After perceived lack of hustle, Rollins meets with Manuel
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After perceived lack of hustle, Rollins meets with Manuel
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
MILWAUKEE — The loudest sound in the visitors clubhouse at Miller Park hours before Thursday's game was the echo of bat meeting ball from an adjacent room. There, Jimmy Rollins worked. He hit a ball off a tee for some 20 minutes while teammates watched TV and lounged.
Upon arriving at the ballpark, Rollins was summoned to Charlie Manuel's office for a meeting. At times, Rollins said, there was laughter.
"We have two rules: Hustle and be on time," Manuel said. "We'll see. That's all I have to say."
Manuel was not enraged enough to yank Rollins from Wednesday's game after not running out a grounder to shortstop. They did not chat following the 9-2 loss to Miami. After the pregame talk Thursday, Rollins appeared at the top of Manuel's lineup.
"I'll handle it," Manuel said. "And if I don't handle it, that's my fault."
Three team sources, each of whom requested anonymity in respect for Manuel, believed it was a larger problem that no player in the Phillies clubhouse chided Rollins for his mistake.
"That was terrible," one of the sources said.
Another noted Rollins has done similar things in the past that were easier to overlook with the team's success. Headed for a long winter, there is more criticism.
"Winning kills all," that source said.
Rollins agreed with that sentiment.
"Those things only come about when you lose, and that's the truth," Rollins said. "Nobody said nothing the day before when you win, or when you go from first to third on a ground ball up the middle, or when you score [from first] on a ball hit down the line. So you take it with a grain of salt."
Rollins, calm and relaxed Thursday, indicated there was a problem before he stepped to the plate in the sixth inning Wednesday.
"I was just upset before I even got up there," Rollins said. "I was already out of it. Mentally just upset."
Why?
"It's nothing to be talked about," he said. "It's not an excuse."
Asked if he regretted it, Rollins said, "Sure."
Manuel said there is no use in singling out one player for a lack of hustle. He has benched Rollins for similar situations in previous years. The manager estimated "75 to 80 percent" of players don't run at times.
"Every time I watch a game I see it," Manuel said. "But at the same time, that gets old after a while. You don't have to accept it."
He believed his intended message was understood.
"Everybody is going to hustle. That's my job. That's for the integrity of baseball. That's for respect for the manager, the players and the organization. Everything. No matter who you are."
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Fans better boo the lazy pop-up and Charlie can't reprimand anyone because he doesn't command any respect— shawnmac- What's not being reported is that J-Loll got five demerits this time, and next time it'll be ten demerits.— dasher
- JRoll has never hustled. You're only a bunch of years late doing this Cholly— Dougout
- He makes $20,000 per at bat. If anyone had guts he would be fined that amount every at bat he STROLLS— dimaggio
- He shouldn't have to talk to him about hustle. Absolute disgrace. J Fool— Old German
- Lack of hustle is only one of the problems with JStroll. He also thinks he's a home run hitter and lacks any discipline at the plate. Other than that, he's just aces!— jocko
- In another time and place folks like Jstroll are working in landscaping. They are the last to get to work, the first to leave, They are the guys that come back late from breaks after leaving early. We all know the type. It is what it is. RAJ rewarded him with a new contract for this poor work ethic because be is a fool. Cholly tolerates it because he's weak.— 99markh
- Managers like Manuel have so many taboos about how to handle these things because they are so concerned about "embarassing" the player. He should have been taken out immediately or yelled at on the bench. It is surprising no other players said anything. That's surprising because of Utley and Howard. That shows either the players don't care or Rollins is like the captain so no one says anything to him.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- Ruben Amaro re-signing Jimmy Rollins to a multi-year deal was a worse signing than bringing in Chad Qualls. Rollins was quickly becoming mediocre last season. That was clear cut. JStroll showed his true colors in the first half of the season. This team was buried due to a lack of leadership on the part of Rollins and Victorino. Both guys looked pretty disinterested until about two weeks before the trade deadline. Manuel had better spend the last part of the season smoothing out the bad chemistry in the clubhouse. Amaro has himself to blame for bringing back the devil that he knew. Charlie Manuel could be the fall guy if Rollins continues to dog it. Doc, Cliff, and Hamels don't seem to be guys that take this strolling lightly.— FreeCable4Ever
- Yet another reason why Rollins wasn't able to get a bigger deal with another team and settled to come back with the Phillies. It is a huge indicator of the character of this team -- and why things have gone the way they've gone this year -- that nobody called him out. It shows a selfish team with no backbone.— echosmyron
- Is it too much to ask a player to hustle on EVERY play? Rollins probably earns more per year than all of us posters combined(unless some of you are millionaires and have nothing better to do with your time than post here).— nmlawyer
- Chuckles Manuel managerial incompetence is making Bobby Valentine look good. The sooner they get rid of Manuel and Dubee the better chance this team has to turn it around— rtiannelli
- i'm touched be a man Chuckie either bench him or just move on— 658012
- Heck, money aside, Rollins should play hard every play (ala JP, Utley) for self PRIDE if not for nothing else. Who cares about the hustle from 1st to 3rd, etc....that's expected from a major league baseball player. If you want to endear yourself to the Phillies fans, you have to play hard EVERY PLAY. As I'm writing this, Jimmy just stole 2nd and 3rd base...I think the message has gotten through!!!— dogman5
- "Three team sources, each of whom requested anonymity in respect for Manuel, believed it was a larger problem that no player in the Phillies clubhouse chided Rollins for his mistake."
--The country club mentality in that locker room is all the fault of Manuel. Another datapoint for sending him out the door this fall.— Repubrebirth
