Jimmy Rollins(And Phillie Fans)

B+W=D - I think it is a good question you ask. I certainly understand how he feels. They had a Hall-of-Fame third baseman who was not treated all that spectacularly. IMHO, J-Roll should have remained silent on the issue however. By saying something, he has only made it worse for himself.

thanks, CD i just realized my myself in his position and if a fan of mine ripping up my jersey on national tv and a child saying he doesn't like me anymore...man i'll be pretty messed up.

with todays media saturation you can not burp or sneeze without them knowing about it. So if you want to stay out of trouble dont say anything.

I live in metro Philadelphia. As a transplant I'm an observer, not a fan of the local teams. Rollins needs a dictionary. Frontrunner was the wrong word. Fickle or schizofrenic would have been better choices. The fans hear ride the wave with the team. When they win, they're headed for a championship. When they lose, they're headed for last place. One thing this town doesn't stand for is anything less than 100% effort. Rollins comments came from fan treatment based on him not running out grounders several times this year and being late for pregame. The guy has gone from MVP to occasionaly lazy. He's been benched a couple of times for his attitude.

The thirdbaseman referenced in this thread, was so smooth and acted no nonchalant it took time for fans to realize he cared. Schmidt was on radio yesterday. He said he finally broke the ice when he came on the field wearing a wig after making an inappropriate comment about the fans. He said he could have made his life easier in Philadelphia by being more open with the fans, but he was a shy person.

Schmidt said if anyone should be boo'd it's Manny Ramirez by Red Sox fans. He called his behavior inexcusable.

If a player gets dirty in this town the fans love him. The fans loved Scott Rolen. As soon as Rolen made a negative comment about the Phillies (he was right) and dissed the city (bad idea) the fans made it tough on him.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
with todays media saturation you can not burp or sneeze without them knowing about it. So if you want to stay out of trouble dont say anything.

Yesterday Mike Schmidt was on the radio. He asked the host if he had anything important to discuss. He said the radio shows perpetuate this stuff long after it should have died.

As a lifelong Philadelphia area resident and sports fan I am the first to say that the Philly sports fans can be fickled. That's a kind word for some of them. The Philly sports fans expect alot out of their sports heroes but don't always expect too much out of themselves. We are judgemental, can be nasty and impatient but absolutely loyal to the teams. It's easy to be impatient when you have won a single championship in any major sport since 1983.

That being said I was suprised when Rollins spoke out so negatively. Last year when he and the Phillies made their run in September Citizens Bank Park was full every night and chanting MVP whenever Rollins got to the plate. It was an exciting run for frustrated fans. He might be right in general but I don't think comments were warranted at this time towards him or the Phillies.

quote:

As a lifelong Philadelphia area resident and sports fan I am the first to say that the Philly sports fans can be fickled. That's a kind word for some of them. The Philly sports fans expect alot out of their sports heroes but don't always expect too much out of themselves. We are judgemental, can be nasty and impatient but absolutely loyal to the teams. It's easy to be impatient when you have won a single championship in any major sport since 1983.

Another life-long and long-suffering Philadelphia phan! I have to agree 100% with what was said above. Philly sports fans LOVE hustle and 100% effort and have a very blue collar mentality when it comes to picking the players they love to support...and vice versa...those they love to hate! If you start to appear to high and mighty, and have any sort of "slacker" attitude....Philly fans will put you in your place pretty quickly! Not sure if that is good or bad...but it IS what it IS!

Nothing similar ever happens in New York or Boston.

Jimmy should have kept quiet. He had a good run towards the end of last year and something that he may ever duplicate. He is in Philly and he should take a page from Lenny Dykstra and let his hustle on the field show what he is about. Bashing the fans in Philly, NY, and Boston is something you dont want to do. They will let you have it on and off the field where it can definitely be a distraction.

Jimmy, has been in Philly long enough to know he should do his talking on the field..

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Nothing similar ever happens in New York or Boston.

I once ran into Tom House at spring training. I asked him if he used to play for the Sox. His response ......

I'm surprised you know my last name. By the time they said, "Now pitching, Tom ...." boos echoed through the stadium.

I believe a Yankee fan ran his car into a tree attempting to run Ed Whitson off the road on his way home from the park.

I wonder if Jimmy is off the hook now

Absolutely!!! Especially after he laid down that bunt.

Hats off to Rollins. His ego could have stepped in and made him "miss" a bunt so that he would have a chance to knock in the go ahead run.

He got it down. When it came down to winning a WS he did what was best for the team, not his future endorsements and contracts. It was great to see and gave me hope for the future of this game.

I am so glad it worked!

I was also impressed with Rollins' bunt. I was also impressed with the praise he had for his manager, Charlie Manual. If I recall correctly, Rollins was benched for not running out a ball earlier in the season. He learned from the event and seemed to have great respect for his manager. That is a great example of a leader and a team player. Kudos to Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies.