For Love Not Money
'Idiot' Rolen Stands Firm in His Stance that Phils Must Show 'Commitment to Winning'
February 16
Scott Rolen doesn't want to be traded. Nor does he want to leave the Phillies at the end of the season so he can play for a team closer to his Indiana roots. He doesn't dislike the city of Philadelphia, in fact it's quite the contrary. He just wants his employers to show the same tenacity about their job as he does his.
It's show me the honey, not show me the money.
Scott Rolen: "I'm not seeing that their No. 1 goal is to put a winning team on the field. That's my No. 1 goal, and that's why I put on a uniform every day." (AP)
Calling himself everything from an "idiot" to "selfish" and "arrogant" during a high-noon press conference at the Phillies training complex in Clearwater, Fla. meant to be a one-time session to clear the air regarding Rolen's contract issues with the club, the most telling part of what was said wasn't about the gold glove third baseman's desire to test free agency and land a huge contract that makes winning the Power Ball sweepstakes seem paltry in comparison. No, Rolen stated essentially the same sticking points that surfaced in November when he broke off negotiations with the club. He hasn't softened his stance about the ownership group showing a "commitment to winning."
"First off, I don't play the game for money. I play this game to win," Rolen said. "To compete, ownership expects us to give 100 percent. All I'm doing is asking the same thing from them."
Rolen acknowledges that the Phillies were going to offer him a 10-year, $140 million deal that would have kept him in red-and-white pinstripes for the remainder of his career. But while saying he is an "idiot" for walking away from the money, he cites principle as the only reason why. According to Rolen, there just might be too much water under the bridge.
That's because, as Rolen says, he has been told by management that the team will be able to be more competitive in payroll matters and free agency signings in two years when a brand new ballpark opens in South Philadelphia.
Rolen, who cites 13 losing seasons over the last 15, doesn't want to wait anymore.
"I'm not seeing that their No. 1 goal is to put a winning team on the field," Rolen said during his news conference. "That's my No. 1 goal, and that's why I put on a uniform every day."
By now, everyone knows that Rolen can be a free agent at the end of the 2002 season. He says he is playing this year with no guarantees that he will have a job or paycheck next season, but really, whom is he kidding? Perhaps the best fielding third baseman in the game, Rolen packs a rare combination of speed, power, finesse and intensity in his broad-shouldered 6-4, 230-pound frame. Mild-mannered and dignified yet astute and witty, Rolen hasn't fully been embraced by the Philadelphia sports fans despite winning the rookie of the year award in 1997 and averaging 107 RBIs per an 162-game season.
That's of little consequence to the Jasper, Ind. product, who lived every slighted employee's dream, Saturday, when he told his bosses he expected them to work as hard as everyone else. Perhaps that is a bit too "Midwestern" for this modern world, but Rolen is standing firm and letting it rip.
"Personally, I'm tired of the excuses, of the promises that aren't there," he said. "I was asked to commit for the rest of my career, with the promise of a commitment two years from now, with the new stadium. That is not right to me.
"I think the fans of Philadelphia deserve better than what they've gotten over the last 15 years. I feel bad about that. So $140 million is not the issue here. In my mind, (turning down) $140 million makes me feel bad, but I can't get over the principle of giving everything I have without any reciprocation from ownership."
General manager Ed Wade and team president David Montgomery say the Phillies are doing all they can and to a point Rolen agrees. He says he thinks Wade has his hands tied by the team's ownership group and Montgomery who are worried about the bottom line. Conventional wisdom suggests that the ownership group is holding on to the team until the new stadium opens in 2004 and then will either unloosen the binds or sell the team.
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'Idiot' Rolen Stands Firm in His Stance that Phils Must Show 'Commitment to Winning'
February 16
Scott Rolen doesn't want to be traded. Nor does he want to leave the Phillies at the end of the season so he can play for a team closer to his Indiana roots. He doesn't dislike the city of Philadelphia, in fact it's quite the contrary. He just wants his employers to show the same tenacity about their job as he does his.
It's show me the honey, not show me the money.
Scott Rolen: "I'm not seeing that their No. 1 goal is to put a winning team on the field. That's my No. 1 goal, and that's why I put on a uniform every day." (AP)
Calling himself everything from an "idiot" to "selfish" and "arrogant" during a high-noon press conference at the Phillies training complex in Clearwater, Fla. meant to be a one-time session to clear the air regarding Rolen's contract issues with the club, the most telling part of what was said wasn't about the gold glove third baseman's desire to test free agency and land a huge contract that makes winning the Power Ball sweepstakes seem paltry in comparison. No, Rolen stated essentially the same sticking points that surfaced in November when he broke off negotiations with the club. He hasn't softened his stance about the ownership group showing a "commitment to winning."
"First off, I don't play the game for money. I play this game to win," Rolen said. "To compete, ownership expects us to give 100 percent. All I'm doing is asking the same thing from them."
Rolen acknowledges that the Phillies were going to offer him a 10-year, $140 million deal that would have kept him in red-and-white pinstripes for the remainder of his career. But while saying he is an "idiot" for walking away from the money, he cites principle as the only reason why. According to Rolen, there just might be too much water under the bridge.
That's because, as Rolen says, he has been told by management that the team will be able to be more competitive in payroll matters and free agency signings in two years when a brand new ballpark opens in South Philadelphia.
Rolen, who cites 13 losing seasons over the last 15, doesn't want to wait anymore.
"I'm not seeing that their No. 1 goal is to put a winning team on the field," Rolen said during his news conference. "That's my No. 1 goal, and that's why I put on a uniform every day."
By now, everyone knows that Rolen can be a free agent at the end of the 2002 season. He says he is playing this year with no guarantees that he will have a job or paycheck next season, but really, whom is he kidding? Perhaps the best fielding third baseman in the game, Rolen packs a rare combination of speed, power, finesse and intensity in his broad-shouldered 6-4, 230-pound frame. Mild-mannered and dignified yet astute and witty, Rolen hasn't fully been embraced by the Philadelphia sports fans despite winning the rookie of the year award in 1997 and averaging 107 RBIs per an 162-game season.
That's of little consequence to the Jasper, Ind. product, who lived every slighted employee's dream, Saturday, when he told his bosses he expected them to work as hard as everyone else. Perhaps that is a bit too "Midwestern" for this modern world, but Rolen is standing firm and letting it rip.
"Personally, I'm tired of the excuses, of the promises that aren't there," he said. "I was asked to commit for the rest of my career, with the promise of a commitment two years from now, with the new stadium. That is not right to me.
"I think the fans of Philadelphia deserve better than what they've gotten over the last 15 years. I feel bad about that. So $140 million is not the issue here. In my mind, (turning down) $140 million makes me feel bad, but I can't get over the principle of giving everything I have without any reciprocation from ownership."
General manager Ed Wade and team president David Montgomery say the Phillies are doing all they can and to a point Rolen agrees. He says he thinks Wade has his hands tied by the team's ownership group and Montgomery who are worried about the bottom line. Conventional wisdom suggests that the ownership group is holding on to the team until the new stadium opens in 2004 and then will either unloosen the binds or sell the team.
next page
