The press conference held with the Phillies' starting five at 1:30 today was pretty much a waste of time. Most of the questions posed by the local and national media were lame at best. The media of course wanted it to be just the four aces, but the aces scotched that idea days ago. It's five or no one is their stand.
Still, someone asked Cole Hamels about being the only guy at the table with a World Series ring. Hello. If the casual fan has forgotten the role that Joe Blanton played in 2008, baseball media members should not. An outrage, as Tony Bruno might put it. Most of the other questions to Blanton were on the lines of are you surprised still to be here and when do you think you'll be gone. Sheesh.
Questions to Cliff Lee weren't much better, concentrating on when he made his decision to return to Philadelphia, why Philadelphia, etc. I just loved the one that started with, Are you surprised to be a Phillie? Uh, no. I chose to be a Phillie, was pretty much Lee's reply.
It was interesting that Lee, seated in the middle, volunteered more responses than anyone else, though Hamels, at far right, often jumped in to help out. Oswalt, between Hamels and Lee, looked as if he wanted to be far away, despite giving quite cogent replies to the stray question lobbed his way. As soon as the presser ended, however, he leaped to his feet and was the first to disappear. Blanton blushed when he spoke. Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi accents were on display, along with Colorado and San Diego.
At the end, someone asked which nickname did they like of the many being used for them. I haven't heard any nicknames, said Lee. What are they? Media members yelled out examples: R2C2, Mt. Rushmore, Four Aces, Fab Four, etc. Said Lee, All of those are about four. We're five. So you'd better come up with one that includes all five. If you can't do it, the fans will.
Give him a couple more months of bumbling questions of the kind on parade today and his reply might be, quite understandably, edged in acid.
