War of words good for Phils

By Michael Rushton

In case you haven't heard, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins sparked a "war of words" when he not once, but twice stated that Philly was the team to beat in the NL East.

And I say bravo.

In one sentence, Rollins established what the clubhouse leaders before him could not; an identity. Even if it is one of arrogance and confidence, so be it.

Like it or not, with the exits of Mike Lieberthal , Randy Wolf, Jim Thome and even David Bell, this team, or the clubhouse at least, is J-Roll's.

And I say bravo.

Much like the Flyers or the 76ers without Allen Iverson, the Phillies have lacked identity for who knows how long. Scott Rolen, Pat Burrell, Jim Thome; all boring by nature. Players, sure, but boring non the less. A blue-collar working attitude can only take you so far.

And is what Rollins said really that bad? In essence, he just put the rest of the league on notice that the Phillies believe they are going to be a force in the league this year. Except he didn't wait until the the bats were swinging to do so.

What would the conservatives have had Rollins say. Something like this?

"Well, we really improved this offseason but the Mets and the Braves are still the teams to beat in the East."

In other words, we are still Atlanta and New York's doormats until further notice.

Nope, the slick Oakland native boldly claimed instead that his team, a club that hasn't sniffed the playoffs since 1993, are the new powerhouses.

And I say bravo.

Even the fallout of the event wasn't that bad. Sure, the media and some fans got all up and arms about Rollins' statement. But the Mets seemed to take it in stride.

Neither David Wright, Carlos Beltran, manager Willie Randolph or even the dreaded Billy Wagner seemed to be fazed by Rollins' comments. Wright and Beltran even went on to say what a good guy they think Rollins is.

No one threatened to target Rollins, or even worse Ryan Howard, in the batters box when the two clubs meet on April 9. No one insulted the Phillies' weak bullpen or brought up the year 1993. Heck, no one even threatened to take Cole Hamels out drinking at the local New York bars.

The Mets know what Rollins is trying to do for his club, and unlike the media, they don't care.

Now it will be up to Rollins and company to make good on those words in early April, a month that has not been kind to Philadelphia over the years. But thanks to Rollins' words, they should trot into the Big Apple with a little swagger and attitude. And hopefully they'll leave with it as well.

And I say bravo.

Taunt Michael Rushton with your war of words at mrushton@phanaticmag.com