Success aside, no excuse for Rollins dogging it

I like Jimmy Rollins. He has been a tremendous leader during the greatest era in Phillies baseball. But when he doesn’t run out ground balls, it drives me crazy.

J-Roll has done it before and I hate to say it, but he will probably do it again despite his assurances to manager Charlie Manuel that he won’t.

This is a guy being paid $33 million over three years -- the least he can do is run out a ground ball or break up a double play. One fan tweeted Rollins about youngsters watching him dog it and he responded, “Well u make sure u tell them what to do."

That tweet has since been deleted from Rollins' Twitter timeline, but it brings up an interesting point. I coach young kids in baseball and basketball, and they are influenced by what they see professional athletes do. You can emphasize the importance of hustling to kids, but if they see their favorite athlete going less than 100 percent, it sends the wrong message.

In a season of many disappointments, Rollins needs to make better decisions and set an example for a team which needs solid leadership.

E-mail Neil Hartman at nhartman@comcastsportsnet.com.