Ryne Sandberg gives Jimmy Rollins the Lou Brown/Willie Mays Hayes talk

In “Major League,” Indians manager Lou Brown tells his speedy hitoff man, Willie Mays Hayes to quit swinging for the fences and to use his natural speed to get on base and make things happen. If not? Consequences:

Well, you may run like Mays, but you hit like s**t. With your speed, you should hit the ball on the ground and be legging them out. Every time I see you hit one in the air, you owe me 20 pushups.

Ryne Sandberg was nicer about it with Phillies ledoff man Jimmy Rollins, but the gist is the same. From the Philadelphia Daily News, a story about how Sandberg is telling Rollins to cut down on his home run swing and hit grounders and liners so as to use his speed. Sandberg:

I would like him not to focus on hitting home runs ... What I think for Jimmy at the top of the lineup with his speed and his baserunning and as good as he is as a baserunner, he’s got to get on base. I don’t think him focusing on hitting 15 to 20 home runs in the right approach for him.

If that doesn’t happen, Sandberg suggested Rollins could be dropped from the leadoff spot.

You can do those things when you first take over and the team isn’t going anywhere. And Sandberg’s comments about wanting to see Rollins getting on base above all else have to be welcome to Phillies fans. It’ll be interesting to see, however, whether Rollins -- a guy who has not been pleased by past efforts to mess with him at the top of the lineup -- takes to this or not.