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The Rollins Watch
Sometime around 7:20 tonight a familiar face will stride to home plate at Citizens Bank Park.
And a familiar sound likely will fill the ballpark.
The Jimmy Rollins watch is on. Smoke has been curling from many fans’ ears since Rollins went on national TV last week and branded the Philly faithful as “front-runners.”
It didn’t sit too well with the locals. The venom has been dripping from callers on sports talk radio ever since. Newspapers have been filled with opinions, both backing and castigating the reigning National League MVP.
Rollins actually went right back on the syndicated show the next night to clarify his remarks.
It’s not likely to change the reception he gets tonight. Rollins likely is going to get an earful.
It will be interesting to see how Rollins – and the team – reacts. The Phillies got a break yesterday when the Mets’ bullpen imploded one more time, costing them a game they probably should have won in Pittsburgh. That means the Phils go into tonight’s home stand just a game and a half back of the New Yorkers.
Maybe Rollins and the team can use this flap as a rallying point. They would not be the first Philly sports team to put the wagons in a circle and adopt an “us against them” mentality.
But first there is tonight to deal with.
Rollins might best answer the fans by manufacturing a run the way he did the other night in San Diego. That’s something he and the team have not done nearly enough.
Bottom line? The fans will have their say. But Rollins likely will get the last word, by his play on the field.
The Phils need Rollins to be the player he was last year in driving the team to a NL East crown.
And they need him to start doing it tonight. A bunt base-hit (or for that matter a walk or any way he can finagle to get on base), a stolen base and run scored in the first inning would go a long way toward smoothing out this rough patch.
I’m thinking this could go either way. Maybe Rollins suddenly puts the team on his back and carries them the rest of the way. There are those who believe Rollins’ comments were a way of trying to snap his team out of their now months-long doldrums.
Or he simply might recoil at the razzing from the stands. If the Phils fall behind early tonight, it could get ugly.
My hope is that there is only one instance of front-runners tonight. Not from Rollins’ lips, nor from the stands. I want to see front-runners on the scoreboard, with the Phils posting a solid win over a team they should dominate.
The Phils need to start playing well. And Rollins is the key to their lineup. Tonight, the first of nine games in Citizens Bank Park, would be a good time to start.
And a familiar sound likely will fill the ballpark.
The Jimmy Rollins watch is on. Smoke has been curling from many fans’ ears since Rollins went on national TV last week and branded the Philly faithful as “front-runners.”
It didn’t sit too well with the locals. The venom has been dripping from callers on sports talk radio ever since. Newspapers have been filled with opinions, both backing and castigating the reigning National League MVP.
Rollins actually went right back on the syndicated show the next night to clarify his remarks.
It’s not likely to change the reception he gets tonight. Rollins likely is going to get an earful.
It will be interesting to see how Rollins – and the team – reacts. The Phillies got a break yesterday when the Mets’ bullpen imploded one more time, costing them a game they probably should have won in Pittsburgh. That means the Phils go into tonight’s home stand just a game and a half back of the New Yorkers.
Maybe Rollins and the team can use this flap as a rallying point. They would not be the first Philly sports team to put the wagons in a circle and adopt an “us against them” mentality.
But first there is tonight to deal with.
Rollins might best answer the fans by manufacturing a run the way he did the other night in San Diego. That’s something he and the team have not done nearly enough.
Bottom line? The fans will have their say. But Rollins likely will get the last word, by his play on the field.
The Phils need Rollins to be the player he was last year in driving the team to a NL East crown.
And they need him to start doing it tonight. A bunt base-hit (or for that matter a walk or any way he can finagle to get on base), a stolen base and run scored in the first inning would go a long way toward smoothing out this rough patch.
I’m thinking this could go either way. Maybe Rollins suddenly puts the team on his back and carries them the rest of the way. There are those who believe Rollins’ comments were a way of trying to snap his team out of their now months-long doldrums.
Or he simply might recoil at the razzing from the stands. If the Phils fall behind early tonight, it could get ugly.
My hope is that there is only one instance of front-runners tonight. Not from Rollins’ lips, nor from the stands. I want to see front-runners on the scoreboard, with the Phils posting a solid win over a team they should dominate.
The Phils need to start playing well. And Rollins is the key to their lineup. Tonight, the first of nine games in Citizens Bank Park, would be a good time to start.
posted by Heron's Nest at
7:25 AM
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