I have been biting my tongue all week over Jeterpalooza, where the fact that the Yankees have gone 1-3 since Derek Jeter came back to the team is completely overlooked because the Captain is about to get his 3000th hit. I find it more than a little ironic that the player who is supposed to be all about team, and not individual achievements, has a reality show, a bracelet, sneakers, and a slew of endorsements lines up, all about his personal numbers. It is his right to do all that, but it’s a little jarring, not to mention counter to his team-first image.
Not to mention his whining about the “negativity” surrounding the achievement. Oh, boo bleeding hoo. Some reporters dared to mention his current numbers, and that’s “negativity”? Puh-lease.
Don’t get me wrong, Jeter being the first Yankee to reach 3000 is a big deal and a great achievement. But it shouldn’t take precedence over the fact that the team has looked terrible this week, after going 14-4 when the captain was on the DL. And, as I always say, switch the player in this scenario from Jeter to A-Rod, and tell me what the reaction would be.
I finally reached my limit this morning, when I read all the hysteria about the big, bad Tampa Bay Rays refusing to play a day-night doubleheader Saturday, and the Yankees not scheduling a regular doubleheader, which means that Jeter only has two games, not three, before the All-Star Break And all the sob stories about fans with tickets to Friday’s game, who will miss out on seeing history. Guess what? As John Sterling says, you can’t predict baseball. Even if the game was played, Jeter could have gone 0-5. Would those fans demand their money back?
As for the Rays, they did what is best for their team, not Derek Jeter. What the heck is wrong with that? As Evan Longoria said, “It’s not like he’s not going to get another hit.”
Even Joe Girardi has appeared to lose perspective. He said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of something this big.” Oh, please. I think hitting a game-winning triple to win the clinching game in the 1996 World Series was a little bigger. Or catching a perfect game. Or being part of the 1998 Yankees. Or leading the Yankees to victory in the 2009 World Series. What is Joe thinking? Whatever happened to the team being more important than the individual? Good grief.
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