Celebrity-Athlete of the Day: Scott Rolen

Continuing on my ‘old school’ kick, I decided to go back to one of the greatest crime/mystery movies of all-time, The Usual Suspects.

To be honest, I just saw the movie for the first time last summer and it was a revelation. I have since seen it about 6-times and it never gets old; those movies that keep you in suspense until the very end have always been a personal favorite.

Today’s Athlete, Scott Rolen, third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds.

• Rolen used to be one of my favorite baseball players, in the early 2000s. Ever since I saw Superman Returns all I could think about was how much Rolen and Kevin Spacey – who played Lex Luthor – looked alike.
  
  Both men have, at one point or another, been heralded as one of the best in their respective professions. Rolen was the prototypical, power-hitting third basemen with a laser arm and a knack for making SportsCenter’s Top Plays. Spacey was one of the best actors of my generation whose artistic range knew no bounds.
  
  They both have that awkward, old man smile that almost makes them look like serial killers. They both have the same, squinty eyes and facial expressions. It makes perfect sense that each man would be somehow related. The funniest part about it is the age and size difference.
  
  Spacey is 16-years older than Rolen, and Rolen has about six-inches and 100-pounds on Spacey; yet, somehow, I just can’t separate the two. I could see Rolen limping into the batters box, dragging his foot on the ground like ‘Verbal’ Kint – Spacey’s character from The Usual Suspects – then when the pitcher enters the wind-up (spoiler alert!) he fixes his stature and goes all Kaiser Soze on the pitch.
  
  Doing movies like K-Pax nearly (and should have) ruined Spacey’s career, in my eyes. Playing with the Blue Jays in ’08 looked like the end for Rolen; however, both men persevered and rejuvenated their sparkling careers (although neither of them will fully recover from those poor decisions).
  
  Rolen’s career will likely be over within the next 2-3 years – at age 38 – whereas Spacey has remained relevant well into his 50’s. Maybe Spacey can give his long-lost brother some pointers on longevity, or maybe even use him as a stunt double in Superman Returns…Again.

By Aaron Hilton
Follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401