Get a Grip Philly

By John McMullen

How the mighty have fallen...

Jimmy Rollins began this season hounded by the media and chasing the ghost of Mr. Coffee himself, “The Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio.

Of course, placing the name of a deeply flawed hitter next to DiMaggio is folly.

Joe D. was a legend and I am not talking about any 56-game hitting streak or multiple World Series rings. Yeah, those things are nice but DiMaggio was married to Marilyn Monroe!

Talk about greatness....

But what the heck? -- We all needed something to write about, myself included. No one really thought Rollins had any shot of sniffing 56 -- unless it was popping out in 56 in a row.

That doesn't mean Jimmy isn't a good ballplayer. In fact, in this watered down product that masquerades as Major League Baseball, he’s an All-Star type player.

Now, as his batting average heads south of the .240 mark and he has been jettisoned from the No. 1 spot in the batting order, Rollins is no longer looking for a place in history -- he’s just looking for his stroke.

His replacement in the leadoff spot (for now), Shane Victorino, is just the latest flash in the pan that the fickle Philly faithful have embraced. Listen to the zealots and Shane is Rickey Henderson incarnate, the best leadoff hitter in the game.

Sometimes I think the average Philly fan can sell a line of B.S. better than Anthony Robbins or L. Ron Hubbard ever could. Problem is, they don’t know it’s B.S.

So, it’s time to apply the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep it simple stupid) to this issue.

Victorino is to Rollins what Rollins is to DiMaggio...

Charlie Manuel has already said he would "probably" put Rollins back in the leadoff spot when Aaron Rowand returns from the disabled list. Meanwhile, Victorino will be on his way back to the bench, where he belongs.

For once, Uncle Charlie is right...Whether you like it or not.

-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen1@comcast.net or john@phillysportsline.com