Jimmy Rollins

Phillies Shortstop

by Brian Burke

Before last Friday's game against Detroit, Jimmy Rollins' mind was on academics rather than athletics as he accepted a $2 million state grant to help fund the Central Library expansion project. He said the $175 million plan — complete with a new Teen Center and 300 computers — could help keep young people off the streets and improve literacy. It's also, as Rollins explains, an important anti-violence resource.

City Paper: What's your favorite book?

Jimmy Rollins: Growing up, it'd probably have to be Robinson Crusoe. It just left so much to the imagination, as any good book does. But it was something that identified with me, just kind of being on your own. Even though I wasn't — [I had] my mom, dad, brother — but you're out, you're stranded and how are you going to make it work? How are you going to survive? What are you going to do? I think that's just [like] growing up in a city. Even when you do have family, you're still in a situation when you're with your peers that you're really alone if you're doing something different. And I was always in sports and a lot of my friends were in sports, but our lives were taking different paths. So I was kind of related to [Crusoe] in that sense.

CP: Do you think inner-city leagues also have a role in violence prevention?

JR: I think so. I grew up playing Oakland Babe Ruth [League baseball]. A lot of kids were in Babe Ruth and a lot of times they came from single-parent homes, but that was their time to get away from what was going on at home. And some guys stuck with it and some guys didn't. When you give people something positive to grab onto, they usually gravitate towards that. No one wants to be violent. No one wants to be around all the negativity. So if you can provide something positive, it usually works out.

CP: So, what will it take for the Phillies to find consistency and make a playoff run?

JR: We will, but that's a question to be answered later.