THE JETER FACTOR
I haven’t been to a baseball game since I saw the Yankees get beat by the Marlins in Game 4 of the 2003 World Series. My falling away from ball has been chronicled many times on these pages. Last night I saw a glimmer of what baseball should be about in the dedication of Derek Jeter. In an age of cheating and profuse player movement, there stood Jeter showing the 24 other guys on his team how to be a Yankee.
The sportswriters complain that Jeter’s numbers aren’t all that great and his range is average, but what are raw numbers anyway in this day of mass cheating? How do you compare the dirty with the clean? The only comparison between players anymore is their respect for the game and their willingness to do anything to win it. Jeter went 5-5 and turned a key double play last night, but also impressive were the interviews before the game. The media was trying to make a thing about ARod’s lack of production in the playoffs last season. Jeter asked why they were focusing on one player when it takes 25 to win. When Jeter hit the centerfield homer last night in the 8th inning, Alex Rodriguez was the first out of the dugout. The Hall of Famer in everyone’s eyes has to look to Jeter to see what it is to be a winner. And Jeter shows what it means on the field and off.
1 comment:
Early in the season, I heard on some show that MLB players were polled to find out who was considered the most overrated player in the game and the 'winner' was Jeter.
I was surprised, I looked up his stats, and I still didn't get it. The guy scores 100+ runs every year, runs the Bombers' defense and is as clutch as they come with rings on several fingers. The only thing I could think was that everyone puts such a premium on RBIs and he is not a 100 ribbie guy.
Maybe he is universally loathed by his peers for making the money they think they should be getting for driving in 100 on a second division club. But overrated? I sure don't get it. For every guy with an RBI you've got to have guys with runs scored. They aren't any less important.
The guy exudes class and he is going into the HOF some day and he deserves it. It shows you the mind of the jock at large if they are voting this guy most overrated. I would love to see him answer his critics by taking home the MVP award.
Post a Comment