Scott Rolen and Tony La Russa aren't getting along very well these days:

La Russa defended his decision not to personally notify Rolen, citing the player's reaction to being held out of a game Sept. 21 against the Houston Astros.

Rolen construed the game off as a benching against Astros starter Roy Oswalt, against whom Rolen had enjoyed little career success.

"The last time in Houston I sat him down for 10 minutes and explained it to him. My explanation was worthless, so what am I going to say?" La Russa said. "The last time I talked to him it was a worthless exercise. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't believe it. He didn't understand it. I 'benched' him, which is so opposite what that conversation was about."

I always assumed Rolen's desire to leave Philadelphia was caused by Bowa and Greene mishandling him. Now I'm not so sure.

The relationship between Rolen and La Russa has been described by club sources as one of growing mistrust. La Russa acknowledged being disappointed by Rolen's refusal to disclose his weakened shoulder condition despite repeated inquiries last month.

"I told him, 'We lost when you're playing. We can lose without you playing. We want to get you well,'" La Rusa said. "One of the things we said we wanted was to get him here in October strong and fresh. But he wouldn't' admit to that, so we didn't rest him. Then he said he was fatigued."

La Russa minimized the chances that the issue would carry lasting repercussions. "I'm not going to create a problem. I can't believe he's going to create the problem. So where's the problem, except he's worried about playing?" the manager said. "I'm just trying to win the game, buddy."

It appears two huge egos are clashing here. Rolen's a great player, but even without injuries he's on the downside of his career. That alone is difficult for a hyper-competitive athlete to accept. With his shoulder hastening the process, it must be even tougher for Scott.