Scott Rolen Won’t Be In Attendance When Phillies Induct Him Into Wall Of Fame
Scott Rolen is not the most popular man in Philadelphia. The now Hall of Fame 3rd baseman started his career in Philadelphia. But it was not a great time for the Phillies. It was in the dead time in Phillies Baseball between the 1993 run and the start of the great stretch in 2007. He eventually asked out, drawing the ire of Phillies fans for the rest of his career. It didn’t help that he went on to St Louis, and dubbed it Baseball Heaven. Rolen would be booed loudly every time he returned to Philadelphia.
But now, he will be honored as one of the Phillies’ greats. He will be one of the 3 Phillies players inducted into the Wall of Fame. The others are two posthumous additions in John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter. The ceremony ducting all 3 of them will take place on Saturday, August 12th vs the Twins during Alumni Weekend. But there is one problem. Scott Rolen will not be there.
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Just like he did not play on Scott Rolen night back in his playing days here, he cannot make it to the game on August 12th. Instead, he will be honored in person Saturday, September 22nd vs the Mets. Maybe for the best? It would be a shame if Scott Rolen got booed while they were unveiling his Wall of Fame Plaque. His not being there will likely just make the fans twice as mad though leading to louder boos when he comes here in September.
Play-wise, it is well deserved. He is likely the 2nd best 3rd Baseman in Phillie history. Though there is a very large gap between him and number 1, Mike Schmidt. But given his history here, and how it all ended, it will likely have fans feeling some type of way. Has enough time passed to forgive and forget? Or are Phillies fans still upset that he forced his way out of town? I guess we will find out on both August 12th, and then on September 22nd when he actually shows his face in Philly.
Chances are, there are still some bad feelings. And Scott Rolen missing the actual Wall of Fame game won’t make those feelings any better. Even if it turns out he has a very good reason for not being able to make it.
7 Philadelphia Athletes Who Have Proven Themselves, And 7 Who Haven't
Joel Embiid- Not Proven
There is a lot good to say about Joel Embiid. In terms of talent, you could argue he is one of the most talented guys to every play in Philly period, let alone just the Sixers. 3 straight seasons as an MVP finalist, and he won it this year. And before the Celtics series, many would have said he was the Philly athlete they trusted the most. But there is no ignoring what happened this season. When the lights shined the brightest, he could not live up to the lofty expectations.
15 points in an elimination game. The biggest dropoff in scoring in the playoffs by an MVP ever. He let his team drop 2 straight games after they led 3-2. It was unacceptable. Enough with the excuses. Joel Embiid needs to step up and get the job done the next time he gets the chance. Until then it will be hard to forget how badly he played when it mattered most.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Carter Hart- Unproven
Carter Hart was supposed to be the next great Flyers goalie. And so far, he has kind of lived up to it. Hart has played well, considering everything else around him. The defense in front of him in his young career has been putrid. Hell, the whole team has been. This is not a, he has not done well enough thing. But more of he has never had a chance to live up to the hype. He looked decent in his one taste of the playoffs. Had a save percentage of .926 in 14 games.
Hopefully, soon enough he will get more of a chance. Ideally, Keith Jones and Danny Briere will finally build a good team around him, and give him a chance to grow into the guy promised as a generational goalie. We need to see it before we say he has proven anything though. We have seen goalies carry their teams in the playoffs. Can Hart do that? We don’t know yet.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Zack Wheeler- Unproven
Going into the World Series last season, Wheeler felt like the sure thing. But now? It’s a bit questionable. He was not as bad as Nola in the World Series. It would be hard to be worse. But his 5.23 ERA was still bad. His first start was a blowup. The 2nd start was better, but he couldn’t get through 5 innings. Not good enough from an Ace. To make it worse, he has been a bit shaky this season, even if he has turned things around recently.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Darius Slay- Unproven
We all love Slay. Him coming back, is a good thing. Between him and James Bradberry, they were one of the best, if not the best, cornerback tandem in the league. But the defense is a big reason why they lost the Super Bowl. In fact, it is the reason they lost. And Slay was getting picked on a little bit. You could say the same about James Bradberry, but Slay is the one who is the team leader and the most recognizable face on the defense. The defense needs to be better next time. Starting with him.
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey- Unproven
Maxey is still young, so he deserves a bit of a break. We have seen him show star potential in the playoffs in the past. But we have also seen him disappear in games too often. Maxey looked great in games 5 and 6. But was a non factor in games 2, 3, and 4. Embiid and Harden rightfully took most of the heat for the Playoff collapse.
Going forward, Maxey needs to be more reliable. It doesn’t need to be a 30pt night like in game 5. But can he average 20 pts a game in the playoffs like he does in the regular season? They are going to need him to. The excuses that he is young and inexperienced won’t fly past this season. With a larger role likely coming for him, he needs to step into it if the Sixers are going to fix this.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Trea Turner- Unproven
Trea Turner is certainly a star. He has been the best SS in the MLB at times. But he has yet to really prove he can be the guy when it counts here, or elsewhere. His first season here has been a disaster so far. it looked like things were turning around in June. But in July he went right back to swinging at every pitch out of the zone. To make it worse he is even hurting them in the field. They need him to be a star. So far, he hasn’t even been good.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
