Jimmy Rollins and J-Roll: An appreciation
One of the great aspects of working in this industry is the opportunity I get to interact with the people who consume our product. Greater still is the passion those people possess for the material we cover. As a result, I get asked lots of questions. Who do you think the Phillies will trade for? How many wins do you think they will finish with? Why do you talk so much, and could you shut the hell up?
Jimmy Rollins and J-Roll: An appreciation
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
One of the great aspects of working in this industry is the opportunity I get to interact with the people who consume our product. Greater still is the passion those people possess for the material we cover. As a result, I get asked lots of questions. Who do you think the Phillies will trade for? How many wins do you think they will finish with? Why do you talk so much, and could you shut the hell up?
But, aside from that last one, the question I get most is, "Are you a Phillies fan?"
My answer always leads to a long, meandering discussion that follows the same trajectory of those debates we all used to have with other five-year-olds about the merits of existential nihilism. Replace the milk cartons and coloring tables with pint glasses and barstools and it is essentially kindergarden without the naptime.
I have yet to come up with a better way of explaining it than the old sausage factory analogy. Sports fans get to enjoy sausage after it is already neatly packaged and placed on the supermarket shelf. Sports writers, on the other hand, spend their days inside the factory, watching the way the sausage is made. And when you spend enough time on the back end, it becomes hard to separate the sweet taste of animal grease from the process that produced it. Hey, I still love eating sausage as much of as the next guy. I just wouldn't consider myself a sausage "fan."
In hindsight, there are probably a lot of ways in which I could have better worded that previous paragraph. But I assure you that I am talking about breakfast meat. Or, rather, professional sports. While the majority of sports fans spend the bulk of their time watching the three or four hours of actual competition, the majority of sports reporters spend the bulk of their time watching the underbelly of the business.
The analogy is probably a little severe. I don't want you to think that there is a secret back room at Citizens Bank Park where Ruben Amaro Jr. and Scott Proefrock spend every Dollar Dog Night grinding up old ballplayers (although, to be honest, I'm still a bit unclear as to the exact definition of "optional waivers"). The point is, I like to see the Phillies do well, because I like the emotion it produces, both within the clubhouse and the community. But when 45,000 people are at Broad and Pattison on a Saturday afternoon, I'm on the golf course with my iPhone turned off.
All of that is a long-winded way of expanding on the story in today's paper that provides a cursory look at Jimmy Rollins' performance this season as well as his future in Philadelphia. A lot of people tell me that not having a favorite team sounds like a sad and jaded existence devoid of positive emotion. And, often times, they are correct. But players like Jimmy Rollins are the reason why I still love watching and writing about sports.
In my 12 years in the business, Rollins is one of the most fascinating athletes I have ever covered. First and foremost is his raw physical ability. The way he can backhand a groundball on the outfield grass, set his feet, and throw a dart to first base amazes me every time I see it. The way he can chase down a chopper up the middle and spin and throw with perfect accuracy is just as mind-boggling as Peyton Manning fitting a football into an opening the size of an aerobie 30 yards down the field.
But my appreciation for Rollins extends beyond the baseball field. From a sports writer's perspective, Rollins can be a pain in the ass to cover. When he does talk to the media, he usually has something enlightening to say. You just never really know when he is going to feel like talking. After a game in which he does something notable, you stand around the clubhouse waiting him to arrive at his locker, and then you stand around waiting for him to shower and change into street clothes, all the while feeling like you are standing in the middle of somebody's living room. The clocks in the Phillies' clubhouse are five minutes fast. Probably because Charlie Manuel hates it when people are late. But it also makes sports writers feel like they are closer to their deadline, and often prompts them to dash back upstairs before Rollins and others are ready. And even if it doesn't, there is no guarantee that Rollins will talk.
Like I said, the whole process can be a pain in the ass. And if you read a story in the Daily News that doesn't have a quote from Rollins that appears in every other Phillies story, it means that I wasn't in the mood to take part on that particular night.
But it doesn't bother me, because Rollins makes it feel more like a game than a middle finger. Which is how he makes a lot of things feel. Rollins is one of the smartest, most self-aware players in baseball. He understands the way the media works. When he says something, he knows exactly how it will be played in the next day's paper, on that night's news. You can see it in the devlish grin that always occupies his face, like a wise-ass high schooler who knows he is giving his teacher fits. It always seems to me that Rollins gets a kick out of how serious people take the things he says. And I like that. Because in an industry where so many athletes take themselves way too seriously, Rollins seems to have a pretty good handle on the real-world importance of what he does.
Because of this persona, Rollins can sometimes be a victim of our desire to fit everything we see into a simple, compelling narrative. Look, I appreciate unmitigated hustle as much as anybody. There are times when you see him jog out a ground ball or pop fly and know Manuel is sitting in the dugout cursing under his breath. There are times when you wonder why he swung the bat when he did. But I also think that his persona -- which, again, I'm convinced he does not take as seriously as everybody else -- tricks people into selectively retaining the memory of such moments.
Take, for example, his reputation for popping out on the first pitch. Last night, I posed a question to the folks who have made the unfortuante decision to follow my Twitter feed. I asked them who they thought led the Phillies in first-pitch swings, both this season and over the last five seasons. The overwhelming majority answered Rollins. Yet Rollins actually ranks in the bottom 10 of the National League this year in the percentage of plate appearances in which he swings first pitch. In fact, he ranks well below the NL average in each of the last five seasons. And when he does swing at the first pitch and put the ball in play, he is 19-for-56 (.339), which is slightly above the league average, and right in line with his career average of .340.
That's not to say that Rollins is a particularly selective hitter. But while a Twitter poll is not exactly scientific evidence of human behavior, chances are he is more selective than public perception suggests.
There are other examples. In spring training, he routinely stops to sign autographs, not just scribbling his name on a picture but laughing and joking with fans. When he makes pre-game appearances with kids in his program that rewards kids who excell in schools in disadvantages areas, he does not just treat them like a routine photo-op. Warmth does not begin to describe his personality.
Over the rest of the season, watch how many times Rollins heads to the mound to dry his hands on the rosin bag and say a few words to a pitcher who appears to need either a breather or positive reinforcement or both.
None of these images reinforce the narrative of a brash, hard-headed superstar who is too cool to run out ground balls and is not "Philadelphia" enough to warrant much hand-wringing about his current contract situation.
That's not to say that Rollins is a saint, or that he is worth a Derek Jeter legacy contract, or that the Phillies are not the Phillies without him.
The point is that Rollins is a three-dimensional person in a sport filled with two-dimensional athletes, which sometimes can get lost in a media environment that likes its athletes to be caricatures.
Even if Rollins was the person that central casting wants him to be, he is still putting up numbers that will make him hard to part with at the end of the season. Beyond Jose Reyes, who has as much of a chance at signing here as J.D. Drew, Rollins is far and away the best short stop who is scheduled to be on the free agent market. In terms of offense, the only option that would be even a palatable replacement is the Braves' Alex Gonzalez, and he is not even guaranteed to be a free agent.
Assuming Rollins stays healthy and maintains his current production, there should be no shortage of suitors for his services, given the offensively-starved nature of the short stop position. Look no further than the Giants for one such team, which could offer Rollins a chance to play for a contender near his native home.
Right now, it is impossible to forecast what will happen. On one hand, the Phillies have a surprising amount of payroll flexibility next season. If you assume they maintain a payroll of around $170 million and you factor in Domonic Brown in left field, Vance Worley as the fifth starter, Michael Martinez and John Mayberry Jr. on the bench, and young relievers Antonio Bastardo, Mike Stutes and David Herndon in the bullpen, the Phillies would have in the neighborhood of $34 million to spend on seven remaining roster spots: a short stop, a back-of-the-bullpen reliever, a back-up catcher, two more bench players, and two more relievers.
Of course, Rollins will be 33-years-old, and is likely in position to command his last substantial multi-year contract. If he is willing to go to the highest bidder, it could be difficult for the Phillies to retain him while offering a prudent number of years and dollars. In today's story, we offer some comparisons, with the range being the $8.125 million-per-year the White Sox gave Alexei Ramirez and the $16 million a year the Yankees gave Derek Jeter.
That's a big gap, and if bidding trends past the mid-point, than it will be plenty understandable if the Phillies decide they would be better off in the long run moving on to Plan B.
Whatever happens, for two more months, we will still have the pleasure of watching Rollins play.
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like jimmy said this is a bussness sucked in 2008 sucked in 2009 sucked in 2010 belowe average in 2011. time to make a move goodbye jimmy see you in san fran.— ocpop- "Murph, did I miss something or didnt you answer who leads the Phillies in first pitch swings after you posed the question? You answered where he ranks in the NL, but thats not what you asked."
— Norf77, on page 5
I'm dying of laughter over here!
— G FORCE - i don't no what you people are watching rollins been going down hill since 2009 he's a 250 hitter maybe he'll hit 260 this year but i doubt it his feilding has slowed down howard has saved him at least 25 throwing errers he's a rally killer we dont need him save 9 mil. and bring up glavs send jimmy off to san fran. we dont need him.— ocpop
- You look like you can swallow some sausage.— KINGOFZED
- I'm not sure why the Phillies should compensate Rollins for past years of service. He signed a contract to play for a certain amount of money those years....end of story. His next contract should have nothing to do with the past contracts, only with what his future performance will be. Given that Rollins will be 33 yrs old in November, I do not believe he is worth a top-of-the-line deal. Alexei Ramirez is basically 3 years younger and will be much more productive than J-Roll over that time period. Why pay Rollins MORE than him? I'd say 2-3 years at an average of $6 million is more than fair. Don't forget, while his stats are up this year, he is coming off several down years.— MrPhillie
*catalyst- Definitely would love to have J Roll back here next year. In so many ways, he is a catlyst for what this Phillies team has become.
I will remember the "We're the team to beat." proclamation for the rest of my life. - Some points about comments about the Yankees and Jeter; the Yankees weren't dumb for re-signing Jeter to a high number; they were dumb for overpaying A-Rod and Soriano and AJ Burnett, waving goodbye to Andy Pettitte, and refusing to meet Seattle's price for Cliff Lee. Murph, this is a very good piece on Rollins; even though it's long, it is very informative and shows a bit of the man who is definitely the best Phils' SS in the last 50 years. It would be nice, at some point, for Chase Utley to talk about how good it has been to play with a SS like Jimmy, since Rollins has NEVER been hesitant to compliment Utley, or any other player on this team who has played well.— 76erfn
- He's gone in my opinion. Somebody will overpay for him (Boston, SanFran, even the Mets if they can't resign Reyes). Why do you think the Phillies kept Martinez? I think he'll be given the chance to be a regular SS and look for the Phillies to acquire a veteran SS like Scutaro or Orlando Cabrera or the Brave's Gonzalez as a plan B, or maybe even Plan A until Galvis is ready. Also, why do you think they promoted Galvis to AAA? Te acquisition of Pence makes losing Rollins more acceptable because the offense will continue to be good and more balance also with a platoon of Brown and Mayberry on LF, which hopefully will be more consistent and dynamic with the youth and athleticism these two players will bring that in the past 2 years.— EL Zorro
- If J-Roll goes to the Giants Phillies' fans will instantly hate him. Hope they can re-sign him, but from his comments he's going to the highest bidder which is likely not to be the Phils.— PhanNan
- GOTTA RE-SIGN J-ROLL, PLAN B DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A VERY GOOD OPTION— frisch16
- 5Not4's stats on his defense confirm what I thought, which is that he projects to a slightly above average shortstop over the next three years. However, he does have the Phillies over a barrel. Utley, Howard, Ruiz, Halliday, Lee, will all be 32 or older next year. Vitorino and Madson (who will likely be elsewhere) will be 31. A remarkable core, but it only has another year or two. Even average shortstops do not grow on trees, and it's hard to win with one who's below average. Unless Galvis improves his hitting dramatically, we have to give Rollins what he wants for two years.— altoonaaslan
- Oops, prime years. I got confused after seeing a Deion Sanders commercial.— EL Zorro
- Jimmy has been great for this franchise. There is not coincidence the team became pretty good in its way to being a dynasty with his arrival. He's still one of the best defensive SS in the game. He's also been underpaid. Which means, he'll want a big contract ($12+ per for 3 or 4 years, I'm guessing), this being most likely his last significant one. So say good bye to Jimmy. Sooner or later his legs, his best asset, will betrayed him (he's already having issues). So his range and base running ability will decline, which eventually and/or most likely will take him out of the lead off spot for good, I think, unless the manager will ignore that. Do you bat him second? He doesn't make enough contact nor has the discipline or fundamentals to hit 2nd. Do you think he'll welcome the idea of bunting the runners over or hit the other way to advance the runners? Then, where would he bat? Since his MVP season, he hasn't being the same player. Yes, you could say he rebounded nicely this season. Remember this is his contract year. But he batted .250 and .243 the prior two seasons and last year he only played in 88 games. In 2009, he played 155 games and had an .296 OPB. He's batting .263 with 13 HRs and 53 RBI, but that was after a pretty good July when he almost double his HR total (6) and had a .312 BA with and OPS of .898. In May and June, he batted .242 and .239, respectively. In August he's hitting .227 with an .669 OPS. I think he deserves to finish his career here. But he's not the same player of 3 or 4 years ago, even though he's still young enough (the so called prime time years) and he will want to get paid like the player he was back then. This will be a difficult decision for Ruben Amaro, who also has a other important decisions this off-season on Hamels, Madson and Oswalt, Pence and the other players eligible for salary arbitration— EL Zorro
- I agree with those who say Rollins is one of the smartest and most anlytical of ballplayers. I like that he knows the history of his sport and the great players. I just think it doesn't always translate on the field. Given his ability and baseball awareness, we want more from him. Still, in his tenure, and face it, SS can be big leadership position, the Phils became competitive and then champions. His play and his leadership mattered a great deal. Still, now as he is fading, it's tough to commit big dollars and someone will offer him 4 years and 40+ million. Hate to lose him but hate to add another aging contract that will limit future FA signings or keeping younger players.— Eephus
- Maintaining a rabid fan base that is willing to shell-out the merchandising dollars, as well as continue to fill CBP nightly and lead the way in TV viewership, may require something on the order of a Derek Jeter contract.
Replacing JR will be easily as difficult as it was replacing Michael Jack...— Phiggles - Murph, did I miss something or didnt you answer who leads the Phillies in first pitch swings after you posed the question? You answered where he ranks in the NL, but thats not what you asked.— Norf77
Comment removed.- 3Years...33 million...you heard it here phirst:)— PhilsFN1
- I appreciate Jimmy Rollins a great deal and I appreciate this recognition of what he brings to the table. I've never believed it was purely a coincidence that the Phillies began to turn it around and redefine their image the moment Rollins became an everyday player for this team. His presence and energy on the field is invaluable. He has been a pure joy to watch for a full decade, a total credit to the game and the organization, and he is easily my favorite Phillie. And you know, I really hate to be the first one to bring up the fact of his race and hip-hop intro music as a correlation to his lack of popularity relative to some other notable players on the team, but guess what.— RickSchuBlues
- Murph--I really like the behind the scenes insight into Rollins. I think you should have mentioned that on the day Rollins was given his last contract, he decided that was a good time to mention that it would be nice to end his career on the West Coast. My uneducated guess is that he still feels that way and I can say him basking in the irony and ire that would follow his move to the Giants. I also think you should have waited for the LSD to wear off before you wrote the beginning of this column.— VicM
- Your 2012 payroll numbers are way off. Assuming, as you do, that the Phillies re-sign Hamels, Pence and Kendrick for reasonable raises, they will have about $32 million to spend for the last 7 players, not $54 million. I think you must have used the players' 2011 salaries.— larryg
- Comment removed.
- The years have not affected his throwing arm. The infield hits he takes away obviously saves runs and games. The Phils don't need a three year situation even remotely similar to the Jeter deal. Hope it's a win win for both sides when the smoke clears, but my guess is the Jayson Werth contract is too fresh for that to happen.— escapedcamden4monterey
- I love J-Roll, but that article was a CHORE to read. I'm not really sure David Murphy should be continuing in his sports writing career. No one reading an article about the merits of the Phillies shortstop wants to read the phrase existential nihilism. Do you actually have an editor or did the Daily News lay him or her off?
Trudging through this I wanted to mark up my computer screen with a red pen and then send you a gift certificate to an online journalism course.
Or hit you over the head with a sausage - to render you less pretentious.
— bingbangbong - Couldn't agree more. I love the man. Phillie for life.— akaufman16
- Wow, sounds like being a beat writer is tougher than being a rocket scientist!— jck
- Jroll needs to finish his career as a Phil; sign him now. Only Reyes is a worthy replacement, and he's not going anywhere.
- The experts have explained to us how highly advanced metrics show that Vance Worley will inevitably regress to be no better than J. Happ. If Vance Worley is no better than J. Happ next season and the Phillies do not re-sign Roy Oswalt because they feel he is too injury prone, it won't matter if Jimmy Rollins has an MVP season in 2012 because the Phillies will not have enough starting pitching to beat the Braves or Giants.— Freedom Fries
- What! to hit pop ups all the time. Time to find his replacement.— eaglesman1
- If you let JRoll walk you'll lose:
1. A great defensive SS that'll be difficult to replace
2. A SS that has pop which will be very hard to replace
3. One of the 2 Phillies' (along w/Chooch) clubhouse leader which will be extremely hard to replace.
Many fans are willing to lose all of that just because they don't like a guy's demeanor. They long for the return of Larry Bowa. - Jimmy Rollins is a class act, we would be at major loss as an organization and a city.— GardenGuru
- Next time Rollins hustles to first on an infield grounder will be the first time.Watch Raul on the same type play and see the difference.— youwish
- It's hard to say for sure, but I would say that J Roll is one of, if not the, clubhouse leaders for this team. Seems like all the guys, from superstar Ryan to the rookies, respect him and listen to him.That's as important as RBI in thinking about an extension. And besides, the guy is CLUTCH! Game 3 of the 09 NLCS, Rollins beats Broxton and wins the game, meanwhile manny's in the showers.CLUTCH BABY!!!— Cheesedog
- I really feel Rollins has been told to take it easy on his legs when he is making a sure out. He has played all year so it has worked.
— fish1463 - There is nothing funnier than when someone calls a statistical category(usually a convoluted useless category) "Advanced" as if simply callignit advanced metruics makes it an accurate gauge. For all the spinmakers out there., let's lease poitn out that BillyBall has never come home to roost. It may have looked like the A's were using some new statistics to make a team but really it was just luck that the A's developed three great young pitchers at the time when Billy was revolutionizing(lol) the analysis of the game. Have the A's been able to continue putting out good teams? NO! Pointis there is no more useless "advanced" stats than defensive stats. Rollins is one of the top two defensive shortstops of the last 20 years, no matter what lame statistical category some geel dreams up.— UncleStosh
- Maybe it's unfair but I won't read any of your articles anymore. I always felt reading your articles that you weren't a true fan of the game but now that you have confirmed it, i don't really feel the need to reaqd what you have to write about a subject that you aren't passionate about. have you thought about taking upa new profession or transfering to a different section of the paper?— UncleStosh
- we have to re-sign Rollins. He is so steady on the field, and has good pop at the plate. He deserves a 2 to 3 yr deal, somewhere around 10 to 12 mill per year. That should get it done
— recoveryroad - Comment removed.
- 5NOT4: Excuse me, I was looking at the list as sorted by age. But if you look at some of the more advanced fielding statistics, Jimmy scores about the middle of the pack--and in some instances, below average. That said, I think Jimmy deserves to be re-signed. But, I think he's going to want 3 years at about $12 million per, and I don't know if that's worth it.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- It just stands to reason that we will need his offense for a couple more years, otherwise they could make Valdez the starter.— TBear
- Got lost with existential nihilism and its relationship to resigning a moody shortstop. Sorry Murph, I could not run this one out.— NewMick314
- Most overrated athlete in the history of Philadelphia sports...this guy is an above average to good player who thinks his is (and is treated like) as superstar. It's one of the strangest things in Philadelphia sports. If he would shut his mouth and bat 8th, I'd feel differently.....but his ego and mouth make him quite unlikable in my book. Murph must have hit his head before writing this article....— Blackbird32
- Rollins may not pop up on the first pitch a lot. But he does pop up too much for a leadoff hitter.— psu05
- I have no idea what you intended to convey in these 25 paragraphs, & 1829 words. Such fog is exceeded only by your opinion of yourself - uh, seemingly or perhaps - unseemingly. Can I have my time back, please?— defg0003
- You could have deleted the first 7 paragraphs and still got the point of this article.— 46 and 2
- Great article, Murph. I hope the Phillies find a way to resign Rollins. If there is a face of this team it is Rollins. Watching him run the bases, when he is actually running, is a true joy. I hope every Phillies fan understands that he has played wonderfully well for this team at a discount for many years. I hope the Phillies "show him the money."
— ruswalsh - Interesting take on Rollins and a good read. He should probably be offered an extension at $10M/yr for 3 years (or similar). Any more than $30M invested in him at this age is too much. Maybe even $30M is too much, the more I think about it...— Sam Crow
- ATSIPRAS gets it. Which is refreshing. Sometimes, I am truly embarrassed for some of my so-called Philly Fan brethren. Seriously.— 5NOT4
- I realize that this is a generalization, but here goes: All you Rollins haters/bashers are absolutely clueless, evidently don't truly understand the game, and frankly are embarrassing yourselves. Straight up. If you have an argument, please provide stats to back it up, as I have earlier in this comment string.— 5NOT4
- People, put your thoughts of JRoll aside and if you can have a fantasy draft, who would you put at SS? Now, take those five guys or so you have above JRoll, and who is available? Since Jose Reyes spends more time on the DL than most and will demand Carl Crawford type dollars, Jimmy is our best bet. That doesn't include what he does for the team. To steal a line from Reggie Jackson, "He's the straw that stirs the drink!"— atsipras
- ANDREW, Um, not sure exactly where the link lands you, but sort on Fielding Percentage, THEN GET BACK TO ME, BRO'!— 5NOT4
- darn it, David. I only have an hour for lunch. :). I think J-Roll should be re-signed only because there is no one else out there that's better. Reyes is a hot dog and I doubt the other 24 players want to learn different hand shakes. No one questions J-Rolls Defense, he just has to step it up offensively.— palmyra21
- Sorry Murph - Never been a big fan of EggRoll - while I agree he is outstanding defensively - especially the cannon arm, he drives me nuts at the plate and the lack of hustle. If they can keep him at a reasonable number, I'm okay with him. BTW, can you do an article on McCarthy and how he got [and keeps] his job? He really has to have dirty laundry on somebody in the front orifice...— ratherlistenontheradio
- 5NOT4: So, this season, there are 91 shortstops who are better than Jimmy Rollins? Is that what those numbers suggest? And in 2008, there were 111 shortstops who were better than Rollins? That's what you're saying (or, rather, Baseball Reference is saying)?— andrewfrombrooklyn
- I have no idea what all the baseball-reference links were supposed to prove. But if you look at wins above replacement, which combines offensive and defensive numbers, the only two shortstops in the NL who are having better years than Rollins this year are Tulo and Reyes. — phillyl0
- TAYJMILANO - U R a tool of the highest order. Congratulations!— 5NOT4
- So after the first few paragraphs youve already forgotten to an 'of' in the "I get asked lots questions" sentence. You forgot to put the word 'the' in "shut hell up" and you spelled kindergarTen with a D. Since nobody else at philly.com proofread this ill let you know what else is found when im done reading.— tayjmilano
- Mr. Grammarian, let me suggest to you commas and apostrophes followed by your own proofreading for missing words. #glasshouses
- What it says to me it that while loyal and rabib. Our fan base is stupid and lazy by generalizing a meme about players. Cole Hamels isnt tough, Howard is over rated, Jroll pops out Andy Reid cant coach. etc etc. I think people should enjoy sports for the entertainment and especially lately in Philly our sports have been really good. Enjoy the players and the run (it wont last forever).— CSpangler
- Count me in as someone who wants to resign Rollins. That said, he can forgot about Jeter type money. Just b/c the Yankees are idiots doesn't mean we have to follow suit. While J-Roll has been comparatively underpaid, that's his problem not ours. We should make a competitive bid but at the end of the day it's up to Jimmy. If he want's to retire with the Phils, play for a serious WS contender for the balance of his career then he'll stay even if it means we're not the top bidders. If he wants the money at this point in his career (which I wouldn't begrudge him), then he'll probably leave b/c someone will overpay like Nats did last year for Werth. Phils could probably live with something around 25M for 2 years. I don't think Jimmy would. He'll want the 3rd year and that's were the negotiations will either sink or swim. If they win the WS this year, it might be a little easier to swallow the 3rd year (at least for me).— DennyP
- Nice article, Dave. Really enjoy hearing the behind the spotlight personality for these players, particularly Rollins who I'm sure will have a long career in broadcasting when he's done playing.— soupscool0
- Russ - that's pretty much what writing is. Ex: Captain Ahab was obsessed with a whale. He died at sea. The End.— dmurph003
- looks like he's popping it up in that picture— bitlrc
- Here are the MLB SS (team) fielding ratings for 2008 - 2011:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-specialpos_ss-fielding.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2009-specialpos_ss-fielding.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2010-specialpos_ss-fielding.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2011-specialpos_ss-fielding.shtml
Any questions about J-Rolls defense? Offense to follow...
— 5NOT4 - He didn't earn the nickname "2 pitch Jimmy" by swinging at the 1st pitch Murph. Btw, this is a great piece on Rollins and will help many clueless fans out there to better understand the man. He is a tremendous credit to the city and the team. Thay have to re-sign him. But I will still reserve the right to scream at the tv when he doesn't run hard to 1st....or swings at ball 2 only to pop it up...because after all, he is "2 pitch Jimmy" to me.— Mark1npt
- Murph used 25 paragraphs to say what he could have in two.— Russ
- Loved the article, but at the same am disapointed that you don't share my passion for the season. The good thing about reading articles here is that it's coming from one of our own. Well at least I thought...*sniff* *sniff*.
Keep on writing though...you're doing great *blows nose*— MFPhils - I love J-Roll! Even though he is a California guy, he completely assimilated himself into the Philly sports scene, and has been and remains a Philly-type player. He is the perfect blend of talent, confidence, brashness, playfulness and heart for this city. Furthermore, at this juncture, the Phillies MUST sign him to an extension. Must! Our window is what, 3-4 years? He needs to be here for it. He has earned it, and he is absolutely and unquestionably the best option for this team. For those of you who feel differently, who do you propose we sign at SS? Reyes? Puh-lease. He is NOT a Philly-type player. He is a good player, but when you consider talent, personality, heart, etc. Reyes can't hold Rollins' jock strap. Period.— 5NOT4
- I've watched more games this year than in the past, and really have come to rediscover how great J-Roll is in the field. He's one of the reasons the pitching staff is so good. They've got to wrap this guy up as a Phil for the rest of his career.— rags
- "Hey I still love eating sausage..."— FABER
