What Were They Thinking?

Save for a short-lived appearance in the National League wild-card race earlier this season, the Phillies haven't provided their fans with a lot of excitement. So when Philadelphia hyped Scott Rolen T-shirt day on Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Vet, the least that manager Terry Francona could have done was...well...start Rolen. Instead, after playing in 144 straight games, Rolen sat out, to the annoyance of many Phillies fanatics. "It was the perfect time to get him some rest," said Francona, after the Phillies lost 5-2 to the Rockies with Rolen, last year's National League Rookie of the Year, on the bench. "It was a day game after a night game. We were coming off a doubleheader on Thursday." Baseball—where the fan almost matters.