Derek Jeter is a baseball God, a divine force given to the Yankees to restore/maintain their rightful place atop the food chain. He is Mr. November, an unstoppable force in autumn baseball. He is to be worshiped and adored without question.
Dandy.
I too love Derek Jeter. I think he's an outstanding player that only gets better in the spotlight of the post-season. If I had a vote, he'd be 2006 MVP, and watching his 5-5 performance last night I was right there with the crowd adoring #2.
Alex Rodriguez didn't have a headline making night. He hit one single and scorched another two that were caught for outs. He also made a couple nice defensive plays.
No great shakes. But not horrible either.
So why is it the NY press feels the need to glorifly Jeter by disparaging Arod?
It certainly isn't that Jeter's deeds needed to be pumped up - they were awesome enough on their own. But what the heck, let's praise Jeter by dumping on one of his teammates:
"The greatest player in the game [Arood] until he comes up in a big spot is, by his recent own admission, just too good-looking and too smart to blend in among all his friends and teammates who get a pass from the fans and media that Rodriguez doesn't."
or how about
"You are going to succeed more than you fail in baseball," said Jeter last night. "You can't be afraid."
Lesson for Rodriguez"
What lesson? That Jay Greenberg is a hack who used his platform with the public to compound the issue that just might drive the game's best player out of New York?
For the record, entering last night's game their respective postseason numbers were Jeter .307/.379/.463 sand A-Rod's of .305/.393/.534. That's average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage.
And yes, I'm mighty aware of the slump A-Rod has been in since game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.
But that's a two year post-season slump that just now lowers him to (above) par with Jeter.
Think the hack writers in NY, ever content to create friction, unrealistic expectations, and turmoil had anything to do with his droff-off?
Not everyone can put up with the glare of the Big Apple. I understand that. But A-Rod's the reinging MVP, a man who hit more home runs from the right side of the plate in one year than any Yankee, breaking the record held by none other than Joe Dimaggio.
The man can play.
Not put down your pens, shut up, and let him swing away.
Lesson for Greenberg.
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