tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post116094120736459149..comments2024-01-31T17:51:12.213-05:00Comments on Swing and a Miss: Rolen ReduxTom Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816668232837298444noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-61373487565015482932007-07-16T14:20:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:20:00.000-04:00As a Cardinals fan, I think it is pretty childish ...As a Cardinals fan, I think it is pretty childish to continue to boo Scott Rolen each time he's playing against the Phillies. One thing I think that St Louis fans have over some of the other teams is sportsmanship. They couldn't even boo Barry Bonds wholeheartedly the first time he came to bat in their last series, much less a player who was traded to another team for whatever reason. I say grow up Philly, you all look like jerks when you can't show good sportsmanship. It makes losing the 10,000 th loss even worse that it was to Rolen's new team, maybe you should spent more energy chanting some positive meditation crap instead of the weak dumb moans of a bunch of lemon faced spoil sports.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1160999787226875882006-10-16T07:56:00.000-04:002006-10-16T07:56:00.000-04:00I don't think fans stood behind management at all ...I don't think fans stood behind management at all in this instance; to cite the headline of my previous post ("Is That For Or Against?") the fans were reacting against a player who left them <B><I>regardless</B></I> of who was at fault! They weren't FOR management; they were AGAINST Rolen. I don't give the fans as much credit for understanding the issues here as you do, RSB. Remember, nuance and subtlety are not characteristic of fans who boo one of the best players (Abreu) on Opening Day for not having been traded. In their minds they see all players as for or against 'em. JD Drew and Scott Rolen were lumped together as players who for whatever reasons rejected them. Being rational is not part of the equation, for them or, for that matter, Rolen. He just wanted out. Bowa and Green are colossal jerks, no doubt about it and Rolen used their criticisms as his leverage out of town.<BR/><BR/>Finally, though I have said this in the post, it bears repeating: Rolen wanted them to build a winner but refused to be part of that equation. <B>He</B> could have been part of the solution but decided to remain part of the problem. You can't have it both ways.Tom Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00816668232837298444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1160999009669785592006-10-16T07:43:00.000-04:002006-10-16T07:43:00.000-04:00I have to agree with RSB. His best line is "Why f...I have to agree with RSB. His best line is "Why fans chose to stand behind the management instead of Rolen is endlessly baffling to me." Can anyone think of another instance where the fans took management's side?<BR/><BR/>Think about it though, the Phillies are still haunted by that brouhaha. In an effort to prove they really really were committed to winning, they overpaid -- to varying degrees -- players like Abreu, Burrell, Lieberthal, Thome, and Bell.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it's not the Curse of Billy Penn. Mabye it's the Curse of Scottie Rolen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1160980591324373792006-10-16T02:36:00.000-04:002006-10-16T02:36:00.000-04:00Well, we've finally found a point of disagreement....Well, we've finally found a point of disagreement...as I admittedly am one of those fans who never got over Rolen having to leave four years ago.<BR/><BR/>I don't know if it's as simple as concluding that Rolen is a malcontent. Or that he was not meant to play in Philadelphia. I think he had a legitimate beef with Bowa, and he has one now with LaRussa (although bear in mind, it's the first blip of discontent he's registered in over four seasons under him). Moreover, I think his problem was the Phillies organization, and I think he had every right to complain about it the way everyone else on every blog and forum has done for over a decade. The team wasn't doing all it could to produce a winner, and there weren't many in Philadelphia at the time who didn't believe exactly the same things which Rolen was articulating. Why fans chose to stand behind the management instead of Rolen is endlessly baffling to me. They perhaps focused on the clash between him and Philadelphia icons Bowa and Green and felt they had to side against him. As to the notion that Rolen didn't like the city: I believe that's a myth. I never heard that either said or implied from him. Things seemed to be fine for him the first few years of his career here. The back/turf issues and the arrival of Bowa changed all that. <BR/><BR/>I think it could have all turned out very differently if the Phillies were a competent organization. Scott Rolen was and is a once-in-a-generation type player (although the Phils are lucky to have at least two others of this calibre on the roster presently); he played the game extremely well, extremely hard, and extremely admirably in all facets. One of the greatest defensive players to ever don a uniform, he should have been the rightful heir to the legacy of Mike Schmidt. In my mind, the Phillies screwed that up, not Rolen. I hold the organization entirely accountable for his departure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com