our games are very competitive, which is fun for fans. It helps baseball in general. But I learned my lesson. I like to speak with my actions on the field, not with my actions in the off-season.

MLT: Of the Phillies’ success, you’ve said the team’s winning ways “will turn the city red a little bit more than it is [Eagles] green.” Are you speaking the truth—a truth most people can’t handle?
CH: I try to be honest. If you’re honest, you won’t usually get hurt. You get hurt worse with lies. I’m confident that I can do my best, but cockiness isn’t an attitude I have off the field—though confidence is what I have on the field. I don’t toot my own horn off the field. I still think I have a lot to learn if I’m ever to get big like the [players] I grew up admiring.

MLT: Immediately after the World Series, you put off a request to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman.
CH: It was a great opportunity. I never imagined that in my wildest dreams. Now it’s part of a cool chapter in my life. But at first, I did say, “No, I don’t want to go up there. I’m tired. But if you want me to come, I’ll come.” I wish it wouldn’t have taken so much convincing.

MLT: In dominating the postseason and proving you can be a workhorse and a go-to guy, you’ve finally earned that opening-day start.
CH: I hope I’ve earned it—and that’s all I ever wanted was to earn it. I didn’t want to be given it; that’s not the way life should be. I think I’ve earned it, and it’s a great moment and a great honor. But I still wanted to earn it in Spring Training. I couldn’t walk in and say I wanted it. That’s not the way [Phillies manager] Charlie Manuel wants you to work, and that’s why we respect him.

MLT: Will winning the World Series make Philly fans even more demanding?
CH: It’ll make them hungry for more—but for good reason. The fans shook us in a good way. None of us really understood what it meant to play for a city that appreciates you with a full heart. But the impact—the parade and all those people who were so excited—just blew all of us away. We’re on the floats and we’re all saying, “OK, wow!” Until then, we didn’t know how great a city this is. But it’s a crazy city, and a city that really cares.

MLT: Do you guys talk about a dynasty? Can there be such a thing in the modern game?
CH: We never really have [talked about a dynasty]. But you don’t want to win, and then never again. You want to win, win, win—everyone does. What’s good is that we’re winning now. But it’ll take a couple more years—three or four, not just two—to be a dynasty.

MLT: How did you end up calling West Chester home?
CH: Heidi was finishing a second master’s degree (at West Chester University), so we bought a townhome there, and we just fell in love with the place. We’ve met phenomenal people. There are good golf courses and restaurants. We support the local businesses; we have our favorite places for lunch and dinner, and so we really take it in. There aren’t places in San Diego where we feel as comfortable. We just like to go down the street and sit with everyone else, and just be normal. It’s civilized and easier in West Chester. It’s fun, and most people leave us alone and respect that we have to eat just like everyone else.

MLT: So what are your favorite hangouts in West Chester?
CH: Spence Café for lunch, dinner at Limoncello Ristorante or Pietro’s Prime, and bars like The Note. They all have 25-and-under crowds—though there are all kinds there—so we can sort of relate. I like that crowd. It’s kind of like college for me, because I never went to college.

MLT: When you bought the townhome in West Chester, the realtor told you Citizens Bank Park was a 20-minute ride. It’s really not. What’s the story?
CH: It takes me 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back. It can wear on you, but sometimes it’s nice to relax, listen to some music and just drive. Sometimes I want to get home real fast, but I can’t. We’re going to try out the city this year, too, so that should be interesting—but we’ll keep the West Chester place. Wherever we live, I’m just a guy who likes to go to the movies with my wife and play a little golf. I don’t like to attract a scene—and in West Chester, we can slide in and slide out.
 

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