J-Roll Responds To Carlos…
Ah, there’s nothing like a nice little smack off before the season. Well, earlier in the week, Carlos Beltran, the formerly quiet-center fielder of the Mets proclaimed that the Mets would win the division.
Now, it’s Jimmy Rollins’ turn.
The small-in-stature, but superstar shortstop quipped:
“Has anyone ever heard of plagiarism?” Rollins said, breaking into a laugh.
The NL MVP treated Beltran’s in-your-face message that the New York Mets are the team to beat in the NL East like a take-out slide at second base.
He eluded it nicely, but mixed in a jab the way some middle infielders purposely land on a hard-charging runner at second base.
“Sequels are never good,” Rollins said, crediting teammate Brett Myers with that statement first.
I like J-Roll, he’s an natural comedian; moreover, he adds:
When a reporter read Beltran’s quote straight from a newspaper clip, Rollins smiled and shrugged it off.
“Pretty good, especially coming from him,” he said. “Because he’s a quiet guy, it was probably shocking when he said it. Not shocking in a bad way, like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he said that.’ More like, ‘Wow, he finally said something because he’s a leader on that team and you definitely need to be a vocal leader.”‘
So who really is the team to beat in a tough division that includes the suddenly overlooked Atlanta Braves?
“There isn’t a team in this division or the National League that’s better than us,” Rollins said. “After 162 games, we’ll be looking to win the next 11.”
How many games can the Phillies win, Mr. Prognosticator?
“We can win 100 games,” Rollins said. “Look at what happened to us last year with all the injuries and all the different pitchers and the uncertainties and we wound up winning 89 games.”
Pressed for an outright guarantee, Rollins said: “I guess after 162 games we’ll know that answer.”
J-Roll certainly hasn’t lost his swagger. He’s confident as ever, and he’s still stylin’ like usual. Rollins carried a fresh pair of sneakers, featuring his nickname on the side, MVP printed on the bottom shoelace and a Liberty Bell on the tongue.
“As you can see, my style is still immaculate,” Rollins said.
Dang, you go J-Roll; thus, let the games begin…
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