Is Scott Rolen a Good Guy or Bad Guy

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This article gives the good guy case (for the most part). Says he's a stand-up guy who maybe is too open or wears his heart too far on his sleeve.

The negatives, as seen by the press at least, are fairly well publicized. They involve a lack of intensity, unwillingness to work with the manager, etc., not to mention substandard performance this year.

It should also be noted that the article is not unflattering to Larry Bowa, so it's not totally a one-sided puff-piece.

http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no14phillies.html

What do y'all think?

[SmedIndy]

I think he's a good guy in a bad situation.

I don't have a high regard for Bowa, and I think the Phillies haven't handled the situation well. Rolen probably could have handled it better too. But he's a good guy and will help any team win.

Plus, he grew up on the proper side of the Ohio River!

[soxfan121]

What a fine mess.

It is almost unfathomable how BADLY the Phillies have handled the Rolen situation. At every turn, the moves made by the management side (Bowa, Green, ownership) have further alienated and discouraged Rolen. It's the reverse Midas-touch; eveything the Phils have tried has turned to bullpucky.

Rolen hasn't been blameless; he has been at "don't hurt yourself" speed all season, not hustling or helping himself out of the huge hole that has become his career. He is the worst example of player in his last year with a team; a whining, malcontent in the clubhouse and a non-producer (compared to his previous efforts) on the field.

The Phillies, if they have any sense at all, will cut bait on Rolen in the next month to get SOMETHING in return for him. Draft picks don't work with a new park opening next year. They must get a major league player and prospect to break even; even then they are getting robbed of a 28-year old 3B who is in the top 3 of talent at the position.

Not good times. Bad times.

[CubFan7125]

Scott Rolen should play for the Yankees, he'd be a perfect fit with Clemens & Co.. He may the most arrogant player in the game. His teammates hate him, his manager hates him & his fans hate him. He turns down the HUGE $$$'s then goes out & has a season to remind everyone of Mickey Morandini, not Mike Schmidt. As for the comments that Rolen is a good guy, I have yet to hear 1 past or present teammate come to his defense. That alone tells me something. Bowa is a horrible manager & a hard person to get along with, but 24 other players seem to be able to do it. Rolen needs to come off his high horse, apologize to his teammates, manager, the fans of Philly & every baseball fan, in that order. He has let his personal feelings reflect in his playing, & that is unforgivable. If I was a GM I would think long & hard before adding this "Cancer" to my club.

[KCBOOMER]

Geez, Cubfan, let it out, let's us know how you really feel.

[sweaver]

I tend to view Rolen as the victim in this situation. I have a pretty low opinion of Larry Bowa, so it is easy to cast Rolen in the "put-upon" role.

[SmedIndy]

Cub Fan -

I wish to dispute your claim, by quoting from the article linked:

You wonder if Rolen is too gracious, too articulate, too wholesome for his own good. It's about an hour before the Phillies are to play the Orioles, and he's spilling a good bit of his guts. "It's not much fun now," he says. "I'm ashamed to say it, but right now, I feel like I'm going to work every day. And this game has never felt like work to me before. I always saw the ballpark as a playground, a place to hang out. A place to laugh and enjoy the game, and with that came success for me. Earlier this year, we had a clubhouse meeting. Why? Because guys called it for me. I love those guys. They stood up for me and poured their hearts out. But I don't want a meeting called for me. That's a distraction. I don't want to be a black cloud over this team."

That meeting was held June 12 in Cleveland after a suburban Philly newspaper broke a story in which an unnamed Phillie said Rolen had become a cancer (though the C-word was not in quotes) in the clubhouse. Rolen admits the clubhouse is fractured: "I know where that quote came from," he says. And he knows some players think his situation has begun to overshadow the team. But he still has his supporters. "A lot of us just wanted to tell Scott we would stand by him so long as he wears this uniform," pitcher Robert Person says of the players' meeting. "I don't know where that story came from. I do know a lot of us who have gone to war with Scott believe in his character. Even though he's going through a rough time now, he still plays the game as hard as ever."

Care to retract?

[Fuzzy Bear]

Scott Rolen typifies what happens WHEN A PLAYER WHO IS NOT A SUPERSTAR IS PROMOTED AS IF HE IS ONE!

Rolen has NEVER been a superstar, and I don't consider him the best 3B in the league, not now, not at any time.
He's a quality regular/minor star at best, who is overexposed because the better 3B guys are shifting to 1B or the OF (Phil Nevin and Chipper Jones).

Rolen's ego is hurt, and, yes, Larry Bowa is not well suited to manage veteran prima donnas with out-of-control egos, but the truth is HE JUST AIN'T THAT GOOD.
He's a trip to the DL waiting to happen with his back. He's a shift to 1B waiting to happen, where he won't be as good as Eric Karros is now.

Bowa's a blowhard who'll run his course; a cut-rate Billy Martin. Rolen, with his whining, has made the situation worse; he's a reason the Phillies are losing. He loves the game, we hear. So what? Bill James once said of Rogers Hornsby that he (Hornsby) though about baseball all the time, but it could be a full-time job to keep him thinking about WINNING. Therein may lie the reason why, despite their first winning record since 1993, Scott Rolen had no fun in 2001.

[nyyfanfrombirth]

I agree that Bowa may be hard to get along with, but Rolen needs to suck it up and play ball. There are plenty of things about my job that get on my nerves, but I can't allow it to affect my individual performance. He should grow up and handle it. You can't expect to always be in a situation where everything is sunshine and roses.

[CubFan7125]

Originally posted by SmedIndy
Cub Fan -

Care to retract?

NO - I will stand by any co-worker I work with whether I like them or not. Person stood up for a teammate, not Rolen. From the comment I just read all Person is saying is that he supports a teammate. He said nothing positive about Rolen personally. Baseball players generally kiss each other's you know what when given the chance & I have yet to hear anything good about Rolen the person from a teammate. The key words in Robert Person's quote are "so long as he wears this uniform".

Also, why the bleep does Roken think the clubhouse is fractured, because he thinks he is the most important 9 players on the field & has put his personal feelings for management ahead of his team.

[SmedIndy]

Rolen doesn't need to apologize. Bowa and the Phutile Phillie Phront Office, and Bill Conlin (he of the gravy soaked tie), should apologize for totally BUNGLING this situation.

[TGwynn19]

CubFan,

did you read the same article I did?? Person said "we believe in his character". If that is not backing Rolen and not 'some teamate' I don't know what it means.

[JamesI]

The sad thing is some team will give Rolen a 150 million contract after this year. He is very overrated, he is good, but not as good as his hype.

[RichG]

Originally posted by CubFan7125
Rolen needs to come off his high horse, apologize to his teammates, manager, the fans of Philly & every baseball fan, in that order. He has let his personal feelings reflect in his playing, & that is unforgivable. If I was a GM I would think long & hard before adding this "Cancer" to my club.

What do you believe Rolen should apologize for? I see his situation as being:

1. He's earned the right to play out his option

2. He didn't accept, for whatever reasons, an offer from the team, again, his right to do so.

Why do you think he's a cancer? I saw unnamed sources making that statement but I also saw other people contradict that. I give little credibility to unnamed sources.

[poorme]

He's just a guy, good nor bad. He has the right to become a free agent. He hasn't done anything wrong. The Phillies have really fouled this one up, though. They should have traded him once he turned down the deal. Bowa should have just kept his mouth shut. What's his problem?