Jimmy Rollins Wins Fourth Gold Glove Without Hurting Anything

Shortstop breaks two-year streak of not winning award that was stupid before but is great again now

In 2007, the Phillies were about to begin a string of playoff appearances the likes of which the world had never seen.  The Phillies do.

A core of slick infielders was becoming a powerful force in the league, and…. well, you remember.  I talk about it in almost every post.  I basically live in 2007; there’s a poster of the Phoenix spacecraft above my bed, another poster of a bunch of writers on strike behind my bed, and a post of Person of the Year Vladimir Putin under my bed because I’m not sure how I feel about that one.

A ravenous J-Roll stalks his prey. Evan Habeeb-US PRESSWIRE

2007 was the first year of Jimmy Rollins walking out with a Gold Glove.  He also hit 20 triples and walked out with the MVP and Silver Slugger.  But we’re focusing on defense here, no matter how fun and explosive offensive things are.  Mmm.  Triples!  They are hard to hit.

Anyway, it was the first of a Gold Glove dynasty for Jimmy, as the award would once again be his in 2008 and 2009 (when he committed only six errors).  He his routine backhands and quick darts to Chase’s waiting glove kept both the league in awe and slumping hitters who thought they’d finally caught a break on a grounder to the left side slamming their helmets into the ground.

Jimmy was there; our team leader, setting the example that any replacements consistently failed to duplicate.  He was there in 2010 and 2011, too.  But he didn’t win any Gold Gloves those years.  No one knows why.  Well, he played in, like half the games in 2010.  That didn’t help.

But now it’s 2012, and Jimmy is winning Gold Gloves again.  The Phillies didn’t receive many awards this year, after being eliminated from the playoffs in lower positions each year until missing them entirely.  Is J-Roll’s Gold Glove a reset button for the team; a sign that they are once again healthy and productive and young forever?

No.  But it is nice to see gold again.