Before the Phillies threw open the gates and granted him his requested release, freeing him to play for a contending team, Jimmy Rollins delivered a dose of reality to Ruben Amaro Jr. that in time Amaro probably tired of hearing.
Over his 15 seasons with the Phillies, for all the times he coasted out of the batter's box or arrived late to the ballpark or just let his intrinsic swagger get the better of him, Rollins still came away with the highest respect for his first two managers in the majors: Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel. Those men would be on opposite poles of any personality spectrum - Bowa, combustible and edgy; Manuel, avuncular and folksy - yet Rollins developed into the Phillies'…
