Dear Willie Mays Hayes
Posted By: Jason L
Posted: 8/14/2008 11:29:09 AM
Dear Jimmy Rollins,
[Profanity Removed]. How dare you call out Philly sports fans. Of course the Philadelphia fans will cheer for you when you are playing well, just like every other fan base. Because that is your job, to do well. You get paid millions of dollars. More importantly, you get paid millions of dollars to succeed about 3 out of every 10 times you try to get a hit. I get paid probably 100x less than you a year, and imagine this...I am actually expected to be good at my job and not fail 7 out of 10 times. So yes we expect certain things out of you...especially you, the "leader" of the team...and when we don't get them it is actually your fault. I know that might be hard to fathom, that something might be your fault, but trust me, it is. If you asked any one of the people in the stands to do your job for you, they would jump at the chance. Stop bitching and do your job, and you won't have to hear the boos, just the cheers.
The truth of the matter, though, is that you are wrong, Jimmy. You don't have to be a superstar to be loved by the Philly fans. You just have to actually try. I know you hate hustling, so this may be a difficult concept for you, but just try to understand. There is nothing we love more than hard working players that hustle and do their best. Think of Aaron Rowand (remember him, the guy you said at the beginning of the season we didn't need because we have plenty of leaders). Aaron Rowand has gotten more standing ovations this season from Philadelphia fans than you have. Do you know why that is? Because he never once felt entitled. He didn't feel like we were there to pay his salary and he was God's gift to the world. He knew he was getting paid to play baseball! When was the last time you had to load a truck or mop a floor? Take someones food order or deliver someone's newspaper. These are the people that come to watch you play baseball (or in your case, pretend to play). People like Rowand, Utley, Thome, Coste...they realize they are here for the fans, not the other way around and they play their hardest because of it. That is what Philly fans cheer for. Not whiny bitches that can't follow the managers TWO RULES! If my manager only had two rules I would be the happiest employee on the planet.
And of course the fans are going to get on you when you do bad, because as was just stated, it is your job to do well. Especially when you proclaim yourself the leader of this team, and then proceed to walk to first base instead of running, arrive late to games, and generally follow up an MVP season by crapping on the field. Ryan Howard is still hitting in the .230's, but he doesn't get booed like he did earlier in the season, despite the fact he was hitting in the .230's then as well. That is because at the beginning of the season he looked like he couldn't have cared less. Now he looks like he has a fire in his eye, like he wants to play and wants to perform. You look like you want to put another gold chain around your neck and hit another home run. You ARE Willie Mays Hayes from Major League II. Not the first one, no, you are the Willie that swings for the fences every time at the expense of his teams success, only cares about himself, and is positive that he is the coolest person in the room. Last year you had swagger, and it led to production, but it didn't lead to people thinking that you thought you were better than everyone else. Just because you won and MVP last year does not mean you get a free pass this year to not get the job done. If anything you should be trying to be better...not worse.
I will close this letter by saying that for most of the season one of the other bloggers for this site has been saying that we should trade you, and I have been saying no it's OK. He will snap out of it and get away from the "I'm too cool to play baseball" and back to the fun-loving JRoll we all know and love, but I was wrong. Many Philly fans realize that this year you are more closely aligned with your career numbers and last year was just an anomaly. They are still probably booing you, and it is too bad you don't realize the reason they are booing you isn't because you aren't the MVP you were last year. I had noticed all year that you weren't hustling to first base, weren't making some of the defensive plays you would have made last year, weren't running on fly balls, and then Uncle Charlie benched you and boy did it send you a message. Oh wait, no it didn't. You said all the right things after, but it obviously meant nothing to you. So now I agree. Until you come back to reality and realize you are just a ballplayer, I would rather take a lesser player than have you playing on the team.
| Jimmy Rollins |
| Phillies |
| Ryan Howard |
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