Perception of Scott Rolen?

[evilRyu]

I always admired Rolen's work ethic with the Jays.. he works extremely hard on defense, and provided respectable offense.

But hearing Wilner's JaysTalk a couple of nights ago, really showed how he really truly felt about the city, the organization, and the media in general....

Wilner even said from his sources how Rolen wanted out of this country, etc... Here's a blog post from drunkenjaysfan:

http://www.drunkjaysfans.com/2009/09/mi ... about.html

Supposedly, the GBOAT didn’t do much to make things comfortable in the clubhouse, constantly complaining about being here, and telling people how badly he wanted out. (I’ve also heard that he was no fan of the turf—but it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure that out). He was also, supposedly, really talkative when off the record, but would want to negotiate with reporters when asked to go on the record—You want me for five minutes? How about two?—and then would start backing away even sooner. Not well liked by the media types, and probably not missed much in the clubhouse.

Here's the link to the JaysTank: http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/f ... 090831.mp3 (it starts around the 28 or 29 minute mark)

[Hoopstarr]

None of this should surprise anyone. Rolen has had a bitter departure from every team he's been on. And just about everyone hates the Field Turf so no surprise there either. All that matters is that he was a total pro on the field, which he was. He'll always be one of my favorite baseball players.

[Nolan]

I'm really not that suprised and like Hoopstarr said he was a pro on the field and he brought it every game, he didn't just sit there and sulk he played hard.

[The_Hater]

This shouldn't be a huge surprise, he already whined his way out of Philadelphia several years ago and their fans now boo him every chance they get. He's a gamer on the field but a bit high-maintenance off of it.

[SCF99]

I wish I hadn't had read this, it puts a black mark on one of my more favorite jays this year,,o wells he was an absolute stud on the field especially defensively,,,ouch that hurt

[tsherkin]

Personally, I'm going to forget I read this; I don't really care if he was a whiny punk, because I never heard about it at the time and he played hard every night.

[Avenger]

like someone said before, the rep on Rolen was always that he was high maintenance player of the field, this doesn't surprise me one bit.

[tsherkin]

I have to repeat a comment Rooster made about basketball:

"I'd field a team of rapists and murderers as long as they could play defense."

Obviously, it's hyperbole, but as I said, Rolen never let any of this get public, didn't leave in a messy way. He went to management and dealt with them, and comported himself professionally on the field. Not everyone likes it here. Hell, Griffey left Seattle (where everyone thinks he's Jesus pt 2) because he wanted to be closer to his family in Cinci. It happens, not everyone likes every city that has an MLB team.

[evilRyu]

Personally, I'm going to forget I read this; I don't really care if he was a whiny punk, because I never heard about it at the time and he played hard every night.

That's pretty much how I feel... I knew about his "past", but I had no idea that all of this was going on... It really did change the way I think about him, and it's unfortunate it's come to this.

[Peteros]

Yes but how would this affect the clubhouse atmosphere? This is a team sport, and not about individual play. Not sure what to think about Rolen now.

[LieCheatSteal]

He is still one of the best defensive 3rd basemen in this game.

Also, I wouldn't take it personally (ie he hated Toronto). He also left Philly and St. Louis on bad terms and those 2 are pretty much model baseball franchises now. The Jays are in pretty elite company, if you ask me.

[Mustard_Tiger]

I'm a fan of Barry Bonds and would have loved to have him on the Blue Jays a few years ago. That should tell you all you need to know about my opinion of "team chemistry," a quality that continues to be indefinable.

[victor page]

Rolen's a weird dude - on one hand he plays hard, plays hurt and seems to have the respect of all team-mates.

On the other hand, he whines his way out of every town he's in. There's no way he doesn't bitch his way out of Cinci within 18 months. My guess is that his off field drama queen persona costs him a spot in Cooperstown.

[Kevin Willis]

I'm a fan of Barry Bonds and would have loved to have him on the Blue Jays a few years ago. That should tell you all you need to know about my opinion of "team chemistry," a quality that continues to be indefinable.

+1. Love Barry, I would love to have Scott Rolens on my team. But he's not going to Cooperstown - no way.

[J-Roc]

Winning solves all. If this team was contending, Rolen wouldn't care. But baseball becomes pointless when you're his age and playing on a team going nowhere.

[tecumseh18]

I'm a fan of Barry Bonds and would have loved to have him on the Blue Jays a few years ago. That should tell you all you need to know about my opinion of "team chemistry," a quality that continues to be indefinable.

Yeah, and Reggie "straw that stirs the drink" Jackson was certainly universally beloved by his teammates while winning five rings.

Oh, and Philly fans boo every ex-player. If Philly fans were Rap fans (follow me here), they'd boo MoPete when the Hornets came to town.

Rolen was the man for us this season, but now I can better understand why he was traded the moment things were obviously going down the toilet.