Rodriguez clarifies ripping Phillies fans: 'Trying to promote love over hate'

Philadelphia Phillies utility man Sean Rodriguez is trying to smooth things over with his team's fan base.

Rodriguez blasted the Phillies' "entitled fans" for booing the club's stars Monday and has heard boo birds at Citizens Bank Park ever since - including during a pinch-hit at-bat in Wednesday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"It's hard not to expect that, right?" the 34-year-old said, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. "I mean, I wasn't trying to insult anybody with what I said. … I'm very similar to the Philly fan base. I'm a very passionate person. I'm a passionate player. I show up every day and I don't leave anything in the tank.

"I honestly think it was just me trying to promote love over hate. There's a lot of things going on in the world and in life. I'm not saying that baseball can't help distract us from that, because that's a good thing. That's what we need as people sometimes.

"We need distraction just to get us into a better place, or at least just to allow our emotions, just to feel a little bit better. That was the message I was going for, and it definitely wasn't to offend them."

The 12-year vet admitted he could have been more tactful in his delivery.

"I mean, could I probably have used different words? Yeah, absolutely," Rodriguez said. "I could've said, 'Love over hate.' I do agree that the fans obviously pay to come watch a game and they feel entitled to want to say something. And again, like I said, I thought I was pretty clear: The boos aren't anything I'm actually opposed to.

"When they're properly directed, that's fine. It's some of the other stuff that was being said underneath that."

The Phillies (69-63) enter Thursday's action two games back of the NL's second wild-card spot. The club was viewed by many as a World Series contender heading into the campaign after several significant offseason additions, including the signing of former MVP Bryce Harper.