Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has been hit with a fine in an undisclosed amount for his comments about Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels following L’Affaire Old School the other day.
If you don’t recall -- and that would be understandable given how little attention we’ve devoted to this since Sunday -- the comments included calling Hamels “classless,” “gutless,” “chickens**t” and “fake tough.”
I bet what really brought the fine, however, was the comment about how Hamels “doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.” Which could be construed as a threat. Well, that and the fact that I really don’t think baseball wants its top executives out there talking smack on general principles.
Rizzo has commented on the fine:
This ends the matter in official channels. Whether it’s truly over as an on-the-field matter won’t be answered until May 21, when the Nationals come to Philadelphia. Which should be all kinds of fun.