This is like watching a plane run out of fuel and slowly descend back to earth--only to end in fiery crash.
At shortstop, New York's Derek Jeter remains the frontrunner to start in his final Midsummer Classic. He leads Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox, who has the edge statistically this season over the Yankees' iconic captain, by 420,219 votes.
ThePrideofShiner said:Why? It's a popularity contest, not an endorsement of who is having the best season.
The fans are emphatically saying they want to see Jeter start the all-star game, so why would he give up his spot to Alexi Ramirez? If the fans wanted to see Ramirez play, they'd vote for him.
Lose Remerswaal said:Captain went yard last night! That's two!
jon abbey said:
He gave up 3 runs on defense the inning before, though, just for the record. Two outs, runners on first and second, routine ball to his right that he fields cleanly. He looks at second, the 2B can't beat Reyes to the bag. He looks at third, Solarte isn't there. He throws to first (LIKE HE SHOULD HAVE DONE FROM THE START), runner is just safe, bases loaded. Next batter clears the bases, gotta love those intangibles.
I appreciate the first 18 years of his career. Some guys start fast and then by the 10th year they're hitting .265 and piling up injuries. The last two years for Jeter have been sad but he's not the first great player to stay too long at the dance.glennhoffmania said:You didn't hear the news? He's thinking about coming back for one more year. He doesn't think his performance this year is indicative of what he's really capable of and he wants to go out on a high note.
glennhoffmania said:You didn't hear the news? He's thinking about coming back for one more year. He doesn't think his performance this year is indicative of what he's really capable of and he wants to go out on a high note.
WayBackVazquez said:
Honus Wagner had a tough 40 year-old season, too. But he came back strong at 41 and 42. Someone should make sure Derek knows there's precedent.
Dear lord I so wish this were true.glennhoffmania said:You didn't hear the news? He's thinking about coming back for one more year. He doesn't think his performance this year is indicative of what he's really capable of and he wants to go out on a high note.
terrynever said:You know what would be the worst scenario for Jeter's swan song? The Yankees finishing in last place. He has never been about his own numbers. It has always been about making the playoffs and then trying to advance. I see all this stuff about his OPS and weak offense. The numbers bother him, of course, but it is part of the aging process. He just wants to go through the next 11 weeks and get to the playoffs. The luxury for him, whether right or wrong, is that he gets to play almost every day, perhaps because he has earned the right over the last 20 years.
If he were my kid, I'd tell him to get married and settle down.JohntheBaptist said:
The way you're writing about him here, this is the Derek Jeter experience in a nutshell. Sweet Christ am I glad it's finally ending.
While we've got you, terry--what are his plans for the next couple years?
Your opinion is as good as mine. I respect what you are saying. Not sure you respect my opinion but that's okay. We're all baseball fans.JohntheBaptist said:I just think the whole thing is infantile. It's been happening his whole career, but the Angelic Persona Jeter thing is getting comically worse as it draws to a close and people rush to be the ones to hold him in the highest regard. What would Jeter do?
I've read tons of stuff with the tone of terry's post since he announced and to me it's embarrassing. Everyone seems to write with this assurance about "who he is" and "what he will/ would do" because he's not an actual human being, he's this thing sportswriters, etc project some image of hero worship onto. He's constructed a persona--savvy though it may have been--and people bite on it hard. Something similar happens to many athletes, though not all. It has just never been as pervasive and frequently absurd as it has with Jeter.
Whatever. Not exactly a newsflash. Glad it's ending.
JohntheBaptist said:I just think the whole thing is infantile. It's been happening his whole career, but the Angelic Persona Jeter thing is getting comically worse as it draws to a close and people rush to be the ones to hold him in the highest regard. What would Jeter do?
I've read tons of stuff with the tone of terry's post since he announced and to me it's embarrassing. Everyone seems to write with this assurance about "who he is" and "what he will/ would do" because he's not an actual human being, he's this thing sportswriters, etc project some image of hero worship onto. He's constructed a persona--savvy though it may have been--and people bite on it hard. Something similar happens to many athletes, though not all. It has just never been as pervasive and frequently absurd as it has with Jeter.
Whatever. Not exactly a newsflash. Glad it's ending.
Well, he was born on my birthday and I did feel a connection from the time I learned that info, when he was still in the minors. As a former sports writer, I'm objective enough to know his shortcomings. I actually interviewed Ken Huckaby around the time Jeter was named SI Sportsman of the Year. You guys know the Huckaby story so I won't go into it here. Jeter seems kind of cold when it comes to certain things. His fielding issues are well-known. I guess what I appreciate about the franchise is we get to salute certain players over the years who leave pinstripes with their legacy intact. How often does that happen around MLB? Ripken. Gwynn. It's pretty rare but the Yankees have done that with Mo, Jeter, Rivera and Posada. I know the rest of baseball is sick of it but we Yankee fans find it kind of cool, that our owners don't dump these guys when they are out of gas. It's costing the franchise, and has for the last few years, but the bonus is we get players who spend their entire careers in one uniform. Except for Pettitte, and we still hold that against him.JohntheBaptist said:My point was that I found your post an odd way to express/ formulate an opinion on the guy--and I feel like I've read many do the same recently. Kind of reads like something his parents or a confidant would say. I didn't miss the literally countless times it has been reported to me over the last 20 years that Derek Jeter cares more about winning than his stats, nor do I doubt that it's true. Jeter forbid.
terrynever said:Well, he was born on my birthday and I did feel a connection from the time I learned that info, when he was still in the minors. As a former sports writer, I'm objective enough to know his shortcomings. I actually interviewed Ken Huckaby around the time Jeter was named SI Sportsman of the Year. You guys know the Huckaby story so I won't go into it here. Jeter seems kind of cold when it comes to certain things. His fielding issues are well-known. I guess what I appreciate about the franchise is we get to salute certain players over the years who leave pinstripes with their legacy intact. How often does that happen around MLB? Ripken. Gwynn. It's pretty rare but the Yankees have done that with Mo, Jeter, Rivera and Posada. I know the rest of baseball is sick of it but we Yankee fans find it kind of cool, that our owners don't dump these guys when they are out of gas. It's costing the franchise, and has for the last few years, but the bonus is we get players who spend their entire careers in one uniform. Except for Pettitte, and we still hold that against him.
I don't regret rooting for Jeter, even if the past two years have been difficult.
terrynever said:we Yankee fans find it kind of cool, that our owners don't dump these guys when they are out of gas.
Touche. Actually, I am kind of sick of Mo after the farewell tour and his continuing prominence. I enjoyed his career more than any Yankee since Mantle but the way these guys want to go out with all the adolation sort of bothers me. Guess I don't love God enough.Snodgrass'Muff said:
I know Mo was great but when did he start counting as two people?
I understand. But tradition is a large part of what the Yankees do, and something they still profit from.jon abbey said:
I hate it.
terrynever said:I guess what I appreciate about the franchise is we get to salute certain players over the years who leave pinstripes with their legacy intact. How often does that happen around MLB? Ripken. Gwynn. It's pretty rare but the Yankees have done that with Mo, Jeter, Rivera and Posada. I know the rest of baseball is sick of it but we Yankee fans find it kind of cool, that our owners don't dump these guys when they are out of gas.
Maybe we'd let it go if Yankeedom dropped this bogus conceit of New York and the Steinbrenners always being willing and dedicated to doing "everything it takes to contend, whatever it takes." As if this means anything other than spending extra money.EvilEmpire said:The only moral superiority I ever see associated with baseball payrolls is the yearly SOSH infatuation with winning the Payroll Efficiency Championship.
LeoCarrillo said:Maybe we'd let it go if Yankeedom dropped this bogus conceit of New York and the Steinbrenners always being willing and dedicated to doing "everything it takes to contend, whatever it takes." As if this means anything other than spending extra money.
glennhoffmania said:Plus the stories I heard about him and ARod partly show the kind of guy he really is. Basically he held a grudge and barely spoke to ARod for over a decade over something ARod said in 2003. That isn't the kind of leadership and putting the team first mentality that you'd expect from the guy who is constantly referred to as one of the greatest leaders ever.
glennhoffmania said:I'm not at all suggesting that ARod was a decent guy who was shunned unfairly by Jeter. But the fact is that they were teammates, and were most likely to be teammates for many years. In that situation you have to make the best of it. Ignoring arguably the best player on your team because he said some stupid shit when he was acquired doesn't seem like the best way to handle things. I give Jeter credit for keeping it quiet though as I'm sure there are plenty of things he could've made public re: ARod.
Old Fart Tree said:I remain stuck on the whole "everything for the betterment of the team" nonsense. If that was true, Jeter would have played third. There was absolutely no credible argument that Jeter was a better shortstop than A-Rod in 2003. Or in 2004. Or in 2005. Etc. If the hagiography was true, wouldn't St. Jeter have been so noble as to move to third?
normal caveats Jeter is a great player blah blah blah. But let's pump the brakes on the whole "totally selfless" nonsense. He had the chance to make the team better by allowing a better player to play short, and he chose not to.
You mean like the time he told the fans to stop booing jason Giambi, only to then say he cant tell the fans what to do when they were booing A-rod?? http://tinyurl.com/oqvaptyOld Fart Tree said:But let's pump the brakes on the whole "totally selfless" nonsense. He had the chance to make the team better by allowing a better player to play short, and he chose not to.
2009 huh? Good timing. Coincidental I suppose.jon abbey said:He was just ahead of his time in hating A-Rod (as was I, I hated him in Texas through 2008, then moved to tolerating him at the start of 2009), plenty of things to give Captain Calm Eyes a hard time about but not sure that's near the top of the list.
Let's not get ridiculous.Rovin Romine said:Jeter for SCOTUS.