"I was fortunate enough to be drafted into an organization that is trying to win and obviously has won," Hamels said. "Every day, every year, we seem to get some top players. So that kind of shows the value and the direction the team wants to go. I've just been very fortunate to be a part of it. It's a great organization to play for and I'd love to be part of it."
Compare that to what we used to hear from Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen in the bottom of the 20th and the top of the 21st century - much of it true, by the way - and the Phillies already have conquered one of the major hurdles to retaining the most precious free agents.
This is not a place the best baseball players in the world leave. This is where they want to come and stay.
Unlike Schilling, who came of age in the Phillies' organization, and Rolen, who was drafted by the team, Hamels has seen little unpleasantness during his tenure. Schilling and Rolen each experienced one winning season during lengthy stays in Philadelphia.
Hamels, 28, has never been on a losing team. He won a World Series in 2008 and was the MVP. He went to another the following year, but that season was the only truly difficult one for him as he struggled on the mound.
Looking back, Hamels even considers that experience more of a learning tool than a miserable memory.
"It was [frustrating], but at the same time it was a blessing in disguise because it really made me discover who I was and how I can prove people wrong," he said. "It showed me how to work even harder to get better. That was the best stepping-stone I could ever have in my career."
You hear all the time in sports that it's all about the money, and in many cases that's true. But it's not always just about the money. If it were, you'd have to think that Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay would be playing for the Yankees.
