Come Again, Jimmy?

No Philadelphia sports fan denies the infamy of his or her reputation for the out-of-towners. It's a tough town in which to be an athlete - any 76er, Flyer, Eagle, or Phillie knows that they have to earn our love. But, at the same time, it's a zeal worth having on your side, and its something for which no Philly sports audience is apologetic.

Of course, it's much easier to put down Philadelphia fans than to find the silver lining in our tough love. In fact, I think that is precisely the reason behind Jimmy Rollins' recent acerbic comments about his most ardent supporters. Finding himself in a season with numbers far from his previous MVP year, Rollins no doubt has been frustrated with his significant offensive slump. What easier way to live that down than to put the national spotlight on the infamous Philadelphia fans for whom the general public has little sympathy? Certainly Rollins was shrewd in making comments that few could disagree with (does fan action affect athletic performance? yes; do Phillies fans boo you if you don't do well? yes;), but he did nothing more than defend himself to those to whom his performance matters the least. Rollins has been with Philadelphia for eight years - his entire career. His fans have always loved him and even more than that - he knows and has always known just how Philadelphia fans are. I think the fact that he chose to speak out against us when his own performance was weakest shows who the real front-runner is. What hurt the most is that he made his comments during an away game, across the country in opponent territory, to media strangers.

I won't ever boo Jimmy Rollins because I love the Phillies and I support our reigning MVP. But I also know that his slump was on him, and I don't believe that Phillies fans have anything to be apologetic for. This is a city that still gives Jim Thome and Aaron Rowand standing ovations after other cities have claimed them. Maybe now that Jimmy is hot at the bat again he will rethink his comments. I hope he does, because it will be the closest he comes to taking them back...at least to this fan.