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NL DIVISION SERIES: CARDINALS v PHILLIESOctober 2, 2011Jimmy RollinsPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game Two Q. Can you talk a little bit about this game, when you look at your team and how deep the rotation is, it's kind of a little strange that you have a couple aces like this going into Game 2. Does that speak to how much you guys have been able to take advantage of the fact that you had this extra time off at the end after you had already clinched? JIMMY ROLLINS: Well, we've had this ace being able to go after Roy Halladay for 162 games so far this year, and it's worked out pretty good. And every time it seems Roy does good, Cliff steps his game up even more so. So that's a real good thing. Good thing we were able to win early that we could settle our rotation to be the way it is now; Roy, Cliff and whoever comes after that, Cole or Little Roy, but we still have to go out there and play baseball, get some hits, score some runs, and when we get out early, Cliff seems to be deadly. Q. You've been here for so long, I'm sure you have a real good understanding of what kind of players Phillies' fans like, what appeals to them. Why do they connect so much with Cliff Lee? What is it about him that they love so much? JIMMY ROLLINS: I don't know. Q. Kind of in a related thing, I know the rotation gets a lot of attention, the starting pitchers. Given the fact that with your lineup, the way they can break out as they did in Game 1, do you think you guys get overlooked a little bit as an offensive team? JIMMY ROLLINS: No, I don't think so, and rightfully so. The pitchers, they get the respect, kind of like the quarterback. When they have a great game and the team scores runs and they do their job to shut the other team down. They should get all the credit, and that's the way it should be. For years we had been just basically mashing everybody, and we always kept saying it would be nice to get some pitching. Now that we've got some pitching, the light is on them; no one in there minds that. Wins is really what's most important, and when you have guys like that, that can be No. 1s on anyone's staff, and I guess they're all 1A, B and C here, that's a good thing. I'm glad we have the pitching we do. It's tough to just go out there and smash balls every single night to win a ballgame. When you've got guys who can lock the other team down, sometimes three runs is enough. It makes it a little bit easier on everybody, maybe except for them. Q. Other than the great pitching, does this team feel different than any of the other playoff teams you've been on? JIMMY ROLLINS: We're more mature in a situation like this with the experience, not being afraid of it, not being shy, knowing how to control yourself, your emotions, and being able to work your way through situations and think your way through situations. So with that, this is definitely the best team, at least being prepared mentally what it takes at this point of the year. Q. Do you find in this day of player movement unusual that you and Shane (Victorino) and Ryan (Howard) and Ruiz and Utley have played so many games together and so many playoff series? JIMMY ROLLINS: No, no one has really had a chance to walk away. That's the way it should be. We have a corps of guys, a group of guys that have come up together and won together, that do what it takes to keep them together. They never really let anybody get to a point where they have to be a free agent early in their career. They usually take care of guys right after maybe their first round of arbitration, they throw you a couple years to keep the team together until it gets to a point, where me in my situation, where free agency is just around the corner. Q. To that point do you find yourself enjoying this run a little bit more personally? JIMMY ROLLINS: No. Q. Is it any different at all? JIMMY ROLLINS: No. Q. You tweeted earlier today about the fans being behind you last night and how excited you were about that. Are you guys all conscious of that? Does that give you guys maybe an extra kick in the pants, like if we get this rolling and they get behind us, that will give us a little bit more? JIMMY ROLLINS: I don't know. We're definitely conscious of it, yes. Not to where you say let's get ahead so the fans can get into the game. They definitely were at the game early, and after that first inning it got real quiet around there until Ryan hit that big home run. It was a pretty quiet stadium, and from that point on, the house was rocking. They didn't stop, and neither did we. So it's a good thing. It definitely motivates you once you get them going, but I don't think you say let's go out there and get the fans into it right away. That's really not the way you go about it. You want to get out early and get the lead and put the pressure on the team because of who we have on the mound and not really because the fans are going to be loud. Fans never strike anybody out or made an error. Q. Everyone knows what Carpenter is capable of, but Garcia has been really effective against you guys. Is there anything about him that poses a unique challenge when you've faced him in the past? JIMMY ROLLINS: When is he pitching? Q. Game 3. JIMMY ROLLINS: We'll handle that then. Q. First time ever this pitcher is pitching on three days' rest. As a lineup, is that something you try not to think about, or does it factor into strategy? JIMMY ROLLINS: No. You know, this is a game of adjustments, so whatever he has today we're going to have to adjust to. We don't count on him not being sharp. We don't count on him not being Chris Carpenter. As far as his mentality, it's just like facing another Roy Halladay. He's going to compete. They came up together actually playing with Toronto. So I mean, they go about it the same way. The big guys on the mound, they want to win. Every pitch is thrown with an intention, and it doesn't matter if he came on back-to-back days. When he's out there, he has the ball, he wants to go nine and he wants to beat you. Now, as far as his stuff, we'll see what it's like when we get out there, and we'll make adjustments from there. You can't say I'm going to come in with a game plan. You know, it can work for an inning or two, and once he settles down, kind of like yesterday they came out and jumped Roy right away but when he settled down and figured out what they were doing, he was making adjustments. So you just kind of strategize along the way, see what he has, and you go about it. Q. I remember a few years ago talking to you, you said that you envisioned this team to be a team that could win on a consistent basis. Could you talk about the transition from this team from one that hopes to win and now expects to win and talk about that ride for you personally. JIMMY ROLLINS: Wow, it's different. It started -- the organization, the moves that they've made to bring guys that have the desire to win and are going to compete every single day. Before that I always said -- it was kind of you were hoping just to be competitive, and then all of a sudden it was you were hoping to win. And then in '07, once we won it, it was like, we can make this happen again. You know, the players, organization started to believe in winning again, and doing what it takes to win, not just to survive and put a team out there. And it's been a wonderful ride. We've been in the playoffs now for five straight years, won the division for five straight years, and the only thing that gets better is winning the World Series. So we do that again, it says a lot for where this team was to where we are today. Q. Once again, Charlie Manuel is probably going to be one of the candidates for Manager of the Year. In your mind and in your teammates' minds, what is it about Charlie that appeals so much to you guys? What do you guys like about him? JIMMY ROLLINS: Charlie is the same every single day, and I think as a player, especially when times get a little rough, you want your manager to be the same guy. It's easy to be nice and joke around with everybody when you're winning, but what happens when things aren't going the right way or the team just can't seem to figure it out, the effort isn't always there, and all of a sudden he's going to change and completely become a different person, and Charlie doesn't. He's the same guy. If you're struggling, you know he's going to run you out there. He believes in his lineup and his players, and that's another thing you can count on. When you come to the field every day, you come with a sense of hope, not with a sense of -- for the player that's going to play some days and not. Am I in there? I got three hits yesterday, so I should be playing or I didn't get any hits, so I probably won't be playing. You know when he writes you in the lineup, you're going to be in there for a while. And as a position player, you can definitely appreciate that. Q. You seemed like you were chomping at the bit earlier to talk about your 49ers. What did you think of that game? And being that you're living here, how much do you understand that the fans are going to be looking to you to alleviate the pain from early this afternoon? JIMMY ROLLINS: The results were great. The 49ers won, Oakland was in LA -- well, the Raiders, shall I say, were in LA before they came back to Oakland, so I had no choice but to be a 49ers fan. So obviously I like results and with the 3 and 1 record, Harbaugh is doing a great job over there (laughter). And as far as tonight, whether the Eagles won or not, we were planning on coming out to win and take a 2-0 lead in the series. So that doesn't change our plans either way. Q. You brought up Chris Carpenter being another Roy Halladay and the connection that they have. Do you see similarities there when you're hitting against Carpenter? Is this the closest you're ever going to come to facing Roy Halladay or us seeing a Lee versus Halladay? JIMMY ROLLINS: As far as the mentality, yes. If you look at them closely, they're pretty much the same guy. They are, they're aggressive, and they're nice guys on days they're not pitching. But on days they are pitching, they're bulldogs, and don't talk to me. And if you show me up when I get a hit, I'm going to talk to you when I get at first, like we've seen Roy do at times. They're not afraid of confrontation. They want that big at-bat; they want to be the man in the moment. Give me the ball. You know, that's what you get from Roy being behind him. I've played a number of games against Carpenter, and it's always the same. Even when he doesn't have his good stuff, he's going to compete and keep his team in the game. So being a competitor, you definitely appreciate it. Q. I know your ultimate goal is to win a World Series. Is there any part of you that looks at this post-season as an opportunity to build your free agent profile? JIMMY ROLLINS: Not really. I mean, I've heard it said, but if that happens, that happens. I mean, it can help some, I think, but you know, I am who I am, post-season, regular season, regardless. When free agency comes about, people are going to pay you for what your numbers reflect, not just for a three-week snapshot. Q. This is the first time you've ever gone through a season without knowing where you're going to be the next year. Was it what you expected? What has that been like for you, and do you think about your legacy during these games? JIMMY ROLLINS: It was a normal season, really. It was never really an issue. The contract, he didn't get it signed, are you getting a deal done, are you guys talking, and that's the way we want it to be, and you guys respected that the whole way. So it was just another baseball season obviously with a lot on the line, but having the team that we had and being able to having to come out and perform the way we did, that was first. That was first. If you don't win, all that other stuff kind of goes to the wayside and you deal with it when it comes about. As far as my legacy here in Philadelphia? It's pretty solid. (Laughter). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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