One MANS Opinion: The Derek Jeter Legacy
Published: Sep 26, 2014
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Hopefully by now you are planning your week three lineups with help from our Assistant G.M. tools and my week four fantasy football rankings. But as good of a job as we do with our rankings there are always questions as to why so and so is so high and others so low down. That is why I will try my best to answer your questions even before they are asked, here in Wednesday’s Rankings Review.
Those of you know have read my articles or listened to my show on SiriusXM radio, you know that I tend to have some strong opinions. Every now and then I will rant and rave about a topic that is important to me. Luckily (or unlucky I suppose) as Assistant G.M. subscribers you will receive one of these rants in your email box every week. It’s a little thing that I like to call: One MANS Opinion.
Let’s talk about this Derek Jeter farewell tour. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it overall. On one hand I was born and raised to hate the New York Yankees and those feelings only intensified as I grew into adulthood.
I like to think of myself as an open minded sports fan. I rather enjoy seeing other people’s and teams points of view. But the Yankees I have never been nor will ever be able to understand. I truly despise the fact that they along with the Boston Red Sox have been allowed to spend 10+ times what others teams do and it still be considered a fair competition. It’s pure nonsense, but I digress.
I have also spent the better part of the last decade of my life arguing that Derek Jeter was one of if not the most overrated fantasy baseball players ever. The fact that Derek Jeter has won five Gold Glove Awards is also downright insulting. In fact, if you isolate specific parts of Jeter’s game and compare them to other historically significant players, as Keith Olbermann did in his diatribe the other night, he will come up way short in many ways.
But despite all of this, I really don’t have a problem with the production that is Derek Jeter’s final few games. Sure, I think the whole gift giving nonsense and goodbye ceremony at every MLB stadium is absolutely ridiculous. But as for the Yankees organization and their fans balling all over Jeter in his final few days in uniform, I am perfectly fine with that.
How can I be fine with this despite hating the Yankees and agreeing with some of the critics about Jeter’s shortcomings? Because I understand what sports is all about. If you are reading these words than you should too. Sports and especially baseball is about far more than batting averages, attendance figures and even championships. Sports mean something different to all of us but at our core all of those meanings begin with memories.
Maybe it was your Father taking you to see a ballgame. Maybe it was getting buck wild with your fraternity buddies at the football games of your alma mater. Maybe it was your first fantasy league draft and you took a chance on a guy who then lead you to a championship. Maybe it was you and your Mom listening to the radio broadcast of your favorite team during dinner every night. Actually, that last one is mine.
Give me five minutes with any of you and I will be able to uncover what it is that makes you love sports. Those of you that claim to not have a favorite team or any bias are just not being honest with yourselves. But you should know that it is OK to have these feelings. It’s OK to laugh, to cry and to celebrate these moments and these memories.
The problem we all have with the Derek Jeter sendoff is that it is being covered as national news mostly because it is the New York Yankees and also because of Jeter’s incredibly successful career. Let’s be honest, we can poke holes in just about anybody who played between 1996-2014 mostly because of substance and PED allegations. But Jeter has got to be one of an incredibly small number of players who played this long, achieved so much and yet has as little to rag on or skeletons to hide.
Here in Chicago where I live, my White Sox are also saying goodbye to a iconic franchise player in Paul Konerko. This news probably means little to nothing to most of you guys but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I am sad to see the end of Konerko’s career. Paul Konerko brought Chicago their only World Series Championship in 88 years and that includes two major league franchises. While some couldn’t care less about the White Sox winning and the bandwagon jumpers long since gone too, it was a defining moment of my life.
So as I bid my farewell to Konerko, I also tip my cap to Derek Jeter. His career is cemented in just about everything you could ever ask for in a ballplayer. He hit for some power, drove in runs, drove in clutch runs, hit for average, stole bases, moved runners over, played a solid shortstop and did it all for 20 seasons. Most of all though is that he created so many positive memories for so many sports fans and of course Yankees fans both young and old. For those that love him, he gave them reason to believe that every season, every game and even every at bat might be historic. For those that hate him, he gave us a poster boy with just enough flaws to tear him apart whenever we wanted.
With all of the negative storylines in sports and especially the NFL these days I think it is important to take notice of the real side and the positive impact of sports. Derek Jeter didn’t beat up his girlfriend in an elevator. He doesn’t have 17 four year olds that he likes to teach a lesson every now and then. He hasn’t been busted for any illegal narcotics or performance enhancing drugs. Derek Jeter is a positive role model for many young kids out there and me as a diehard sports fan and Father of three really appreciates that.
Of course, what do I know? I am just a frosted tip radio show host who has dedicated his life to commenting on sports. You may not agree, but that is OK because this was just One MANS Opinion.