Getting on him for dealing with Rodriguez as he saw fit personally feels like talking out of both sides of one's mouth. From what I've witnessed of him over the years, the "leave it alone and do my own thing" approach *is* leadership. Rodriguez is a 24/7 clownshow. Don't get sucked into his silliness--it's a point in Jeter's favor, not against. The "leadership" thing is hero worship for sure, but it doesn't mean he wasn't occasionally setting a smart example for the relatively unfamiliar around him. Suddenly "being given the cold shoulder from a teammate" is a straight-face reason for potential on-field struggles? If not, who cares?
And I still think the much-referenced move to 3B Jeter should have made isn't as slam dunk as people always make it out to be. They had two guys for two positions--A-Rod was almost certainly going to be better at both. One path, you move Jeter to the "easier" position, let A-Rod shine at SS, create a bunch of controversy and distraction, Jeter's reaction notwithstanding (and yes, maybe this then pisses him off--maybe he just doesn't agree he's worse?). The other path, you move A-Rod to the position that he, given his increasingly bulky frame and better arm by this time, likely more fit for of the two, leave the inferior defender in his more comfortable position, and no one but Red Sox fans bats an eye over it. I don't think the latter is such a terrible conclusion, ultimately, though the former isn't either. And there's no way he "refused," the Yankees made the call on it unequivocally and pretty much immediately, as I recall it.
Everyone writing these treacly homages are making asses of themselves, which considering how generally decent and canny a guy he seems to be, strikes me as more of the point. It would be easy to get at the things he's done right and why he's a decent example by approaching him realistically--but that's not enough, it has to be topped and overblown beyond all recognition. Getting at why Jeter is really, secretly, after all, a huge jerk (while tremendously fun, don't get me wrong) misses the point to me. Just mho.
And I still think the much-referenced move to 3B Jeter should have made isn't as slam dunk as people always make it out to be. They had two guys for two positions--A-Rod was almost certainly going to be better at both. One path, you move Jeter to the "easier" position, let A-Rod shine at SS, create a bunch of controversy and distraction, Jeter's reaction notwithstanding (and yes, maybe this then pisses him off--maybe he just doesn't agree he's worse?). The other path, you move A-Rod to the position that he, given his increasingly bulky frame and better arm by this time, likely more fit for of the two, leave the inferior defender in his more comfortable position, and no one but Red Sox fans bats an eye over it. I don't think the latter is such a terrible conclusion, ultimately, though the former isn't either. And there's no way he "refused," the Yankees made the call on it unequivocally and pretty much immediately, as I recall it.
Everyone writing these treacly homages are making asses of themselves, which considering how generally decent and canny a guy he seems to be, strikes me as more of the point. It would be easy to get at the things he's done right and why he's a decent example by approaching him realistically--but that's not enough, it has to be topped and overblown beyond all recognition. Getting at why Jeter is really, secretly, after all, a huge jerk (while tremendously fun, don't get me wrong) misses the point to me. Just mho.