There were times in the first half of this season when Jimmy Rollins would be loosening up a few hours before a game. His eyes would shift toward the dugout, where manager Charlie Manuel was answering questions from a pack of reporters.
Rollins had been mired in a hellacious slump, so his intuition told him that the questions were about him.
"I'd say, 'What did they ask you today, Charlie?' " Rollins said. "And he'd say, 'Please start hitting, son. I'm tired of answering these questions.' "
The imperturbable shortstop would laugh and continue about his day.
"Don't worry, Chuck, I got you," he'd say.
Manuel always had faith that his leadoff man would break out of his slump. Rollins did, too, because when it comes to self-confidence he is always among the league leaders.
Eventually, Rollins' bat warmed.
He hit .287 with 15 homers, 28 doubles, 50 RBIs, and a .336 on-base percentage over 85 games since July 1 and is a key reason the Phillies are headed to the postseason for the third straight year as National League East champions.
Rollins, who will turn 31 on Nov. 27, will finish his ninth full big-league season ranked among the top five in the league in doubles and stolen bases. Even with an on-base percentage under .300, he has reached 100 runs for the fifth time in six seasons. With the fewest errors (six) and highest fielding percentage among major-league shortstops, Rollins stands a good chance to win his third straight NL Gold Glove.
Not bad for a guy who was benched in June.
Pro athletes are proud people. Being benched, even temporarily, is never easy.
Rollins was hitting .211 and in the midst of a career-worst 0-for-28 slump when Manuel ordered a break.
"I feel very free talking to Jimmy," Manuel said. "We know each other. He knows I like him, and I pull for him. I want what's best for him, and I want to see him at his best. When he's at his best, he's one of the best players in baseball.
"His problems were mostly mental. It wasn't too much physical. When you get in a slump, it can wear on you. I wanted to get him off his feet and relax him, get him a breather and see if he'd come back and do better."
At first, Rollins was against the idea. No surprise. This is a guy who says he doesn't play the game to sit around and be in the background. Rollins listened to Manuel's reasoning and said, "OK, you're the manager. I'll roll with it."
Rollins sat out June 25 at Tampa Bay and June 26 at Toronto. There had been some thought to having him play June 27 at Toronto, but the guy who was at first reluctant to sit told his skipper he needed a couple more days.
"I sat two games," Rollins said. "The other two were in my hands. I knew we were playing the next series in Atlanta, and I've always felt good there. I figured, two more."
During his time out of the lineup in Toronto, Rollins employed a novel, gastronomic slump-buster.
"Charlie told me don't worry about anything so I didn't," Rollins said. "I just stayed up in the clubhouse, ate garlic fries and listened to Michael Jackson music. It was a vacation."
In between bites of garlic fries, Rollins hit off a tee in the batting cage. He worked on keeping his weight back and exploding toward the ball with a short swing. During difficult times, Rollins' swing gets long, and he looks as if he's trying to hit home runs, a no-no for someone of his physical stature (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) and spot in the lineup.
