It was as if I was a movie theater on Saturday afternoon, watching the latest sports cinematic thriller. Derek Jeter, in his 1st at bat as a member of 2,999 hit club, dug in against Tampa Bay Rays ace, David Price, after working this sequence to a full count. On the eighth pitch of the at bat, Jeter put Price’s slider into the left field stands, becoming the 28th member of the 3,000 hit club (only the 2nd to do so via a home run.) If it were a movie, the home run would have won the game, the home run would have shattered some lights, and he would have been congratulated afterwards by his girlfriend, Minka Kelly (played in the movie by Minka Kelly), and his father, Dr. Charles Jeter (played by Morgan Freeman). Instead, it tied the game at one in the bottom of the 3rd and was eventually won by the Yankees after a Jeter RBI single. It was truly one of the many days I’ve been proud to cheer on the Yankee shortstop.
The naysayers say that Jeter is an overrated shortstop. They question his defense and believe the New York media has made him a superstar, not his merit. As a person who has followed him his entire career, I can honestly say he is one of the greatest shortstops in the history of baseball. He is not the best, but I would choose him over any other shortstop in his prime. 3,000 hits speaks volumes as that is one of the last remaining benchmark numbers still remaining in baseball. Out of the 28 members of the 3,000 hit club, only four are not in the Hall of Fame. Two are currently ineligible (Jeter won’t be eligible until five years after his retirement, Craig Biggio won’t be eligible until 2012), Pete Rose knew too much about trifectas and parlays and has earned a lifetime ban from baseball, and Rafael Palmeiro has a failed steroid test despite assurances to Congress he was clean holding up his chances to Cooperstown.
I believe Jeter was a good defensive shortstop, but has regressed with age. I know the numbers in the advanced defensive statistics don’t speak positively, but there was a day when a grounder in the hole meant a Web Gem, not a base hit. Unfortunately, only porn stars, catchers, and basketball centers age worse than shortstops. Still, Jeter plays a respectable short, even at the age of 37.
The man dubbed “Mr. November” has shown in his career that he is clutch. From 1998 on, Jeter was the man you wanted to see at the plate in a tight situation as a Yankee fan. You might see the occasional long ball, but you knew he would hit a single to right field with his typical inside-out swing. I know compared to others, his offensive numbers in clutch situations don’t stand out over any other Yankee, but it seemed Jeter never let down his team or fans when the pressure was the highest. I will never forget his home run on Opening Day his rookie season in Cleveland, his back flip to Posada to get Jeremy Giambi out at home in Oakland in the playoffs, him face planting into the stands after a running catch against the Red Sox in the Bronx, or his walk-off in the first ever World Series game played in November.
My dad says that Mickey Mantle was one the greatest baseball player he ever saw. He was a very good player based on his lifetime numbers, but came up short compared to others. Granted, his career was affected by injuries (he tore up his knee in 1951 and it never healed properly. Today, he would have had ACL surgery and been good to go after six months) and his social life (knowing his family’s history with cancer, he partied like Charlie Sheen figuring he would eventually succumb to Hodgkin’s. He never got cancer, just the effects of alcohol abuse), but in his heyday, he was the one you wanted to see in a big spot. I have the same appreciation of Jeter. The numbers may not support it, but he is one of the greatest baseball players I have ever witnessed.
He is a home-grown talent who has only worn the Yankees uniform in his professional career and has been a key member to five championship teams. Also, it doesn’t hurt that his black book looks like “Maxim’s 100 Hottest Females” and has earned over nine figures from contracts and endorsements. As a sports fan, there is nothing more I could ask for. Cheering on an athlete who is loyal and gives his all. Derek Jeter, I look forward to seeing your speech in Cooperstown.
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