The lynchpin known as Aaron Rowand
August 30, 2007
| By Sean Catzin
| 
Discuss
In a day and age in which players find themselves worrying more about the number of zeros in their paycheck than the idea of winning, it’s a lucky team that finds a player that thinks the other way around. So imagine the envy of all those looking at the Phillies roster, and finding names like: Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand, and Shane Victorino, just to name a few. That’s two all-stars, and an up and comer, all of whom would run through a wall for his team if it meant a win. With Utley in the first year of a brand new seven-year deal, and Victorino under the control of the team for a few years with arbitration, things appear to be looking good for the Phils franchise. However, with the final months winding down, so does the amount of time Philadelphians have to see the last of that group in red pinstripes. It’s a sad thing to see such a talent walk away with no compensation, but it appears it could be the fate of this poor city.
Since the days of Lenny Dystra manning centerfield for the Phillies teams of the early ‘90s, the franchise has been through a bit of a revolving door at that position. They range from the laughable Ricky Otero, wannabe flash in the pan Doug Glanville, followed by the disappointing Marlon Byrd, and most recently sporting the stopgap pairing of Jason Michaels and Kenny Lofton. The last decade hasn’t brought anything special to the number eight position in the defensive lineup, but that was until Pat Gillick came along. Hampered with the large contract of recently injured aging slugger Jim Thome, and needing to clear a roster spot for Ryan Howard, Gillick was able to send Thome packing to Chicago’s south side team. He was able to pick up a couple decent pitching prospects, and a center fielder known for his grit. This city soon found out what Mr. Rowand was made of the second month of the season, when he sacrificed his body, planting his face into the wall to make a game saving catch. He immediately gained the respect of the toughest sports town in the country. This being the same city that booed Santa Claus, and threw batteries at J.D. Drew...but who could really blame them for the latter.
Players have come and gone, a lot of good ones, and a few great, but the ones this city really embraces are those that put it all on the line. With all due respect to A-Rod, but if he thinks it’s tough to play in New York, he’d be lucky to make it through his first hitless week in this town without needing some serious therapy. His home runs and RBI totals would only hold him for so long, the second his lackadaisical play cost his team a game, he’d be buzzard bait. Not to mention the contract demands, which would have yearly averages dwarfing the D-Rays and Royals entire team! While Rowand is also seeking his big payday, the Phils must do what they can, while they can, to retain his services. If that means shelling out a few extra bucks, so be it, players like him are few and far between. Not much has been made of the fact that free agency is looming just a few months away, and that talk of contract negotiations have been disappointingly quiet. The city sits and wonders why there has been no mention of an extension. How could the team be prepared to let the best center fielder since “The Dude”, just walk away without any fight?!
Come the end of the World Series, whether the Phils have won it all, or fell short once again, they WILL have to pay Rowand his due. That’s why doing whatever is possible to retain him now is so important, so that the likes of an Andruw Jones and Torii If if Hunter doesn’t set his contract demands so high, Gillick couldn’t reach Rowand even if he sat on Ryan Howard’s shoulders. The consensus is that Rowand has all intentions of returning to his beloved Chicago routes, and if this city has any shot at a playoff birth in the near future, they’d better do all they can to stop that. As easy as it sounds to replace Rowand’s defense with Victorino’s speed, you just can’t replace the intensity he brings on a daily basis. Who else is gonna put his face through a fence for a fly ball, or lead this young team through a rough patch or two with his winning experience?! Who is going to do all that, while providing a .300 average, 20 plus homers, and the clubhouse presence? A package like that, this side of Nails himself, is going to be hard to find. A loss like that would be hard to swallow, especially since the money will be there to keep him, what with Freddy Garcia, Jon Leiber, and Rod Barajas all coming off the books after this year. The question is, do the Phillies pull out the checkbook, and pay for the intangibles that make a winner? Do they show the city they want a winner now, or bank on the likes of Michael Bourn, or Greg Golsen to become the next generation’s version of Ricky Otero and Marlon Byrd?! Only time will tell, and it’s certainly running out for Gillick and company.
