FanPost

Translating the Cole Hamels Press Conference

Thanks to the wonders of Google Translate, I’ve become somewhat of a novice linguist. My job sometimes requires me to Tweet in multiple languages, even though I only speak one – English.

But I AM fluent in the universal languages of baseball and pre-canned clichéd answers to questions that mindlessly get regurgitated to members of the media. I used to be a member of the fourth estate, and I moved over to the "dark side" of Marketing Communications a few years back, freeing up my nights and weekends to watch more Phillies games (sigh).

With that out of the way, I would like to offer my phan’s take on Cole Hamels’ press conference in Clearwater earlier this week. The most comprehensive transcript I could find within 30 seconds of looking comes courtesy of Matt Lombardo from NJ.com.

My translations appear in bold print below Cole Hamels’ actual quotes. I wonder how accurate they will prove to be, since technology is often an inexact science. Now, let’s get to it!!!

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Phillies ace pitcher Cole Hamels sounded Saturday afternoon in Clearwater that he had a change of heart, just days after an interview surfaced that revealed he would welcome a trade to a contender.

In his first media availability of the spring, Hamels, 31, spoke at length about the potential his teammates give the Phillies after the front office took the first steps in a rebuilding effort this winter thus lowering expectations for the 2015 season.

"When you see the type of bullpen and some of the young guys that have come in," Hamels told reporters Saturday. "There's still some really good excitement that we can give the fans something to expect. At the same time, you can't count us out.

"Everybody knows we have a good bullpen. You can come to the ballpark and watch these guys play, because someday they could be MLB studs. And we haven’t lost any games yet (because we haven’t played any games yet)."

"We still have a lot of guys who want to go out and compete at the highest level and expect to do so and expect their teammates to do so. It's something that really comes down to those lines. We just have to be more accountable to ourselves and keep that sort of positive message. Obviously, to direct that towards the young guys and the future generation of players who are going to come up and be future Phillies stars."

"Chase Utley will still give it the old college try and he expects everyone else to do the same, but whether or not they CAN do it remains to be seen. And the manager yelled at us veterans because we were whining too much about all the losing. He thinks that sets a bad example for the younger players. To the young guys: do as we say, not as we do."

Hamels is coming off of the best statistical season of his career, posting a 2.46 ERA while striking out 198 while going 9-9 in 30 games in 2014.

Still, the Phillies lost 89 games for the second consecutive season in 2014. That disappointing outcome led the organization to take the first steps towards rebuilding over the winter.

After Jimmy Rollins was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Marlon Byrd to the Cincinnati Reds, Hamels' status with the Phillies remains unknown despite the four years and $96 million remaining on his contract.

"With Jimmy [Rollins] .." Hamels said. "You can kind of sense there was change. Anytime you have upper management preach to the direction of philosophy change you have to get the idea that something is up."

"Jimmy, even though he is 36 years old, felt that he was too good a player to be part of a rebuilding team and wanted out. Management also felt that he needed a change of scenery, so they were willing to acquiesce to his demands to be sent ONLY to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thankfully, by some miracle of God, Ruben was able to get two good pitching prospects for him. But I bet the smarter GM’s of the Dodgers and Padres were really the ones who came up with that package."

It appears that Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is at a crossroads when it comes to how to handle Hamels' situation. On one hand, a trade would likely net the organization the most bountiful haul of prospects, but he still is in the prime of his career and could just as easily serve as a building block for the next core of players.

Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, said Saturday that he would relish the opportunity to lead a second parade down Broad Street.

"I still have a long time," Hamels said. "I still have a long contract. I think being able to live in Philly, making Philly my full time home, you get to see a lot. You get to see the fan's standpoint. You get to see the owner's philosophy. It's tough to admit that it might have to be a direction change.

"Nobody wants to take on my contract even though I am significantly cheaper than open market options. Teams would rather hold on to controllable young players and my current employer is in desperate need of prospects to replenish a barren farm system. Unless the Phillies’ price comes down, I’m stuck here. On the plus side I do live in Philly year round so I wouldn’t have to move, but I still don’t want to lose games."

"Being able to win in this city and see what it means not only to the fans but to the organization, you see that they want it to come back very quickly. In the type of contract that I have, I know that I"ll still be here when the time comes for anything to happen. I still agree with Papelbon and Cliff, to still be able to have these guys on our team, they're the best at what they do. Chase [Utley] is the best at what he does. You still have ence in our veterans."

"The fans get pissed and stop showing up if we don’t win, and the owners lose money. But if I do have to play out my contract here, there’s a decent chance we should at least be competitive by the time my last year rolls around. Paps and Cliff want out too, and we will all pitch our asses off for opposing scouts – which means we won’t lose all 162 games. Those guys are cheaper than I am, so they will likely get moved before I will. And even though Chase is as old as Methuselah and his body is breaking down, he is still an above average second-baseman."

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook

Well there you have it.