Photo Courtesy Jody Eichel
The Phillies honored Jimmy Rollins last night for becoming the Phillies' all-time hit leader. Present were many of his teammates. It was a rookie year reunion. Second baseman Marlon Anderson, Rollins' double play partner, catcher Mike Lieberthal, outfielder Pat Burrell, and outfielder Bobby Abreu all showed up for the festivities to honor their friend. But there was one odd site at the Phillies pre-game bash: Abreu wore a Phillies #53 jersey for the festivities. In case you missed it, Bobby Abreu plays for the New York Mets. And some Mets fans are not happy.
The New York Mets had a day off, and Abreu took the time to come down to see his friend. Is it acceptable for a player to wear another team's jersey, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York asks?
@AdamRubinESPN I'm not sure this rates as "acceptable"
— Judy Raffa (@JudyRaffa) June 23, 2014
@AdamRubinESPN unacceptable.
— David Brown (@DrBlogstein) June 23, 2014
@AdamRubinESPN yeah this isn't acceptable.
— Charlie Ryczek (@riceczek) June 23, 2014
There is precedent for a player to skip out on the jersey when on another team's turf.
In 2003 as the Phillies were closing Veterans Stadium, former Phillies pitcher Paul Byrd came for the closing ceremonies. At the time, Byrd was under contract for the Atlanta Braves but injured. The Braves let Byrd accept the invitation to be a part of the parade of former Phillies players who made the walk in. Yet, Byrd did not wear a Phillies jersey. Instead, he wore a very classy suit, out of respect to his current organization. Abreu could have done the same.
In present day terms: how would Phillies fans react if say, Jonathan Papelbon was on field at Fenway Park for a Boston Red Sox World Series reunion? Would wearing a Red Sox jersey on a Phillies off-day be okay? My guess is that some Phillies fans would have a problem with that.
Instead, Abreu wore the jersey of his National League rival to the south. It's not the end of the world, but perhaps just a little tacky. Phillies fans would have cheered and Rollins would have appreciated Abreu's presence whether he was in a suit or a Phillies jersey alike. What is nice to know is that Abreu remains on good terms with the Phillies, even after his Spring Training release. Abreu probably will be back at Citizens Bank Park in a Phillies jersey soon; the Wall of Fame awaits.
In the meantime, Abreu seemed to have a good time:
Feliz en esta sorpresa para mi amigo @JimmyRollins11 con ex @Phillies @MarlonAnderson8 #PatBurrell y #MikeLiberthal pic.twitter.com/3zwAZdiRCg
— Bobby Abreu (@BobKellyAbreu) June 23, 2014
