His timing was terrible with that 2002 press conference. Yes, he was right about the previous eighteen years and the 2001-02 offseason. But the fact of the matter was that the Phillies were emerging as a contender and CBP was a done deal and the fact that they offered him so much money indicated that they were ready to move the financial needle. Oh, and the free agent pitching class that winter was weak (just David Wells and Donovan Osborne both of whom the Yankees scarfed up) Hence, what he said when he said it rang hollow--and possibly came across as just regurgitating what Schilling said--and the phanbase saw right through it (and his teammates may have seen it as him throwing them under the bus, which made him a clubhouse loner). He was basically two years too late with his comments and probably should have kept his mouth shut.
Oh, and after moving on, he never praised the Phillies for changing their mindset or approach. I recall Schilling complimenting them in the mid-Aughts. When the Phillies played the Reds in the 2010 NLDS, that was the perfect opportunity for him to say something about the team and the CBP atmosphere that went along the lines of "This is what I wanted to see here that the front office at the time never was able to deliver but I always knew that the potential for this was there and that the energy and support of this great fanbase was waiting to be tapped." Something like this would have been a big step toward burying the hatchet. But, he passed on taking that step leading to the perception that he still held a grudge.
In short, though he's not as bad as Schilling, tact is not Rolen's friend either.
I can't find it now, but I read an interesting article about how extending Rolen would have meant no Thome and subsequently no Manuel. How would the arc of Phillies history turned out? Would Rolen put them over the top and into the Postseason in 2003 (sans Thome who had a better year with the bat that season), 2005 or 2006 when they came close? Howard would eventually have come along in 2005 lessening the lack of Thome but would another manager have been as right a guy for them in 2007-11 (when Rolen was on the downside anyway)?
I've often said that if we never signed Bell and kept Polanco at 3B from 2002-12, we may have ended up winning the Rolen trade even if Rolen was the better player.
