Phillies' GM Finds Winning And Class Elusive

By Matt Himelfarb
Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Scoffing aside, Jimmy Rollins is the type of player whose flamboyant nature just might force George Steinbrenner to wedge him between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the heat of media combat. His exuberant energy and rapper-like determination might have him sleeping on the Mets clubhouse floor, which just might mean he could equal Cliff Floyd's influence, which just might mean he can turn David Wright around, which just might mean, (and I'm sure *62 in the forums would agree) force an ".OBP worshipper" and "moneyball loving" person to conjecture that he's worth more than Kevin Youkilis and Daniel Murphy molded into one.

But in reality, Jimmy Rollins' comments aren't all that unique. Credit is necessary where credit is due however, and Rollins took it upon himself to execute his shameless propaganda in a more direct way than, say, Billy Koch's spaghetti like beard while with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999, only to be subsequently followed by a long lasting glare at the batter as an act of fearful intimidation.

My first trip to Citizens Bank Park in June of last year will probably prove to be one of the easiest games to remember years from now mainly because of the things I saw that night; a brawl just off the concourse, a desperate Phillies fan three rows in front of us substituting his own shoe for a rally cap , and three drunken Mets fans singing "Jose Jose Jose", among other things. Most importantly though, their inability to make a Mets vs. Phillies game into a rivalry and their ensuing frustration was a testament to the second part of what's wrong with Rollins' statements: raising expectations.

You might be getting the sense from having already read this that it's a creative writing piece focusing in one team playing the role of extreme arrogance, while the one-dimensional writer refuses to acknowledge his own team's blatant faux pas. And while that's marginally true in the sense that Lastings Milledge and Paul Lo Duca, in the opinion of most Mets fans, have had their share of misconducts, but in all honesty, Rollins' comments really aren't as reminiscent of other local teams and NL East foes that Phillies fans would like to think.

While Rollins statements don't acquire the power nor seriousness to infer that he's fabricating defamations, they nevertheless show no correlation to what other dominating franchises familiar to the fans here have done.

Perhaps Rollins could learn something from Atlanta Braves GM John Schuerholz.

Schuerholz, the mastermind behind the Braves string of division titles, which came to an end in 2006, was quoted as saying in late March this year: "The Mets were a stronger team than we were last year - end of story. We hope they aren't this year. We tried to address what we thought was our fatal flaw in our bullpen and we believe we've done that. Time will tell."

No matter how many division titles and rings Bobby Cox and crew have earned down in Atlanta, their old-school approach in the midst of baseball's cultural war will always draw criticism. But instead of re-hashing old arguments, the makeup of the Atlanta Braves certainly differs from a lot of teams in baseball.

Remember, Mets fans, when Turner Field used to be called the "House of Horrors?" Jimmy Rollins would like to see Citizens Bank Park play a similar role in the coming years. But in stark contrast, Chipper Jones will continue to bash the Mets, but he isn't going to go to the media and read off his lifetime stat line. Furthermore, Brian McCann doesn't need to grow a Santa Claus beard to prove that he's arguably the best young catcher in baseball. When the Braves featured the trio of Smoltz, Maddux, and Glavine, their competitiveness on the mound is what gave them the edge. They are, much like the Mets, a silent killer; there to do business and leave it at that.

The Mets' David Wright was quoted as saying very much the same things in response to Jimmy Rollins's comments: "If that's Jimmy's way of motivating the team, then that's his choice. That's something you're not going to find around here. We don't need any motivation. We go out there and we're going to take care of business. We have the type of leadership that isn't going tot talk about it. We're going to go out there and back it up."

Despite David Wright's good standing with media types, it was a well known internet blogger who probably summed it up adequately enough when he wrote last autumn of the Mets' choice of Takin' Care Of Business - a simple 70's rock tune by Bachman-Turner Overdrive - as their theme marketing-slash-motivational song du jour. Though overplayed, outdated, trite, and not even very good, the song summed up the team's approach to the season. No flash, no glitz, just play, win, and go on to the next city. He was right on the money.

Perhaps Phillies GM Pat Gillick was just keeping up with the Phillies' tradition when he took shots at Billy Beane's Moneyball, accusing that the book was written in poor taste, for doing nothing more than challenging the conventional wisdom which prevails in baseball. Beane had the further audacity to back up his claims with convincing factual evidence. The nerve. As Michael Lewis pointed out, Gillick hadn't even read the book, and yet he's downright unwilling to accept as legitimate what was featured in an excerpt in the New York Times.

Gillick didn't stop there. Publicly criticizing Pat Burrell in public like a fan while failing to notice that Burrell has compiled an OBP of over .380 the last two years. Maybe he does strike out a lot, and is bad defensively - as with Ryan Howard - it was still an immature act which could only be bad for his team's morale. Not to mention, upon signing Adam Eaton, Gillick was quick to point out that he has "20 win potential." Had the Phillies actually proven to be successful, you could make the argument that they're trying the become an "ubber team", much like the Boston Red Sox, who were once again, left in the dust by the Willie Randolph-styled Yankees.

Rollins comments aren't really a severe problem and, like I said, it's good to add swagger and fuel to a series, but the best way to show your respect for the game, and for Jimmy Rollins himself, is to go out and do business. If the Phillies are as good as Rollins says, then they should be able to show the results on the field - quietly.

And yet, nothing will deter Phillies' fans' desperation and creativity, which should mean a lot more shoes on fan's heads in the forseeable future.
 

Any questions or comments? Feel free to email Matt Himelfarb at: matthimelfarb@gmail.com and be sure to check out Matt's new blogspot: www.prospectpit.blogspot.com