May 30, 2023
It's a summer of inductions for Scott Rolen.
This winter, the former Phillies third baseman was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined in Cooperstown in July. On a smaller scale, Rolen is among the former members of the Phillies organization who will be added to the franchise's Wall of Fame this season, the team announced on Tuesday.
Joining Rolen will be former general manager John Quinn, who served as the team's GM from 1959-1972 – a period when the team acquired Jim Bunning, Dick Allen, Johnny Callison and Steve Carlton – and former owner Ruly Carpenter. Carpenter's family bought the franchise in the early 1940s before Carpenter himself joined the front office in 1963 and became team president in 1972. During his time as owner, the Phillies made multiple playoff runs and won the 1980 World Series.
Quinn and Carpenter will be inducted during Alumni Weekend, which runs from Aug. 11-13. The induction ceremony will be Aug. 12. Rolen will get his own separate induction on Friday, Sept. 22.
I wonder what the reaction for Rolen will be from the fans at Citizens Bank Park.
As a younger Philadelphian, I came of age when Rolen was the Fightins' best player. There was plenty of animosity when he was traded away to St. Louis during the 2002 season and he was mercilessly booed whenever he returned to Philadelphia after that.
Does time truly heal all wounds? Are enough youngsters who grew up watching Rolen now in their 20s and 30s fine with starting anew and paying their respects?
If the Phillies don't get it together on the field soon, that may be the most intriguing storyline for the organization in the final month of the season.
Newly elected Hall of Famer Scott Rolen headlines a group of three franchise greats to be inducted into the Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 30, 2023
Joining Rolen as part of the 2023 Wall of Fame class are former General Manager John Quinn and former Owner/Team President Ruly Carpenter.
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