Congratulations to Jimmy and Johari Rollins!

Those of us in the Policy Department (all two members) are pretty big Phillies fans.  And I have to say that out of all the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins might be my all-time favorite, or at least tied with Richie Ashburn.  So I was thrilled to hear that Jimmy and his wife, Johari, welcomed their baby girl into the world on Sunday.

It was also great to hear that Jimmy is taking advantage of a new benefit offered to MLB players, the Paternity Leave list.  Before this year, players often took time away from the team when their children were being born, but there was nothing set in the rules that allowed them to do so. With the Paternity Leave list, players now get three days of leave, and teams can call someone else up to fill their spot on the roster.

Now, three days doesn't sound like a lot of time to most new parents.  But to the 200,000 Philadelphians who have no access to earned sick days, it is three days more than they would have for paternity (or maternity!) issues.

Let's hope that by the time Jimmy's little girl turns one, MLB players won't be the only ones able to take time to care for their loved ones in Philadelphia.