Reflection: The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Induction of Jasper's Scott Rolen

Jasper -  This afternoon in Cooperstown, New York, Jasper native Scott Rolen will be inducted into the Baseball Hall-of-Fame.

Rolen was a 3-sport athlete at JHS, playing tennis, basketball and baseball. Before being drafted by Philadelphia, he accepted a scholarship to Georgia to play both basketball and baseball.

His major league baseball career in 1996-2012, playing for Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Toronto. His lifetime batting average was .281, drove in 1,287 runs, hit 316 career home runs, while collecting 2,077 hits. 

Rolen was a 7-time all-star, won 8 Gold Gloves, was a Silver Slugger Award winner and in was the National League Rookie-of-the-Year in 1997.This is the 2nd professional baseball player in the past two years to be enshrined into the Hall-of-Fame. 

I coached high school baseball when Scott was in high school and quickly saw how extremely talented he was at the game. In basketball, many will remember his memorable basketball sectional game vs Forest Park when he poured in 47 points…..in a losing cause. 

I taught with Ed Rolen (Scott’s father) for several years at Pike Central. Ed and his wife Linda were very proud of him and his accomplishments. Ed daily kept me up-to-date on Scott’s progress.

Congratulations to Scott, his wonderful family, his Jasper friends and former teammates on this remarkable career and this incredible honor! Rolen’s induction makes three Southern Indiana boys in the Hall-of-Fame; Edd Roush, Gil Hodges and Rolen. I’d say that’s not bad.