For the last couple of weeks, there has been a strange and somewhat sad story unfolding in the Philadelphia Phillies camp. Authentic Jalin Marshall Jersey . Jimmy Rollins, who should go down as one of the all-time great Phillies, is being questioned about his attitude and whether he is hurting the franchise by refusing to allow himself to be traded. Rollins is 35 years old and has played in Philadelphia his entire career. Hes a three-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glover. He won a Silver Slugger Award and was named the National League MVP in 2007, in addition to winning a World Series with the Phils in 2008. Rollins has one year, plus a vesting option for another year, left on his contract. He is a "5/10" man, that is, he has played 10 years in the Majors and five consecutive years with his current team, so he has the power to veto any trade. Its no secret that the Phillies are an older, veteran team that may have one more shot at glory or, more likely, is heading for a blow-up and a major rebuild. Rollins, perhaps bothered or jaded by the teams struggles the past couple of years, was accused in so many words of not hustling enough or providing enough leadership. At one point, his previous manager, Charlie Manuel, benched him to send a message and this spring, his current manager, Ryne Sandberg, sat Rollins for three days after he said that spring training games were basically meaningless. The Detroit Tigers need a shortstop since Jose Iglesias is likely gone for the season with stress fractures in both of his legs. Rumours began that the Phils might try to deal Rollins to the Tigers. Rollins responded by saying he is unmovable because, at this time, he doesnt want to go anywhere. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. angrily shot down the rumours, saying there never was any talk of trading Rollins in the first place. One of Rollinss motives for wanting to stay in Philly is his pursuit of the franchises all-time hits record. He needs just 60 more to break Hall of Famer Mike Schmidts mark of 2234. Rollins is fourth on the list right now behind Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Ed Delahanty. Even with a subpar season, Rollins will pass all three as long as he stays healthy. Jimmy Rollins is accused of being selfish for not allowing a trade for the good of the franchise. In Toronto, Mats Sundin and Carlos Delgado took the same kind of heat from Leafs and Blue Jays fans when they refused to be dealt in the final years of their contracts. Rollins is already the Phils career leader in doubles, but the hits record is something special to him. As he put it, only 30 players in baseball can say they lead a franchise in base hits. Is he being selfish? Not if he gives everything hes got to the Phillies every time hes on the diamond. Rollins wouldnt be the first to hang in to attempt to reach a career milestone. Two of the greatest pitchers in Major League history hung in past their primes in order to reach 300 wins. Lefty Grove, in some pundits minds the greatest pitcher of all-time, came back in 1941 needing seven wins for 300. He won his 299th on July 2 of that season. Essentially down to being a once-a-week pitcher for the Boston Red Sox at that time, he didnt get number 300 until July 25 and it wasnt pretty. Grove went all the way in a 10-6 victory over Cleveland giving up five earned runs on 12 hits. He never won again that season and called it a career on December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Early Wynn, Tom Cheeks original partner on the Blue Jays radio broadcasts, went 7-15 with the Chicago White Sox in 1962 and finished that season with 299 victories. He came back with the Cleveland Indians, the club with which he had most of his greatest seasons, in 1963 at age 43 for one last shot at number 300. On July 13, he finally got it , but hardly in grand and glorious style. Wynn left the game after five innings with Cleveland holding a 5-4 lead over the Kansas City Atheltics. Earlys roommate, Jerry Walker, took over and held KC scoreless over the final four innings. Wynn became the first pitcher to have won 300 since Lefty Grove in 1941. There was one other case that I can recall of a player hanging in to get a record. Carlton Fisk, then of the Chicago White Sox, broke Bob Boones all-time record for games caught behind the plate with his 2,226th on June 22, 1993. Six days later, in what was perceived to be a heartless move, Fisk was released by the club. Is Jimmy Rollins selfish? No less so than any of the above three Hall of Famers. As long as the effort and the desire are there, I say more power to Rollins. He has a contract and the rules of baseball say he cant be traded. The one last twist to this story: Mike Schmidt is an icon in Philadelphia and will be working on home-game telecasts on Sundays this season. There are a lot of Philllies fans who dont want to see him lose this record. Rollinss position in all of this reminds of the heat Roger Maris was taking in his successful pursuit of Babe Ruths single season home run record in 1961. Some never forgave him for hitting 61 in 61. Jimmy Rollins doesnt deserve to receive the same kind of scorn. If he breaks the record, hes earned it. - Its hard to get into the idea of the season opening this weekend in Australia. The Los Angeles Dodgers are taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks in two games before returning to Arizona for the remainder of spring training. The really strange thing is, thanks to the time difference, the season effectively opens as a day-night doubleheader for us. The first game starts at 4am et/1am pt on Saturday morning and the second one at 10pm et/7pm pt on Saturday night. - One sad note out of the Blue Jays camp: the team released lefty reliever Luis Perez to make room for utility sluggerMatt Tuiasosopo, who was picked up on waivers from Arizona. Two years ago, Perez, for my money, was the best all-around reliever in the Jays bullpen. But then he blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. Perez was supposed to be back this season like Drew Hutchison and Kyle Drabek, however, he had a set back in the offseason and needed further surgery to remove scar tissue. Now at 29, his career is in limbo. Heres hoping he can make it back all the way to the Bigs somewhere. Authentic Avery Williamson Jersey .com) - Stephen Currys jumper with 3. Authentic Joe Klecko Jersey . He scored two highlight-reel goals in a three-minute span -- the second on a sideways bicycle kick in the 78th minute -- to give the Whitecaps a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers before a crowd of 20,303 at B. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-james-carpenter-jersey .Corey Brewer had 19 points eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time since Ricky Rubio went out with an injured ankle on Nov.The Vancouver Canucks didnt make the most of a five-game homestand, which ended with a pair of losses to beatable opponents. That leaves them with the tall task of correcting things Tuesday night as they begin a five-game trip in Nashville, where the Predators have posted the best home record in hockey to pace their league-best 60 points through the first half of their season. Catch all the action on TSN 1040 in Vancouver starting at 3pm pt. The Predators (28-9-4) have won five straight at home to build a 16-2-1 record at Bridgestone Arena, though it hasnt much mattered where theyve played lately. Theyre 6-0-2 since last losing in regulation Dec. 23 in Boston, and plenty of it has had to do with consistent offensive production with an average of 4.0 goals over an 11-game stretch. They didnt consider Saturdays 3-1 win in Minnesota one of their best efforts, but it was good enough to put them in a position to match a season-best four-game winning streak. Were going to have our off nights, but when we have those off nights we still find a way to win, said Colin Wilson, who had a goal and an assist to give him 13 points in his last 10 games. Thats why were at where were at. Mike Fisher also scored and has seven goals and five assists in his past 14 contests. Of course, having Pekka Rinne in goal most nights doesnt hurt, as was the case with a 36-save effort against the Wild. Its been a month since the Predators last lost in regulation with Rinne in the net, going 9-0-1 following a 2-0 loss in San Jose on Dec. 13. The All-Stars numbers havent been quite as sharp in that time with a 2.55 goals-against average after posting a 1.75 GAA in his first 26 games, but the offfense has provided plenty of support and helped ease the NHL wins leaders mind. Authentic Bilal Powell Jersey. You feel happy, Rinne said of his demeanor as part of a team that has helped him to 28 wins. You come to the rink with a smile on your face, and it makes a huge difference. Rinne helped Nashville to a 3-1 win in Vancouver on Nov. 2, but hes 2-4-1 with a 3.56 GAA in his last nine starts in the series. Filip Forsberg had two goals and an assist while James Neal added two assists in that meeting, Nashvilles second win in the last seven matchups. This season, the Predators have gone 8-2-2 against the Pacific Division while the Canucks are 3-4-0 against the Central. Vancouver (23-14-3) will try to reach its own halfway point with a better offensive effort after concluding a 2-3-0 homestand with one goal in consecutive losses to Florida and Calgary. Saturdays 1-0 defeat to the Flames wasted a strong effort from Eddie Lack, who made 22 saves while Ryan Miller rested with flu-like symptoms. Its frustrating, said Henrik Sedin, who has 15 points in his last 11 against Nashville. We know how big every point is. To not get two from this game is disappointing, for sure. Miller will face the Predators and brings a 1.86 GAA over a 4-2-1 span. He didnt play in Novembers meeting, and is 4-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA lifetime in Nashville. One area Nashville has been lacking at home has been on the power play. The Predators are 5 for 61 (8.2 percent) there, while Vancouvers penalty kill is 47 for 50 (94.0) over the last 16 games. Neal has missed five games with a lower-body injury, but he practiced Monday. The left wing has five points on a four-game streak against Vancouver. Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '