Will Rollins return next year?

It had all the usual trappings of a traditional sporting event, even though it wasn't anything of the sort. There was music and a video screen for replays. Fans and media members milled about. And the national anthem was performed - though, despite all the flags hanging from light posts overhead (Qatar, Puerto Rico, El Salvador), no one remembered to provide the American version. Oops.

A huge chunk of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 20th Street and the Art Museum was shut down Monday so Jimmy Rollins could attempt to break the Guinness world record for the longest batted ball. It was all part of something called "Red Bull Cranks," which is either a reference to the prepackaged production or a neat summary of the uncomfortable, jittery high produced when you bang back too many of those energy drinks.

Anyway, there was Rollins in his Red Bull hat and his Red Bull jersey (no Red Bull shoes; he went with red Jordans instead) attempting to best Babe Ruth's record of 576 feet. Ruth did it with a wooden bat. Rollins was armed with a hollowed-out metal bat engineered by people he called "science guys."

It was that sort of promotion - over- choreographed theater complete with plenty of product placement and an ESPN3 simulcast for good measure. In the end, even with the super bat - which looked a lot like the ones carried by suburban slow-pitch warriors with beer bellies - Rollins' best effort went 463 feet, well shy of the record.

No one seemed to care - at least not the slew of Phils fans who showed up to support the shortstop. They ostensibly like watching him play - on the Parkway or, better yet, at Citizens Bank Park. The question is how much longer they'll be able to do the latter.

"That will definitely handle itself," said Rollins, who is in the final year of his contract with the Fightin's. "Right now, I'm playing in front of [the Philly fans], and that's what's important. If I have a good season, more than likely I'll be here. If I have a bad season, that will definitely make for some hard decisions."

Indeed. Stay or go. The time for decisions, hard or otherwise, is rapidly approaching. You could see it unfolding either way for Rollins, who is reportedly making $8.5 million this season and is close to becoming a free agent for the first time in his career.