Just Like Heaven?

I'll be up front - I'm going to take the body of this post to do a little bit of gloating. It's less than classy and probably should be beneath me, but I can't help myself. I hope you'll indulge me by continuing to read anyhow.

I'm a Philadelphia Phillies fan, and have been for my entire life. If you know anything at all about baseball, you know that means I've been subjected to a lot of losing through the years. The Phillies organization peaked when I was 6 months old, winning their only World Series title in October of 1980, and is the losingest franchise in professional sports, having "celebrated" their 10,000th loss this past season. There have been bright spots through my suffering as a Phillies fan - the miraculous run to the 1993 World Series and this year's incredible comeback to win the NL East being chief among them. And there have been individual bright spots as well.

In the late 90s, third baseman Scott Rolen was one of those individual bright spots. He came up through the system as the Phillies most highly touted prospect, and did not disappoint upon his arrival in the big leagues. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1997, and began a run of excellent offense and Gold Glove defense. However, things went sour as 2001 rolled around. Rolen responded negatively to new manager Larry Bowa, and to criticism from Phillies management and the citie's notoriously tough fanbase. He had also grown very critical of the team's management and commitment to winning. In 2002, with Rolen's free agency pending at the end of the season, he was offered a 10 year, 140 million dollar contract, which he rejected. So, knowing he would leave at season's end, the Phillies traded him to St. Louis mid season. Upon hearing of the trade Rolen stated that he felt like he'd "died and gone to heaven." This, of course, drew additional ire from Phillies fans, and he's been an object of scorn in Philly ever since, being greeted with lusty boos anytime he plays against the Phils.

I'll be the first to concede that Philly is a tough place to play. The city has seen a lot of losing, the fans have high expectations, and aren't afraid to let players know if those expectations aren't being met. I was sad that it didn't work out with Rolen, and at the time said that he was just too sensitive to play in Philly. The parting shots he made on his way out really irritated me though, and I really believed that Rolen would prove to be a high maintenance guy that would have problems anywhere.

So, I've got to ask "How's heaven feeling now, Scott?" For some background on why I might ask that question, see this article. So, here we are, 5 years later, and Rolen is now unhappy in "paradise". He's feuding with a guy widely respected as one of the best managers in the majors, and he's getting heat from a city that, rightly or wrongly, is regarded as having the best baseball fans around. Let's not forget he also got a World Series ring out of this arrangement in 2006, so clearly winning isn't a problem. His manager just laid him out publicly, which shows how bad things have gotten between them. And Rolen has requested a trade out of heaven. Coincidentally, Rolen was about 5 years into his career with the Phillies when things came to a head there. It seems like this guy, for all his talent, goes looking for ways to be offended, and thus ends up wearing out his welcome.

So, the guy is now 0-2 in making it work long term with a major league team/city, and he's been able to find reasons to be unhappy while being at both ends of the baseball food chain. It seems pretty clear to me that Rolen's troubles in Philly didn't have nearly as much to do with Philly as he would have had you believe. I think I can speak for most Phillies fans when I say "Hey Scott, just so you know, it's not us, it's you!" I really hope he enjoys his search for his next taste of "heaven". Maybe this time he can go where there's a little less pressure, like maybe Kansas City, or Tampa Bay.