Phillies Should Forget the Swagger and Try Hustling

Two years ago, Jimmy Rollins was benched by Charlie Manuel for not running out a fly ball. Earlier this year, Shane Victorino was benched for failing to run all out after a third strike passed ball. These incidents were supposed to show that Manuel, for all his player's manager reputation, was not afraid to come down with the hammer when needed. This fit in nicely with the media-perpetuated myth that Manuel had this mystical ability to press all the right buttons at the right time.

But the Philly hitters fail to run out grounders and pop-ups all the time. In the week before the All-Star Game, on at least two occasions, Rollins failed to run out ground balls to first base. In each instance, they were slowly hit balls where the pitcher had to cover first. In these situations, there's always the chance of a bad exchange and the pressure of Rollins' speed should increase the odds of a fielding miscue. But in each case, J-Roll broke into a trot halfway down the first base line.

Rollins' defenders might counter that he is gun shy about re-injuring his leg. One response to that is that if he is that tentative, maybe he shouldn't be in the lineup at all. Another is that he has been doing this for years.

Jimmy Rollins hit .250 last season and is currently barely above .230. You might think that he would want to run out every ball as if his life depended on it. He is not the only culprit on the team but he is supposed to be their leader and spokesman.

This issue of course is hardly unique to this squad. But that shouldn't make it acceptable. We are repeatedly told that Philadelphia fans hold their teams and players to a higher standard. Right now, too many Phillies are playing like spoiled millionaires who think that if they just show up, great things will happen. The reality is that this team is posing a serious challenge to the title the Sixers currently hold - The Most Boring Team in South Philly.