Phillies Notebook: Phillies' Rollins stands by World Series prediction

NEW YORK - Two things about Jimmy Rollins: He doesn't shy away from the bold proclamations he makes. And, frankly, they usually come true.

On Monday night, the loquacious shortstop dropped yet another prognostication, telling talk-show host Jay Leno that the Phillies would beat the Yankees in five games in the World Series.

Yesterday, even as the Yankees brushed off the prediction as good-natured fun, Rollins wasn't backing down.

"If I say something, it's how I really feel," Rollins said before the Phillies' workout at Yankee Stadium in preparation for Game 1 tonight. "I don't just shoot from the hip and hope things go the right way. I've gotten pretty good response in the past, but that really isn't my objective, to get a response, it's to re-establish the confidence in what we can do and how good we can be."

Three years ago, Rollins boldly proclaimed the Phillies "the team to beat" in the National League East, despite the fact that they had not won a division title since 1993. Sure enough, they overtook the Mets on the last day of the season to clinch the crown.

Before last season, Rollins predicted the Phillies would win 100 games. While they finished the regular season with just 92 wins, they won 11 games in the postseason to boost their total to 103.

And on several occasions this season, Rollins has predicted the Phillies would face the Yankees in the World Series, which is exactly where they find themselves.

While the Yankees hope Rollins is wrong, they also don't seem to put too much stock in his prediction.

"If we're nice, we'll let it go six," Rollins told Leno, "but I'm thinking five, close it out at home."

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who shared time with Rollins in the World Baseball Classic, chuckled.

"That's a nice guy, so at least he gave us six, if he's going to be nice," Jeter said. "I've got no comment on that. Jimmy likes to have fun. He likes to have fun and joke around."

But at least one of Rollins' teammates isn't taking it as a joke.

"I love it," centerfielder Shane Victorino said. "I'm going to follow his lead. If he makes that statement, I'm going to follow it. Again, though, more than anything, it's how you and people portray it, how fans portray it. As a player, I'm like, 'OK, he's making a prediction.' If I don't go out there and say I'm going to win, I might as well not be playing in these games."

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