Jimmy Rollins played for both the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers in his illustrious MLB career, but there’s no question who he is going to be rooting for in this year’s NLDS matchup.
Rollins will be working the series as a studio analyst for TBS as they cover the National League Division Series while Fox has the rights to the American League this year. The former shortstop will be alongside host Adam Lefkoe (making his MLB postseason debut), and fellow analysts Pedro Martinez and Curtis Granderson in the studio.
And maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise given Rollins spent 15 years in Philly and just a single season in Los Angeles, but he’s all in on wanting the Phillies to advance to the next round as he told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“It’s not close. It’s Philadelphia,” Rollins told the outlet. “Now, if the Dodgers go on, I’m going to sit there and congratulate them… When it comes to being professional, I can definitely be that.”
But what may come as a surprise is that Jimmy Rollins says TBS wants him to show his Phillies fandom while in the studio on the air and working for the network.
“One thing I love about TBS is they don’t care,” Rollins added. “They want it truthful and accurate, but they love the bias. They love the fact you’re going to pull for your team.”
Seeing former players show their allegiance to their former teams is nothing new. But it’s always funny to see which athletes turned analysts are willing to do so and which ones aren’t. Desmond Howard is never shy on College GameDay to bleed maize and blue, but Kirk Herbstreit has gone so far in trying to be neutral that he’s seen as an antagonistic figure by plenty of Ohio State fans.
The key is that whatever direction Jimmy Rollins and TBS takes is that it has to be authentic. When NBC had its golf announcers suddenly turn on the homer switches for the Ryder Cup, it felt forced. If his heart is truly ride or die with the Phillies, then he shouldn’t necessarily have to hide that as long as it doesn’t overshadow the broadcast and make the other three teams feel like an afterthought.