Jimmy Rollins News

Phillies' Rollins likely to play in World Baseball Classic
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December 18
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"Derek Jeter has already been penciled in as the starting shortstop on the United States' entry into this spring's World Baseball Classic. But it's looking as if the Yankees star will have a familiar face backing him up. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who was left off the 2006 team in favor of Alex Rodriguez, appears likely to make the squad managed by former Mets skipper Davey Johnson. Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, who will coach third base for the U.S., said yesterday that Rollins was on the squad, although Rollins indicated his inclusion was not yet definite. "Well, I have to make the final cut," Rollins said last night following his appearance on HBO's "Costas Now." "I was ..."
Phillies need J-Ro to start Rollin'
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October 26
Denver Post
 
"That the Phillies arrived back home Friday tied in the World Series is remarkable. They have one win and one hit with runners in scoring position. One hit. Think on that a minute. Philadelphia, considered to have the National League's most versatile lineup, has one hit in 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The players know that if the RISP numbers don't change, their title hopes will RIP. "Our failures are magnified because of the stage we are on," outfielder Shane Victorino said. "All we need is that one hit to get us rolling again." The problem starts at the top. In a slump befitting a slugger, not the NL's reigning MVP, Jimmy Rollins remains mired in a funk. Rollins doesn't ..."
Rollins looking to break out in Series
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October 25
Camden Courier-Post
 columnist Kevin Roberts
"Thwack! Thwack! Long after the Phillies completed their off-day workout Friday, after everyone had showered and left, Jimmy Rollins remained in the batting cage underneath the stands. The Rays worked out. The clubhouse closed. The sun went down. It was quiet, except for the sound of Rollins hacking away in the cage for hours. Rollins has had a bad postseason, and he's 0-for-10 with three strikeouts in the World Series. His swing is not right and he knows it. The Phillies need him to be right and Rollins knows that, too. And so ... Thwack! Thwack! "Jimmy takes it very personally," said Ryan Howard, who also took extra hitting in the cage Friday. "That's his competitive nature. He knows his ..."
Rollins missing pitches, Phillies missing his offense
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October 24
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"It was a big, ugly swing. Lately, it was typical. Jimmy Rollins had run the count full on Dan Wheeler with a man on first, but, as he has done so often this postseason, he swung and missed. Strike three. Strikeout three for the series. Rollins enters Game 3 of the World Series an 0-for-10 hitter in the series, 9-for-47 (.192) this postseason, 11-for-58 (.190) in his playoff career, including last year's 2-for-11 exhibition in the National League Division Series sweep by the Rockies. He has struck out 13 times in this year's playoffs, 18 times in his playoff career. By comparison, Ryan Howard, the Phillies' King of K, has struck out 18 times in the playoffs. "That's the way it goes ..."
Series finally arrives for Burrell, Rollins
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October 22
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Pat Burrell made his Phillies debut May 24, 2000. Jimmy Rollins followed that September. They are by far the longest-tenured teammates to have never played in the World Series -- a mark they will gladly set aside today.Rollins said he never doubted the Phillies would eventually get here, all that time of coming up short and hacking away and falling by the wayside. Burrell wasn't so sure. It's so hard to get here. The Phillies have really put in the time chasing this. And no one in this clubhouse has put in more time than these two. "Some things in life are hard," Burrell said, with a shrug. "It takes time and effort, and patience. To be able to look back at all this . . . if you'd told me ..."
Burrell, Rollins grateful for their shot
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October 22
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Pat Burrell made his Phillies debut on May 24, 2000. Jimmy Rollins followed that September. They are by far the longest-tenured teammates to have never played in the World Series -- a mark they will gladly set aside today. Rollins said he never doubted the Phillies would eventually get here, despite all that time of coming up short and hacking away and falling by the wayside. Burrell wasn't so sure. It's so hard to get here. The Phillies have really put in the time chasing this. And no one has put in more time than these two. "Some things in life are hard,'' Burrell said with a shrug. "It takes time, and effort, and patience. To be able to look back at all this ... if you'd told me in 1998 ..."
To Rollins, October is the ring season
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October 1
Wilmington News Journal
 
"When Kirk Gibson swatted his now legendary pinch-hit home run and hobbled around the bases to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a walk-off victory in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, he broke the heart of one 9-year-old fan of the Oakland Athletics. "That's a bad one for me," Jimmy Rollins said Tuesday. "I was sad for a long time." It was Rollins' first October baseball memory. There are others, of course. Rollins remembers his beloved A's trumping the Bay Area-rival Giants in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 World Series. He recalls Jack Morris' gutsy 10-inning shutout for the Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 Series. He envies fellow shortstop Derek Jeter for his run of four championships in five ..."
Rollins' glove is as gold as ever
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September 30
Wilmington News Journal
 
"Jimmy Rollins won't repeat as the Most Valuable Player this season, mainly because his hitting statistics weren't nearly as good as they were in 2007. But Rollins still showed his immense value to the Phillies in other ways, namely through his defense. You would be hard-pressed to find a better and more important defensive play in Phillies history than the one Rollins made in the ninth inning Saturday to preserve their 4-3 playoff-clinching win. The bases were loaded. There was one out. The Nationals were trailing by a run when Ryan Zimmerman sent a sharp grounder up the middle. It seemed destined to get through and put the Nationals in front. Then Rollins dove, stretching his 5-foot-8 ..."
Rollins again noticing Mets' celebrations
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August 28
Newsday
 
"Don't look now, but it sounds as if the Phillies are acting like the fun police again. When asked about Tuesday's inspired comeback win over the Mets, which involved erasing a 7-0 deficit, Jimmy Rollins made yet another reference to his rival's post-homer handshakes and dance moves. The Mets have cut down on the antics of a year ago, and mostly moved them inside the dugout, but apparently Rollins and his teammates can't look away. Damion Easley and Fernando Tatis were greeted in usual fashion after their home runs on Tuesday and the fist bumps did not appear to be excessive. Then again, the Phillies feel they are the judges of that. "We don't talk about celebrations, we just notice them," ..."
Jimmy Rollins looking for the way back
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August 26
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Jimmy Rollins hoped to hit the reset button and start fresh last night at Citizens Bank Park. He might have found it. Rollins entered the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting just .087 (4 for 46) with three runs scored and one RBI in 11 games since Aug. 12. But he went 3 for 3 with a double, triple and two RBIs in the Phillies' 5-0 win over the Dodgers. He also scored a run and was hit by a pitch. Rollins said before the game that he hadn't recalled a late-season swoon like that since 2002, when he was hitting .284 in 66 games through June 18 and hit just .214 in 88 games the rest of the way. "My body is leading the swing," he said. "Your hands are supposed to lead the ..."
With comments, Rollins takes bullet, begins the healing
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August 20
PhillyBurbs.com
 columnist Mike Sielski
"Jimmy Rollins was the last Phillie to leave the dugout Tuesday night, charging out to the Citizens Bank Park grass by himself after eight of his teammates had taken their positions. It was as if he were inviting a reaction from the 44,143 on hand, daring them to barrage him with boos, but in that moment, there was mostly silence. In fact, the reaction to Rollins was mixed - jeers and cheers in roughly a 50-50 proportion whenever he was introduced, nothing but boos when Nationals right fielder Austin Kearns snagged Rollins' line drive in the first inning, when first baseman Kory Casto scooped up Rollins' hard ground ball in the third, and when Rollins grounded into a 4-6-3 double play in ..."
Rollins says fans keep away free agents
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August 20
Camden Courier-Post
 
"More than once, Jimmy Rollins has broken out his recruiting speech to lure a potential free agent to play for the Phillies. It has never worked. And Rollins, who faced the masses Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park after sparking controversy last week when he described Philadelphia-area sports fans as "front-runners," insists a main reason players hesitate to sign with the Phillies is because of those same fans. "There are a lot of things said, most I can't repeat," Rollins said before the Phillies began a three-game series against the Nationals. "That's their opinion, from the outside. A lot of times they ask, knowing their free-agent year is coming and trying to get a feel for how our fans ..."
Werth lifts Phillies over Nationals
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August 20
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Jimmy Rollins could not silence the boobirds last night at Citizens Bank Park.Jayson Werth had no such problem.He hit a game-winning solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals that kept the Phillies 11/2 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East."It seems to me I hear we're out of it right now, like we're not even close," Werth said of the division race among the Mets, the Phillies, and the Florida Marlins. "But the reality is we're a game and a half back with six weeks to play," he said. "I feel we're the best team in this division. We just need to go out there and play like it."The pitching has ..."
Green throws J-Roll under bus
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July 28
PhillyBurbs.com
 
"Jimmy Rollins might want to head the other way if he sees Dallas Green coming his way. Big D isn't happy with J-Roll's recent behavior, and, as usual, the Phillies' outspoken senior advisor to the general manager still isn't bashful about speaking his mind. "Jimmy and I have a pretty good relationship," Green said Sunday in the middle innings of the Phillies' 12-10 win over the Atlanta Braves. "I'll tell him when I think he's done right, and I'll tell him when I think he's done wrong. "He's done wrong. He's done wrong for the team, he's done wrong for himself and he's done wrong for Charlie." Green, who will turn 73 next week and is in his 52nd season of pro baseball, strongly supports ..."
Will the real Jimmy Rollins please stand up?
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July 25
PhillyBurbs.com
 columnist Kevin Cooney
"Jimmy Rollins carried the 2007 Phillies to the playoffs, picking up some MVP hardware along the way. His alter ego %u2014 %u201CJ-Roll%u201D %u2014 is threatening to take the team right out of the 2008 pennant race. Jimmy Rollins is a heck of a baseball player, one that any team would want to have around. He plays the game with flair and passion. He is terrific defensively, can hit for power, thanks to a pure line-drive swing, and he runs the bases as well as anyone in the National League. %u201CJ-Roll%u201D is the guy who shows up to the ballpark late, doesn't hustle all the time, swings for the fences when he should just try to get on base and then doesn't understand why his manager ..."
Is it really Rollins' fault lights in city are slow?
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July 25
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Jimmy Rollins must have believed he had time to kill because it was only 9.11 miles from La Parker Meridien Hotel in Manhattan to Shea Stadium in Queens. Why else would he leave 10 minutes after the final team bus did for Thursday's 12:10 p.m. game against the New York Mets? "It's the same thing I do all the time -- leave 10 minutes after the bus when I drive myself," Rollins explained in a crowded hallway under the doomed stadium, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. "You can't change the lights." Maybe Rollins visited Central Park, much the same way as Dudley Moore's "Arthur" character did back in 1981. Heck, we all love Central Park. Maybe he got lost and missed that slight right ..."
Why doesn't Rollins get Manuel's rules?
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July 25
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Ashley Fox
"Charlie Manuel has two rules. Two. Hustle, and be on time.You don't have to be an MVP or an all-star, a Gold Glove winner or a home-run king. You don't have to put the seat down, or chew with your mouth closed, or say "excuse me" when you spit. All you have to do to be a member in good standing on Manuel's Philadelphia Phillies is hustle and be on time.In about seven weeks, Jimmy Rollins has broken both rules. First, he didn't hustle. Yesterday, he wasn't on time. When his team was scratching to stay atop the National League East, Rollins was on the bench for all but one useless at-bat, when he grounded to third on the first pitch he saw to end the 3-1 win by - drumroll, please - your ..."
Phillies bench Jimmy Rollins after MVP shows up late
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July 25
New York Daily News
 
"Jimmy Rollins, a pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth inning Thursday and grounded into a fielder's choice, sealing the Phillies' 3-1 defeat. He was, in every way, too late to help his team stay in first place. Rollins walked into the visitor's clubhouse at Shea Stadium about an hour before the 12:10 first pitch, well past the 10 a.m. report time. He said that he was stuck in traffic after leaving the hotel in his own car 10 minutes behind the team bus, which also arrived late to the stadium. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called Rollins into his office and told the reigning MVP that he was benched. Eric Bruntlett started at shortstop and went 3-for-4. "Jimmy and I talked about it," ..."
Jimmy Rollins gets Wanamaker Award
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July 10
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Jimmy Rollins said it's official: He has been accepted by the City of Philadelphia. The Phillies shortstop made the comment yesterday after he was presented with the 2008 John Wanamaker Athletic Award in front of 260 invited guests at a luncheon in the Wanamaker Building's Crystal Tea Room."
Shortstop Who?s Been There Sees Reyes in His Own Image
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July 6
New York Times
 
"Before becoming one of baseball’s best leadoff hitters, Jimmy Rollins had to bat seventh or eighth for the Philadelphia Phillies . Before becoming the clubhouse bedrock, he had to endure criticism from teammates. Before winning the Most Valuable Player award last season, he had to hit .245. Which is why Rollins said he was not at all concerned about the Mets ’ mercurial shortstop, José Reyes . “Sometimes it takes a year or two, but with me, it took three,” Rollins said in a recent interview. “I was the same way until I figured out who the heck I was."
Phillies' Rollins back home the NL MVP
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June 25
Contra Costa Times
 
"Jimmy Rollins was a junior playing for Encinal High School the first time he took the field at McAfee Coliseum in the 1995 North Coast Section final. Those days seem like an eternity ago, he admits, but the memories don't easily fade. "It was a trip," Rollins said. "The fences looked real far. The mound seemed taller. The crazy part was watching the ball come out of the stands (while playing defense). The ball is the size of a pea and then it gets bigger." Rollins certainly has a steadier grip on the stadium's dimensions now. He returned to the Coliseum as a major leaguer for the second time Tuesday, as the A's beat his Philadelphia Phillies 5-2."
Rollins grew up wanting to be another Rickey Henderson
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June 25
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"The Coliseum is nothing new to Jimmy Rollins. He and his Phillies played an interleague series in Oakland in 2005. Before that, he suited up at the intersection of Interstate 880 and 66th Avenue twice in high school, both times in the North Coast Section finals with Alameda's Encinal High School. "We won both times," Rollins said. "I hit a home run here in '96 as a senior." Over the fence? "Over the scoreboard." He added, "I was little. Not that I'm big now. But I was really, really little then." Rollins was back at the Coliseum on Tuesday night, a strapping 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds and a year removed from the best season of his baseball life. He won the National League MVP award and ..."
Rollins at home in Phillies' road series with Athletics
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June 24
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"The sign on the fence in right-center at Encinal High's Willie Stargell Field reads 336, but in reality, it measures closer to 324. Either way, it isn't a place where stand-up triples are born and bred. Head coach Jim Saunders gestures to the placard as he stands along the third-base line, a cool breeze whipping off San Francisco Bay and tickling the wooden cut-outs of wolves that are staked to the infield turf (Canada geese, open field, you get the picture). A decade-and-a-half ago, a high school freshman named Jimmy Rollins sent a line drive bouncing toward that sign, and as he rounded first, then second, Saunders watched in disbelief."
Rollins' remorse refreshing
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June 8
Denver Post
 columnist Troy E. Renck
"Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins made his biggest impact of the season this past Thursday. He did it while sitting on the bench. What happened was, Rollins, the National League's reigning MVP, didn't run out a dropped popup in the third inning. He ended up embarrassed, standing on first when he should have been at second or perhaps third. This was unacceptable to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. He warned his team after a disturbing May 19 loss to the Nationals that a lack of effort would not be tolerated. So, without hesitation, he benched Rollins. In this day and age when even looking at a player cross-eyed creates a firestorm of text messages from agents and concern from ..."
Phillies manager Manuel made his point with Rollins
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