Manuel talks about benching Rollins
It was just two weeks ago that Charlie Manuel met with Jimmy Rollins about his failure to run out a groundball against the Marlins. So when the manager saw Rollins give less than full effort on a pop fly that was dropped by Mets pitcher Jon Niese in the sixth inning on Thursday, he took the next step. After the inning, Manuel pulled Rollins from the game, replacing him at shortstop with Michael Martinez. While Rollins reached first base on the play in question, he might have had a shot at second had he run at full speed.
Manuel talks about benching Rollins
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
It was just two weeks ago that Charlie Manuel met with Jimmy Rollins about his failure to run out a groundball against the Marlins. So when the manager saw Rollins give less than full effort on a pop fly that was dropped by Mets pitcher Jon Niese in the sixth inning on Thursday, he took the next step. After the inning, Manuel pulled Rollins from the game, replacing him at shortstop with Michael Martinez. While Rollins reached first base on the play in question, he might have had a shot at second had he run at full speed.
"It's up to me to back up what I say," Manuel said.
The manager said he asked Rollins in the dugout if he thought he ran hard on the pop fly. Manuel did not go into detail on what Rollins' response was.
"My frustration grows any time I see anybody not hustle," Manuel said. "It grows if I see the other team not hustle."
Manuel did not say whether Rollins would be in the lineup tomorrow.
"That's between Jimmy and I," he said.
Manuel said he thought that he and Rollins were on the same page after the conversation in Milwaukee.
"The conversation that Jimmy and I had, I think we understand one another, and I hope the guys on our team understand me too," Manuel said.
@Phillyboy....you just don't get it....Manuel's comments about getting upset when he see the other team not hustle are because of the poor reflection that team is making on the game of baseball, not that he's crying for his opponent. Charlie knows in his heart from being a baseball lifer, that no man is bigger than the game, no team is bigger than the game. You are to respect the game at all times, whether it's your team or the opposing team, it is a reflection on all of baseball and should not be tolerated.
Unless Jimmy is really hurting, nursing an injury that none of us knows about....It sickens me that with a legacy like he could have had in Philly and with his own child now growing up in this world, that child and many of the fans in Philly along with opposing team announcers in other cities will have one huge overriding remembrance of what Jimmy was like during his playing career....."he always dogged it"....I can't believe that a professional player making millions, a former MVP, an All Star representative, a Gold Glover and the best of all the supreme media hound that he (Jimmy) is.....wants to go out this way, a laughing stock to other announcers....setting a poor example for the team, the city, millions of little kids playing the game and least of all for his young son. It's a good thing his child is too young to watch this or understand it. I can't think any dad would want to set that kind of example for his children to follow.— Mark1npt- Give Jimmy a break! He has a lot on his mind. Obama and Biden are in a very close election and that has distracted Jimmy. I give him a complete pass.— MDefl
- Good for Charlie.That's the pay-back "Pop-Up "Jimmie is giving Charlie for letting him hit lead-off this long.How many pop-ups does he have this season? What's his OBP? Bench him for a week & maybe he'll enjoy the great job he has,making millions playing a kids game.This is a slap in the face to the paying customers.US— RonGon
- Too few sportswriters in Philly are willing to engage in critical and honest analysis. Say what you will about Eskin, he doesn't offer opinion based on getting invited to the Comcast banquet table. Gelb has some integrity too as it pertains to writing on this site. Murphy is a joke with his false praise of the Stroller. Guys like him are J Stroll enablers and should be embarassed.— wo_fat
- You're kidding, right? Using Eskin as a model of integrity?? He's the biggest suck-up and shill that was ever on the the air.
- JRoll has an excuse: he's only making $11 mill. If they paid him $30 mill he might run. Now he only gets paid to pop up.— 4thand10
- Maybe during his disciplinary "time out", JR and Greg Gross could get together and tweak his "pop-up" swing???— dogman5
- That's a good one! — coloradoeagle
- As far as attitude goes, Rollins has become the Bobby Abreu of this era. Trade him now. The world is full of light hitting shortstops.— TomMedia
- Hustle is basic to the game. JStroll is a disgrace— NewMick314
- The red, red robin goes bob, bob, bobbin along,....JStroll needs to roll right on out of here,.....he's overstayed his welcome,.....wouldn't Elvis Andrus add some real energy to this team??— SyddBarrett
- You dont want to bench him, thats what his lazy a-- wants. Make him bat in a different spot every game until he gets it!!!— huntnmike3666
- I see in the poll on this site that almost 99% of fans agree with the benching of the Stroll. 6 votes total against. Which raises the question, does Murphy have 6 accounts, or are there really 5 other people with such intellectually vacant sensibilities?— wo_fat
- jimmy took the money and ran!! We just now paid him for 2008 in his mind, and he probably thinks he dont owe us anything. That is whats wrong with sports, make them perform, then pay them, dont pay them and hope they perform, its easy money for a brotha!!!
— huntnmike3666 - Well, if they want to trade Rollins that's fine, as long as they can find somebody else to bat .240 out of that leadoff slot, and repeatedly have to have his lack of hustle addressed by his manager for only eleven million dollars a year.
I mean sure, Freddy Galvis can probably hit .240 provide better defense, and would actually provide energy and hustle to the lineup, by yanno, ...fully engaging, and actually competing all the time instead of just after he embarrasses himself like Jimmy does.
But Freddy doesn't even make a million per year. So Rube would have to find some other unmotivated player to overpay with the rest of Rollins salary.— andyd
