The Phillies received good news Tuesday on ace lefthander Cole Hamels' ailing elbow. This from an Associated Press story:

Phillies ace Cole Hamels will return to camp after a team physician found no damage in his sore left elbow.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says team doctor Michael Ciccotti reported no structural damage to the joint after looking at the left-hander's pitching elbow Tuesday morning in Philadelphia.
Last season's World Series MVP received an injection to relieve inflammation but should be cleared to throw by Thursday.
But Hamels' status for Opening Day is unclear. The team will continue to monitor his recovery when he returns to camp.
The Phillies host the Atlanta Braves in the first major league game of the season on Sunday, April 5.
Hamels went 14-10 last season with a 3.09 ERA. He was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts.

Phillies ace lefthander Cole Hamels, at right, the NLCS and World Series Most Valuable Player, is back in Philadelphia today to get the sore elbow on his pitching arm examined. That's not good news in mid-March.

The Phillies don't believe it's serious, but any time your ace pitcher has to get his throwing arm looked at, it's a cause for concern.

It's still 2 months until spring training, but the war of the words between the Phillies and Mets has begun.

Phillies ace lefthander Cole Hamels, the World Series MVP, went on New York radio station WFAN, said he believes the Mets have been "choke artists" the past two seasons, according to ESPN.com

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Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels was upset with the team in spring training after they renewed his contract for $500,000 instead of signing him to a long-term deal. He felt disrespected.

Hamels had just 51 starts and only 315 inning pitched in his major-league career entering the season, so it's hard to understand why he was so upset.

So this year the 24-year-old went out and proved he's worth a lot more money. His 227 innings were second in the National League. He was sixth in the league with 196 strikeouts and his 3.09 earned run average tied him for fifth. Hamels only won 14 games, but that's because of a lack of run support from his teammates.

And he's been stellar in this postseason, too, winning both of his starts and striking out 17 in 15 innings while allowing just 2 runs.

But if Hamels wants to command a big contract, tonight is his night to show it.

Hamels, in an Associated Press photo above, will take the mound in Los Angeles when the Phillies meet the Dodgers in the fifth game of the National League Championship Series. A win sends the Phillies to the World Series for the first time in 15 years; a loss, and Game 6 is at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.

So if Hamels wants to establish himself as a money pitcher and deserving of a big new contract from the Phillies, he needs to win tonight.

GO PHILLIES!!!