As much as I try or want to keep this blog and my entries related to the Angels and myself, sometimes circumstances prevent me from doing so, such as this postseason, where baseball was focused on the teams that actually made the playoffs, and this offseason, where baseball news is going to be sparse, and Angels news hard to come by.
Thankfully, though, this blog is first and foremost about me, so I can talk about whatever I want.
And today, that subject happens to be Derek Jeter.
I've only talked about Derek Jeter briefly on this blog. I've always thought he was a hell of a player with tremendous heart, and is the epitome of Yankees baseball.
But lately, my opinion on him has changed. And it's all in the wake of A-Rod's tumultuous year in 2006.
On SI.com today, Phil Taylor posted an article titled "Jeter's No MVP" that, for the first time I've seen in the media, brings up many of the points I've been making about Derek Jeter's responsibilities and cuplability in Alex Rodriguez's problems this year. He does a good job in pointing out how very un-captain-like Jeter has acted toward the troubled superstar since A-Rod arrived in New York in 2004.
But Phil Taylor doesn't go far enough, in my opinion.
Mr. Taylor neglected to mention one huge point in his article. He brings up the lack of public support Jeter has shown A-Rod in the midst of his bad times in the Bronx. Derek Jeter has not given one word to the press in support of the man who may be the greatest player to ever take the field. Mr. Taylor says that Derek Jeter "has never been too much of a talker," but he forgot that, when it has been necessary, Derek Jeter has been fiercely defensive of his teammates, as was evident by the unwavering public support he gave Jason Giambi in the midst of his involvement in the Balco steroids scandal.
If Derek Jeter can come to the defense of an acknowledged juicer, why can't he say a few words of support, or show anything more than a cold shoulder, to Alex Rodriguez, whose crimes are only a lack of confidence and a slump?
And I also feel he glossed over the transition A-Rod made from shortstop to third base when he became a Yankee. If you look at the five years prior to Rodriguez coming to the Yankees, A-Rod has a better fielding percentage at shortstop than Jeter does. With that in mind, if Derek Jeter wanted to show his stripes as the captain of the Yankees, he would have made the move to third or second, allowing the better player to field the position of shortstop. I know a lot of people will argue with me (if I had a lot of people reading this, that is!), but a captain is supposed to be selfless, and were Jeter altruistic in his leadership, he would have recognized that allowing A-Rod to play SS would have made the transition to the Yankees much easier, and he would have been much more comfortable. This alone could have made those jeers Rodriguez has faced in New York the last few years never have happened.
But ultimately, these points are moot, as Jeter has shown he is more of a brand-new 2nd Lieutenant with a god complex than a true captain.
In April 2001, Alex Rodriguez and his agent, Scott Boras, were interviewed in Esquire Magazine. In this article, Rodriguez said the following about Derek Jeter:
"Jeter's been blessed with great talent around him," Alex says. "He's never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. And he hits second—that's totally different than third and fourth in a lineup. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie and O'Neill. You never say, Don't let Derek beat you. He's never your concern."
After the article appeared, the friendship A-Rod and Jeter had ended. Apparently, Rodriguez flew to Michigan (or wherever Jeter lives in the off season) and made a tearful apology to Jeter, but was treated coldly. Jeter has apparently never let go of that, and holds a grudge still to this day.
For Derek Jeter to act like that shows what a spoiled child he truly is. Holding grudges over something as silly as, well, the truth (A-Rod was saying that Jeter lacked power) shows what a piss-poor captain Derek Jeter is.
It's too bad Bernie Williams is done in New York. His quiet confidence and leadership through action would be much better than the spoiled 4-year-old they have there now.
Of course, I must mention that I do disagree with Phil Taylor on the main part of his article. I feel that Jeter had an MVP-caliber year in 2006, and more than the others on his list deserves that trophy. He stepped up and produced every day, and were it not for him the pressure of all the injuries, the aging pitching, and the demanding public and New York press would have cracked the Yankees right down the middle. So, when the voting results are announced and Jeter is named the AL MVP, I won't be surprised a bit, and I won't say he didn't deserve it.
But if he had acted like the captain he's supposed to be, he may have been able to add a World Series MVP trophy to that.
1 comment:
We are definately in agreement, and I am a Yankee fan.
I have bookmarked your blog, and will check it often.
Here is what I had to say on the topic, which for the most part is the same things that you said, why does Jeter get a pass?
Backhanded insult
Posted by theredyankee on 27 Oct 2006 21:07
"You never sit around trying to figure out with our organization, but Alex has what? -- a few more years left on his deal -- so, yeah, I would expect him to be back."
--Derek Jeter
This is a backhanded insult. He is basically saying they can't trade him because nobody will take his contract.
While everyone in the media gives endless analysis of the Jeter - ARod thing from the Arod end, they never seem to give Jeter the same scrutiny.
In my opinion, Jeter never got over the A-Rod quotes from Esquire magazine, that were such a big story in spring training the first year ARod went to the Texas Rangers.
The fact that the things that Arod said to Esquire in comparing himself to Jeter were arrogant and pompous, and also inaccurate, are now at this point and time irrelevant.
What is relevant is that it is in the best interests of the team that he get over it, and it appears that Jeter cannot, and will not ever get over it.
I am the biggest Yankee fan in the world, and I have always loved Jeter, but an important question is being overlooked, which needs to be asked.
Would Derek Jeter rather see ARod fail and be broken by the media in NY, than see him succeed and win a championship with him.
If Jeter would rather NOT win another championship, just because of his own personal anomosity for ARod, then what does that say about Jeter?
Just maybe Jeter isn't the total angel that he is portrayed to be.
I must admit, on several occasions over the past few years, Jeter has had several opprotunities to put it all behiend him, take the high road, and do what a captain is expected to do, and throw the guy a life saver, deflect some of the heat in the media away from ARod, but he never does that. Instead, Jeter repeatedly fans the flames in the media, with his backhanded insults, and his statements of non-support for ARod.
Instead of throwing a life saver his way, Jeter keeps throwing anchors at ARod.
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