OT: Derek Jeter

[UConNick]

Will retire after the 2014 season. Literally had tears brought to my eyes while sitting in 1011. Obviously a day everyone knew was coming but it still came in like a wrecking ball. As a kid who's been a Yankee fan my entire life, I'm takin this especially hard. He's been the one constant for the greatest professional team in the world. I'll be forever grateful to Jeter for everything he has one for he game of baseball. He's done the impossible: be a a media darling in the media capital of the world. He will be truly missed by everyone, including you Sox fans, but I thank him for all the years of service, the memories he has built, and of course the winning culture that has left a lasting impact on me. De-rek Jeter!!!!!

 

[nomar]

Will retire after the 2014 season. Literally had tears brought to my eyes while sitting in 1011. Obviously a day everyone knew was coming but it still came in like a wrecking ball. As a kid who's been a Yankee fan my entire life, I'm takin this especially hard. He's been the one constant for the greatest professional team in the world. I'll be forever grateful to Jeter for everything he has one for he game of baseball. He's done the impossible: be a a media darling in the media capital of the world. He will be truly missed by everyone, including you Sox fans, but I thank him for all the years of service, the memories he has built, and of course the winning culture that has left a lasting impact on me. De-rek Jeter!!!!!

Oh I won't miss him. I respect him greatly, no question about it, but there's not even one small part of me that isn't happy to see him and Mo go. I'm a baseball fan second, Sox fan first. (Just like I'm a CBB fan second, UConn fan first.)

 

[WhereistheDove?]

As incredible of an offensive-force as he was, his contribution to pointing out how much of a joke the gold glove award is was equally as important. But in all seriousness, heck of a player.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

his contribution to pointing out how much of a joke the gold glove award is was equally as important.

I got nothing against Jeets, ("yeaaah Jeets") but this is a true statement that cannot be emphasized enough.

 

[UConNick]

How many complimentary players are going to finish their careers with 3500 hits?

He was a perfect fit for the Yankees.

But really if you put him on KC, Milwaukee, Colorado, a Cleveland or another stiff team for his whole career, it would be Derek Who?
Great complimentary player, but he could never carry a team.
It did help him having gazillion dollar players batting around him his whole career.

 

[Marat]

So Jeter sees Rivera roll out into the sunset, and decides to follow suit. The question is will Jeter get the same type of ovation from opposing teams/fans? Being a Sox fan, I think it will be similar as he is the last Yankee from those championship teams. Never hated him like some of the others.

 

[amory]

Turning your final season into a victory lap is lame. Play or don't. Announce your retirement when you're actually retiring.

 

[Strummer]

. . . his contribution to pointing out how much of a joke the gold glove award is was equally as important.

But really if you put him on KC, Milwaukee, Colorado, a Cleveland or another stiff team for his whole career, it would be Derek Who?

Guy is # 74 out of about 18,000 on career batting average list.
Guy is # 10 on all time hits list out of about 18,000.

And these guys waiting 19 years for this moment to make these comments.

Show a little respect.

And, BTW, he is one of the most complimentary players of all time, because he was all class, but suggesting he was a "complementary" player is asinine considering he is nestled among Mays, Wagner, and Yatrzemski on the all time hits list.

 

[Scoe]

Turning your final season into a victory lap is lame. Play or don't. Announce your retirement when you're actually retiring.

But maybe he wants to announce it to get out of the way so it wont be a distraction. Its NY being the face of the Yankees things will leak, so why not just announce it, he will be 40 why is this shocking if he says this will be his last season.

 

[amory]

But maybe he wants to announce it to get out of the way so it wont be a distraction. Its NY being the face of the Yankees things will leak, so why not just announce it, he will be 40 why is this shocking if he says this will be his last season.

Announcing before the season that it's your last go around has always seemed like a cop-out to me.

First off, for a player like Jeter just like for a player like Rivera, it becomes just as much of a story as the success or struggle of the team. It's way more of a distraction than to just brush off questions with an "I haven't decided on my future" answer every now and again.

And then if you start playing poorly, you get way less criticism because you've basically said "hey guys, these are our last few months together let's all have a good cry and just remember the good times". It ensures that you're going to have a very pleasant final season, getting applause in visiting ballparks and even crazier love at home. Literally a victory lap.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

But maybe he wants to announce it to get out of the way so it wont be a distraction.

You would think it would be more of a distraction to have another "Yankee Legend Farewell Tour" for 162 games than it would be to announce it next fall (early fall) when their season's over. Who is he distracting once the season's over?

Either way, great player. Wildly overrated with the glove. Legendary track record of conquests. He did it the right way.

 

[pepband99]

Guy is # 74 out of about 18,000 on career batting average list.
Guy is # 10 on all time hits list out of about 18,000.

And these guys waiting 19 years for this moment to make these comments.

Show a little respect.

And, BTW, he is one of the most complimentary players of all time, because he was all class, but suggesting he was a "complementary" player is asinine considering he is nestled among Mays, Wagner, and Yatrzemski on the all time hits list.

Proof that you can't pitch around 200 million dollars. He's a career 280 hitter in Cleveland - mark it down.

 

[Scoe]

You would think it would be more of a distraction to have another "Yankee Legend Farewell Tour" for 162 games than it would be to announce it next fall (early fall) when their season's over. Who is he distracting once the season's over?

Either way, great player. Wildly overrated with the glove. Legendary track record of conquests. He did it the right way.

It would be a circus no matter what, every single day "are you retiring after the season, will you play next year" Interviewing Tanake "will this be Jeters last season" you gotta answer those questions every single day, its NY its not KC or Cleveland.

 

[uconnbill]

He was a perfect fit for the Yankees.

But really if you put him on KC, Milwaukee, Colorado, a Cleveland or another stiff team for his whole career, it would be Derek Who?
Great complimentary player, but he could never carry a team.
It did help him having gazillion dollar players batting around him his whole career.

You know very little about baseball as he did carry the Yankees a number of times especially in the post season.

He was the ultimate teammate and leader, something all teams could use but very few have had.

 

[Scoe]

Proof that you can't pitch around 200 million dollars. He's a career 280 hitter in Cleveland - mark it down.

So wheres the proof then, im waiting for it.

 

[uconnbill]

Proof that you can't pitch around 200 million dollars. He's a career 280 hitter in Cleveland - mark it down.

Why all the gate? I am guessing a Red Sox fan who doesn't feel good about anyone else they are a Sox.

 

[Jerry1714]

What he accomplished with the ladies should not be overlooked when he is inducted into Cooperstown.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Guy is # 74 out of about 18,000 on career batting average list.
Guy is # 10 on all time hits list out of about 18,000.

And these guys waiting 19 years for this moment to make these comments.

Show a little respect.

And, BTW, he is one of the most complimentary players of all time, because he was all class, but suggesting he was a "complementary" player is asinine considering he is nestled among Mays, Wagner, and Yatrzemski on the all time hits list.

Well someone might need to chill out a little bit if a joke gets to you that much. A.) He's a retiring baseball player, not a dead war hero so maybe the show a little respect comment is a little unnecessary and B.) I gave him his props as an offensive force.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It would be a circus no matter what, every single day "are you retiring after the season, will you play next year" Interviewing Tanake "will this be Jeters last season" you gotta answer those questions every single day, its NY its not KC or Cleveland.

Doesn't matter to me, I'm not a Yankee fan, and they're going to be terrible again. But it seems like he could just say "I'll decide when the season's over and don't ask me again." If anyone's got goodwill from the media it's Jeter.

 

[8893]

Poor Suzyn Waldman. First Roger, then Mariano, now this.

Can't a girl catch a break?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

A.) He's a retiring baseball player, not a dead war hero so maybe the show a little respect comment is a little unnecessary

+1.

 

[superjohn]

Some seriously stupid things said in this thread, yup nobody would know his name if he played in another city because he's such a mediocre ballplayer.

 

[Huskybass]

Even though I am a lifelong Sawx fan, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jeter. He is an all time great and the game will miss him.

 

[UConNick]

Wow. Some of you really have no respect for Jeter, New York, and baseball in general. So he played in NYC. So it helped him. I'm not gonna deny it probably had a bit of an impact on his career. But Boston plays the same way and has the same kind of effect, albeit to a lesser extent (less WS wins). I just want to touch on what he means to society. He's a truly transcendent player, a label that only belongs to a handful of athletes; MJ, Babe Ruth, Peyton Manning, etc. growing up with this around me is an experience I would trade for nothing. Despite being such a die hard Yankee fan since I was born in 1995, Jeter was never my number one favorite player, until today, when I put into perspective everything he's done, and everything he stands for.

 

[boog204]

Lifelong Yankee fan... Jeter was so constantly labeled overrated, that he actually is underrated. What I mean is that he was never the offensive or defensive player that ARod, Nomar, and the other steroid SS of that era were and the media tried to make him seem like he was. But yet, he was the best all around player out of all of them. His offensive numbers, especially considering his no 'roid connection are fantastic for a SS. The gold gloves were a joke. But that's happened with other guys as well. There is no one you'd rather have up in clutch situation, no baserunner you'd rather have go 1st to 3rd or score from second, and no fielder who you weren't certain would make the crucial play. He made the most out of every situation he was in and even if it wasn't pretty, he always got the job done. It's amazing how many times he'd just inside out a ball into right field for a game tying/winning hit. It wasn't awe inspiring other than that he did it, again. As a leader, he was second to none in the respect afforded to him by fans and teammates. The idea that he was "merely" a complimentary player is bafflingly dumb. Even when he was surrounded by huge $$ players, he was still the heart and soul AND most dangerous offensive player on those teams. The Yanks don't win 5 world series without him.

As for the pre-season announcement, I really don't think Jeter did it for the fanfare. He could care less about some victory tour. He did it so that he didn't have to answer the same damn question from the idiot media every single day (as Mo had to the year prior to his announcement). He did it so the Yankees wouldn't be caught scrambling to figure out his replacement. I don't think it was selfish. It was practical which is something Jeter has been a master of.