Rich Hofmann: Hey fans, you can boo so let Rollins speak

" . . . the worst bleeping fans in the world."

- Larry Bowa, Philadelphia icon, 1980

THE SKINS IN THIS TOWN are so thin as to be translucent. I mean, is it possible that we really are so offended about Jimmy Rollins describing the fans of Philadelphia as "front-runners?" Are people here really that insecure?

Let's talk for a second, just you and me. Forget for a second whether "front-runner" was exactly the right word - we all know what Rollins meant, and we all know more now that he has spoken about his feelings at some length.

So let's talk. Let's be honest. You love your sports here. You love your teams. You are desperate for a championship. You are intolerant of failure.

You pay your money. You boo. You proclaim it as your inalienable right, as if you were quoting from the Federalist Papers or something. You yell at a millionaire. You do things and say things that you could not do or say in any other public forum. You feel like a big man.

You act as if it is constructive, screaming at somebody for failure. You justify everything by repeating your don't-they-know-how-I-suffer mantra. And when one of the players has the temerity to point out that being the target of a boo isn't all that much fun, or all that helpful, you tax the Web-site servers with all of your tactful comments.

What did Dallas Green say, way back when?

Look in the mirror . . .

"They're beyond help. It's a mob scene, uncontrollable."

- Mike Schmidt, Hall of Famer, 1985

This issue is not new. It goes back decades. It flares up every now and again, usually when a player says something about being booed. That Rollins brought it up this season is a little bit odd - but then he has had bad-timing issues all year, you should excuse the expression.

He was an easy and a deserved target when he was benched for being late and for not hustling. This is different. It is an unwinnable fight in this town, taking on the fans, but it should be something that everyone ought to be able to talk about.

But we can't - because whenever the topic comes up, every other year or so, the conversation immediately degenerates into a how-dare-he?/who-does-he-think-he-is? screaming match. You listen long enough and there are fans who sound as if they have no choice but to boo. You know, that they make me do it.

Nobody acknowledges that they get off on booing some guys, that there is a perverse, smart-alecky pleasure to booing players on Opening Day, to turning someone like Tom Gordon into a nightly punching bag even when he was pitching well for long stretches early in the season. There is nothing noble about what happened to Gordon this year. It was just bloodsport.

But, no, we can't talk about that because - in case you haven't heard - nobody has won a championship around here in 25 years.

" . . . you know that positive energy can lift you, that negative energy can bring you down."

- Jimmy Rollins, lightning rod, 2008

It isn't just Philadelphia, of course. This kind of thing happens in this part of the country and always has. But pretend you are a player for a second, and pretend that the explanation you always get is, "It's not just here."

That might be true, but it doesn't change the fact that they don't like it and, really, how could you expect them to like it?

So why aren't they allowed to say it without the ensuing firestorm? You want people to be honest. You expend a lot of breath insisting that your booing is just an expression of your honest passion. So why can't the victims be honest, too? You can tell them that they suck. Why can't they tell you that it hurts?

That's all Rollins was doing, even if "front-runner" was a little bit awkward. This is a conversation we all ought to be having. I mean, how backward would it be to cheer Rollins after his benchings earlier this season but to boo him next week when the Phillies come home?

It isn't as if he was late this time, or didn't hustle.

All he did was tell the truth. *

Send e-mail to hofmanr@phillynews.com.

For recent columns, go to http://go.philly.com/hofmann.