Sorry, but I can't post this on Facebook- too many relatives in NY, and they'd all disown me. But, seriously, WTF? I am sick and tired of the inordinate amount of attention given to one player- I understood the Mcguire thing as he pursued the record, same with Ripken- but Jesus H Christ, they act like Jeter is the greatest baseball player of all time. Seriously, great player, champion- but enough already with the Jeter hype. Give me Biggio over him any day (OK, maybe the homer in me- plus, they played different positions, but you know what I mean). [end rant] OK, he's 6th all-time in hits, I supposed that's pretty phenomenal, considering he did that in 20 years. Still... well, I guess they have a point.
I hear ya. As a shortstop, he was a hell of a second baseman. If he played in Milwaukee he'd be Paul Molitor.
Watch when the NBA does the same thing whenever Kobe or LeBron announce their retirement. Also in the NFL with Brady and Peyton.
If he was on a different team they'd knock him for being the team captain of a team filled with PED users and indirectly accuse him of using as well....just ask Biggio how that works. Since he was a Yankee he'll go down as one of the all time greats and be a first ballot HOFer. It's not fair, but hey that's how it works. The MLB HOF is a joke and I don't see that changing any time soon. As for Jeter, he should have been a DH because he's arguably the worst defensive player in the history of the MLB in that his poor defense over the years hurt his team more than anyone else that has played the game. Anyone else that terrible at defense would have either had a shorter career as a result or been a DH.
Didn't Kareem have a farewell tour? Oh, yes, he did, at the 4 minute mark: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3E4TmZG-gWI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It is unfortunate that Jeter played SS, because he always had abysmal range, yet he has always gotten the love for those jump throws, when Adam Everett would have made the play routinely. Offensively he is completely deserving of the hype. He posted an average OWAR of 6.4 during his prime. Not to mention a .313/.383./.479 slash during the playoffs before age caught up to him. He was a great baserunner, great in the clubhouse, and did a remarkable job of staying out of controversy while racking up by far the most impressive list of women the world has ever seen. But that defense, he simply wasn't a SS. Yet he won 5 GG, SMH, that will always piss me off.
Was he really that bad on defense? You know, all you see are the highlights like that play against the A's where he flips the ball behind him.. you know what I mean. Never paid attention to his defense.
who was the best? That Concepcion dude from the Reds? Ozzie? Nomar? I'm weak in my knowledge of the defensive greats, mostly know about the offensive achievements.
He really was that bad defensively but he sort of "made up for it" with flash and a lot of people bought in to it. For example, there were a lot of plays that should have been very routine, but instead of a normal controlled throw, he'd do a stupid jump throw. It really just showed off his poor range if you know what to look for, but it was an ESPN highlight so for a lot of people that's enough. His defensive range is really what the biggest problem was, he just didn't get to many balls that he really really should have. Another way he'd try to make up for this is by guessing and being on the move before the hit. If he guessed right, he was in position, if he guessed wrong, he was so far out of position that a lot of people thought he never should have had a chance to make a play to begin with. More knowledgeable people than me have written ad nauseum about this topic if you want to make a google search about it. If you enjoy baseball talk, some of them are pretty good.
Well for a long time Adam Everett was considered the best, but he wasn't really the same after Carlos Lee broke his leg. Everett was terrible with a bat, but was amazing at short stop.
The Jeter mystique in NY is not so much what he did on the field. He always said the right thing. He was aloof enough to be mysterious. He avoided any scandal. He was for the most part always healthy. His race was ambiguous, many people felt they could relate to him. He dated some of the most beautiful women in the world and most of the women in the tabloids spoke glowingly of him even after a break up. He was respectful to the old timers and played the game in a respectful manner. He was drafted by the Yankees and played for them as an all star for two decades. He was on the team straight through their dynasty. He had defining plays in the playoffs and appears to have been PED free. He did everything off the field people wanted and was good enough on the field. Hell he is a Hall of Famer, just the second best short stop on his own team. He was never half the player Alex Rodriguez was, but Jeter did it the right way.
I will just say this, when the Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez, he was the best defensive infielder in baseball.
alot of people rank Omar Vizquel and Mark Belanger high on list of best defensive SS of all time. Most say Ozzie.
By defensive WAR Ozzie Smith was the best at 43.4, saving 239 runs over his career. During his prime Everett may have been the best ever, per full season he saved 32 runs during his 5 prime years. While Jeter gave up 243 runs over his career
Loved adam everett- and Caminiti at 3rd- as an Astro- **** that Padre bull****. Still hate Kevin Brown and that other, what's that other Padres pitcher- Sterling something.
