It's sad to see Hamels and Papelbon go, particularly after Hamels no-hit the Cubs the other day, but I can't blame them. They want to play for contenders, and the Phillies aren't going to be that for a while.
Yeah, they should be cheered (well, Hamels should be) and wished well in the future. But it's good for the Phillies to actually get something to build from an good for them to have a chance to win something.
MLB has either got to remove the warning for hit batsmen or actually enforce it, with no more "judgment" calls. If the umpire issues a warning and someone hit another batter, that pitcher is gone. Regardless of the judgment of the umpire. I'm tired of it, its just one of those boondoggles that makes baseball look stupid.
I disagree, but I'll go further as well. I would remove the concept of warnings entirely. If a hit batsman seems intentional, he should be tossed without a warning. Tossing people, to me, is saying you can't do it. And it doesn't matter to me whether it's the first person hit or not.
