Jimmy Rollins was on Ron Darling’s podcast, Unwritten: Behind Baseball’s Secret Rules, and told a story about almost fighting Cliff Lee over slow country music:


It was transcribed by Ryan Gilbert at the Audacy website:

“He comes over and he’s barking and he’s going off. The first thing that goes in my mind is if I finish the season on the DL, that’s 11 million dollars down the drain. I have to finish healthy,” Rollins said. “They said if you finish healthy your option’s automatic. I was coming up on my option, so that’s the first thing going through my mind. It’s like man, you’re making $33 million and you got three or four years left. I’m coming up on an option. If I break my hand, it’s a wrap. I can’t get traded. Now we’re gonna talk ‘Well, let’s renegotiate the option, we’re not gonna pick it up.’ You know all these things are going through your mind but at the same time your pride is like ‘Bro, you’re not about to keep doing this.’

“This is 2014. We’re out of it. It’s like whatever at the same time,” he continued. “So I just put on my shoes and I stand up and I’m like OK, now I’m ready. You talking and barking but I’m not dumb enough to sit there and do something, ‘cause anything could happen. I’m looking, look I’ve sparred before, I’m like this is a total different weight class so I’m going to have to try to get you down as soon as possible, and we’re right here in the locker. Anything can happen, Ron.

Gotta agree with J-Roll on this one. You can’t get ready to play a game listening to some George Strait.

It’s interesting that we never hear from Cliff Lee. He didn’t show up for the 10 year anniversary for the 2009 team due to a “prior commitment.” I doubt it directly has something to do with a clubhouse argument in 2014, but it is crazy a guy who meant so much to this city for five years never resurfaces.