For a player hitting .251, Shane Victorino sure has a lot of confidence. Or, is he just easily distracted?

After last night’s loss to the Atlanta Braves that dropped the Phillies to six games behind the division lead, Victorino went after the fans for voicing their opinions about the results the team has produced the last few weeks. He’s quoted in the Bucks County Courier Times as saying the following:

“Jimmy used that word (frontrunner),” Victorino said. “I’m not going to use it, but you know what I’m talking about. You can hear (the fans). It’s never unfair, but don’t forget what we’ve done the last two years, actually the last three or four years.

“Things aren’t going the way we want and all of a sudden these things are being said. If I’m a fan of a team and they’re not going good, I get frustrated. But don’t throw in the towel. Get behind us and pick us up. We need them. The atmosphere they’ve created since I’ve been here … they’re still coming out even though we’re struggling. But to hear some of those things, it’s like, ‘Oh, really?’ It gets frustrating to hear those kinds of things from your own fans.”

Former All-Star Shane Victorino and his .251 average need us to be more supportive. Clearly, the boos are in is head and he can't concentrate. Sorry, little Shane.

OK, first of all, Shane alludes to the word “frontrunners” and implies that we are, but doesn’t have the guts to say it. He brings back up what Rollins said. Let JRoll take the hit. Smart PR move by deflecting attention back to JRoll, but dumb message.

He also talks out of both sides of his mouth by trying to say we’re still there, but we’re not being supportive like we were in the past.

Well, Shane, your 13 homers are one away from your career high. But, that’s not your game. Your pathetic batting average might have a little something to do with the boos raining down upon you after striking out, something you’ve already done 43 times this year.

Ask any former athlete with thick skin who’s played here, and they’ll tell you we are tough but fair. We know the game as well as any fan base in the nation. We don’t accept failure. We don’t accept not playing your best.

And, clearly, a third place standing with the talent on the club — even with the injuries — is unacceptable. The pitching has been there. The hitting is not. So yeah, Shane, you’re going to hear it from us.

What’s more, reports have surfaced in the past that Charlie Manuel wasn’t happy with the lax approach his team displayed — watching movies before games in the locker room. So yeah, Shane, you’re going to hear it from us.

The bottom line is that we pay good money to watch Shane make better money. And, a .251 average is unacceptable for a hitter who’s never hit lower than .281 in a full season. Shane says he would be frustrated, but pick his team up.

If you’re really frustrated, are you going to be very positive in the heat of the moment. And, during a game, you’re in the heat of the moment.

I always thought Shane had the makeup to play in Philly and that the MMA fighter in him, made him the perfect athlete for our city.

If he’s worried about our reaction to a cruddy batting average, then he’s obviously not as focused as he should be on the game at hand. Maybe he really isn’t mentally tough enough to play here.