Jimmy Rollins apologizes to Charlie Manuel
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Jimmy Rollins apologizes to Charlie Manuel
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
ATLANTA — The door opened at 4:23 p.m. and Jimmy Rollins smiled. Charlie Manuel chuckled from inside the visiting manager's office at Turner Field. The Phillies lineup was already made in Manuel's head and it included Rollins even before he issued an apology during a seven-minute chat.
"He walked in there," Manuel said, "and manned up."
A day earlier, Rollins was benched for not running out an infield pop up. It was two weeks to the day Manuel admonished Rollins for a similar lack of hustle. Manuel viewed the latest offense as disrespect toward him, his teammates and the entire organization.
Rollins said the act was not premeditated and he reached an understanding with Manuel. The shortstop admitted he does not hustle on every play. "It just doesn't happen that way," Rollins said.
He does not believe it is an issue.
"There's obviously a spotlight on it," Rollins said. "If I was the only player to ever do that and do that in this game today it would make sense. But I broke the rule, like I said. That was the result of it."
Manuel said he briefly contemplated sitting Rollins again Friday. Rollins figured he would play because he had not made a scene when removed and confessed to the gaffe.
Rollins said he had just emerged from the underground batting cage Thursday before his sixth-inning at-bat. He wanted more work on his righthanded swing because he had popped up in his previous at-bat.
When he did it again, he said he was immediately overwhelmed with confusion.
"The first thing was you didn't get the run in," Rollins said. "Second, it's like damn you were just in the cage literally working on that. How do you do it again? And that was really about it. That's all that went through my mind."
Manuel said he could understand that. But it did not preclude Rollins from running.
"I don't want to try to have to make Jimmy run," Manuel said. "I want Jimmy to want to run. I want Jimmy to want to run because you're supposed to run and you should run. That's what baseball is all about."
The manager, of course, knows that is unlikely to happen. Rollins, 33, is rooted in habit. The Phillies committed four more years to him this past winter. He is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game and above average in offensive production.
None of that, Manuel said, justified what he saw.
"That doesn't mean you let it go," Manuel said. "You don't let it pass."
Rollins was asked if he feared fans will eventually remember him for his lack of hustle rather than the world championship, MVP award, Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances.
"No, not really," Rollins said. "They're isolated incidents. From maybe my third year it was already something. Actually, my first year. Let's be real. It was always something. That's the decision people will make."
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Rollins apoligized as he should. If he changes his play Phills fans should just go past this.— Don w- How much longer do us Phillie fans have to put up with this lazy,overpaid, POS! Hope Cholley take his spoiled son with him when he goes!!— Jiminfl
- Amazing to me that anyone would attempt to defend non-hustle. Look at Utley....head down, sprinting every time.
JStroll is a loafer at heart. A leader ?— NewMick314 - Trade him. He's batting 242 w a 302 OBP. We need a real leadoff hitter and not a head case.— otterstratton
- Jimmy Rollins may not be all that everybody wants at SS, but he is the best player the Phillies have ever had at that position. Did you critics pay attention to what he said in this story? He said he is disappointed in himself over his pop-ups, and he was in the cage during the game working to try to avoid another one. So, yes, he failed to run, and that was the wrong thing to do, but stop already with how lazy he is. You don't play 12 successful major league seasons with a .270 average and a .983 fielding percentage if you are lazy.— Dave Clemens
- He's a child with permissive parent. He can keep misbehaving as long as he says he's sorry afterward. He should be embarrassed to sit in a dugout with Juan Pierre, the Anti-JRoll. Listening to the pre game interview with Pierre last night, talking about his gratitude for being in the major league, his joy in playing the game and how he never stops working or hustling made me even more disgusted with Rollins whom I used to love. It's been such a pleasure watching a true professional go about his business this season and has made Jimmy look like an entitled and ungrateful punk. Sadly, Jimmy will never see that.— fhs77
- Nothing in Rollins' comments resonates with the word "apology."
Only9...is that your IQ or your sperm count?— dasher - Didn't we win the game when Rollins was benched? Didn't we win last night, too?— eman
- Get him, dogbiscuit!— dwp66
