PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Jimmy Rollins didn't need ear plugs.
The reigning NL MVP got a mixed reaction from the crowd in his first home game since calling Philadelphia fans ``frontrunners'' last week in a television interview.
Rollins heard a mixture of boos and cheers when he came to the plate in the first inning of the Phillies' game against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
The boos grew louder after he lined out to right field, but it didn't seem too passionate. Fans in this championship-starved city are notorious for being tough on athletes, including their own. Rollins got off easy. There was no venom behind these boos.
Rollins drew the ire of the faithful by criticizing them during a West Coast trip last week.
``They're frontrunners,'' Rollins said in the interview on Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period. ``When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're doing bad, they're completely against you.''
Rollins tried to clarify his remarks on the same show the next day.
``The way, I guess, what frontrunner means and the way I think about it is completely different from what they're using it,'' he said by phone. ``Like I said, they're on your side, they're demanding fans, everybody knows that. When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're not doing good, they're going to let you know, 'We expect better. We want better. And we want it now.' And I think they feel that by doing that, they can influence the way you play. But when you're giving off that negative energy, it really doesn't.''
Rollins had another chance to apologize before the Phillies opened a nine-game homestand, but stood by his comments.
``It is what it is,'' he said. ``People can take it how they want. It wasn't a false statement. But it wasn't trying to take a cheap shot at anyone, either.''
Rollins stirred things up last year, too. His preseason prediction that the Phillies were the team to beat became back-page material for the New York tabloids.
The switch-hitting shortstop backed it up with a career year and the Phillies took advantage of the Mets' historic collapse to finish one game ahead of New York for their first division championship in 14 years.
Batting mostly in the leadoff spot, Rollins finished with a .296 batting average, 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homers, 41 steals, 94 RBIs and scored an NL-best 139 runs. He became the first player to have 30 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homers and 30 steals in one season.
No shortstop in the NL ever had more extra-base hits (88) and only Alex Rodriguez had more (91) in 1996 with Seattle. The durable Rollins, who is only 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, played every game, becoming the first NL shortstop to do so in 34 years.
Rollins hasn't been quite the same player this year. He injured his ankle in a game at Shea Stadium in early April, going on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
In June, Rollins got yanked during a game by manager Charlie Manuel for failing to run hard on a popup that was dropped. A month later, he was benched for showing up late to the ballpark for an important game at New York.
Overall, Rollins' numbers are down. He entered the night batting .266 with 8 homers and 42 RBIs.
``It's been a good experience, learning how important you are to the team and things you can and can't get away with whether they're accidental or on purpose,'' Rollins said. ``But that's a part of being a leader also. There's always more heat placed on you, more attention placed on you because you're one of the guys your team is counting on to guide the team to the promised land.''
