Jimmy Rollins Finally Embarrassed by Phillies

Months ago in Clearwater, Jimmy Rollins was trying to inspire us all.

“We’re a complete team,” he said with a  debonair wink, maybe.  “We’re not going out there with role players.”

Jul 10, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) prior to playing the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy was confident, and his relentless charm was infectious. “Hey, maybe we’ll be all right,” turned into “Yeah, playoffs.  Definitely.”  Those aren’t thoughts you might have shared with others at parties, or while Michael Young try to play third, but you let yourself think them. Yes, you did.

It was merely the beginning of July when Jimmy said he wasn’t even disappointed in his 9.5 GB Phillies.  Sure, they’d seen some rough times.  Some bad losses.  Some really, humilating, bad losses.  Costly injuries.  Some guys who you might call the “beating heart” of the team being what you might call “ripped out.”

But whatever.  Plenty of time left.  Second half team.  Get ready, a surge is coming.

Yesterday, the Phillies finished a pretty hilarious road trip on which they went 1-8, which is pretty much the doomsday scenario envisioned when you saw they had to travel through St. Louis and Detroit.  And somehow, this time, Jimmy’s confidence failed him.

Jonathan Papelbon had similar thoughts.

Jimmy also stated recently that, “There are still a couple things I would like to be number one on the lists of in this organization, so until those things are done, I’m not going anywhere.”  Which would be inspiring and raucously cheered if he were an MVP, or even top 10 candidate, having a great year and in danger of signing somewhere else.

The opposite is true, though.  So it sounds more like a comfortable veteran, digging in where the dirt’s not so fertile anymore.

In the end, though, what we saw this week was the limitless confidence of the team’s best smiler dragged onto the diamond and viciously murdered.

Somehow, this may be leading to a cataclysm.  I feel.