I've been waiting for the right time to comment on the state of the Philadelphia Phillies now that I'm back...like maybe after a nice win or something. But with an 0-7 West Coast road swing looking like an actual possibility after 3 games, Jimmy Rollins has stepped forward to be the catalyst -- the catalyst for getting Phillies fans even more angry and worked up at their lackluster barely-in-first-place team.
Rollins said on Fox's incorrectly named "Best Damn Sports Show Period":
"There are times," he said. "I might catch some flak for saying this, but, you know, they're front-runners. When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're doing bad, they're completely against you."
Rollins then mentioned the hometown of teammate, and fellow show guest, Ryan Howard as a differently wired fan base.
"For example, Ryan is from St. Louis and St. Louis, it seems like they support their team, they're out there and encouraging. In Philly, can't be no punk."
It's hard to believe that Rollins can misunderstand the fan base so badly after playing here for most of the 2000s. Philadelphia fans are different from other cities, no doubt about it, but it's a lot more complicated than just turning against you when "you're doing bad." My experience has been, for the most part, that fans here give great rewards for effort and attitude, not results, and the things that bring out the boo-birds are a) not wanting to be here in Philly (see "Drew, J.D,," and now "Wagner, Billy" or b) not hustling.
Rollins should know because, most unfortunately, he's been guilty of b) on a couple of occasions this season -- he was yanked from a game for not running full-speed on a pop-up that was dropped and benched in a key game for getting to the ballpark late. What's more, fans mistakenly thought that in the wake of Rollins' bold playoff prediction in 2007 and then the departure of clubhouse leader Aaron Rowand in the off-season, it would be J-Roll filling that void.
He hasn't. He's not a leadership kind of guy -- heck, he's not even riding the bus to games with his teammates.
So, yeah, people boo. Hasn't Rollins absorbed enough of the Philly air to understand why?
As for the team, I have no expectations. That's different from low expectations -- I just can't even guess what happens from here out. This is a franchise that makes quick direction changes (see "1980," "2007"...or "1964") but the direction they're going in now is "none." The bullpen looks totally shot from too much use early in the season, and the offense shows what can happen when a decent line-up has a string of non-career years all going at the same time. Who on this team has really out-performed expectations, other than non-regular Greg Dobbs and team MVP Brad Lidge and, until this week, Chad Durbin?
Then there's the Rowand vacuum. Yes, hindsight is 20-20 -- most of us were OK with him leaving for a too-lucrative contract in S.F., and it looks like most of us were wrong. No one has been able to step up and replace him as a leader, and what this team needs most is direction.
It's sure not getting that from J-Roll.
Boo!
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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