Jimmy Rollins Is Ok with Sharing Time with Derek Jeter

With Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter being anointed as captain of Team USA, whether by the coaching staff, the players or (in my opinion) the media, Jimmy Rollins is taking on an unusual role: second fiddle.

Never mind the fact that Rollins is a better shortstop, but it is clear that Jeter has the All-American hero persona and that plays well with the marketing campaigns and the media eats him up and caters to his every word.

That's ok with Rollins. Jeter started all six games for Team USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. This year will be different as Rollins figures to get about equal playing time.

Cincinnati Reds great Barry Larkin is a hitting coach for Team USA. Gauging the thoughts of his two shortstops, he asked Rollins who should hit the next day if Rollins went 4-for-4 in a game.

""I was like, 'That's up to the manager,"' Rollins said. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to get my work in. That's not a concern.""

Manager Davey Johnson won't be afraid to bench Jeter in favor of Rollins though. It seems he is excited to have so much talent at the key position.

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"Major League Baseball named him the captain early on," Johnson said. "He was the No. 1 guy Major League Baseball wanted. Major League Baseball also wanted a Phillies representative. And Rollins wanted to play.

"When it was thrown at me, I was thinking, 'Holy s----!" They were about the first two guys to sign up. I thought, 'Boy, here we go.'"

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Rollins is respectful of Team USA's captain.

""That's the captain," he said. "That's Derek Jeter.""

That may be Derek Jeter, but to Phillies fans he is certainly no Jimmy Rollins. Quotes in this post come from Ken Rosenthal's latest at FoxSports [link].