Fans hate teams. Fans hate players. They even hate stadiums, umpires, cities, hot dogs, commentators, bubble gum, logos and team colors. Predictably, they hate all these items and hundreds more in the wonderfully perfect of sports for absolutely no reason.
Unfortunately a clean, polite and immensely talented baseball legend is inexcusably tossed into that unforgiving fire of hate. Derek Jeter is simply and unfairly hated by many because he dons the pinstripes, an iconic symbol of money and success for the last century.
Unsurprisingly, he’d have it to no other way, wanting nothing more than just that for his legacy, saying, “Being remembered as a Yankee. Being a Yankee will be enough.”
The best part of that simple statement? It’s sincere. Surely a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best shortstops of all-time, he just wants the locals to love him.
His stats speak for themselves but because there remains a heap of oblivious and uneducated true baseball fans out there, let’s recap the notable individual ones:
15: 15 years of playing in 148-plus games entering 2014
12: 12 seasons with a .300-plus batting average
4: 4 more seasons hitting .290-plus
650: In 650 postseason at-bats (650!), Jeter has a .308 average
1,300: Jeter will conclude his career with more than 1,300 RBI, most of which were accumulated in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots
8: 8 seasons of 200-plus hits
1,100: Jeter will stroll down to 1st base with more than 1,100 walks
0: Zero suspensions for PEDs, rumors of PEDs, allegations of PEDs, suspicions of PEDs…you get the point.
Furthermore, he has brought five more World Series titles to the Bronx along with five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, one Rookie of the Year and one World Series MVP.
His relentless critics still point to subpar defensive range, unglamorous arm strength and oftentimes inconsistent slugging numbers. It is shocking that such a remarkable, team-first, selfless player remains so highly criticized.
Derek Jeter represents consistency. He represents sportsmanship, drive, stamina, passion and reliability. Above all, he seems like a legit human being with a unwavering desire for the oftentimes embattled game of baseball.
“The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward,” Jeter said in a statement on Facebook last winter.
It’s not fair. Go ahead and hate the Yankees, but don’t hate one of the greatest of all-time because he plays for the Bronx Bombers.
Derek Jeter smiles when he plays baseball. Enjoy that for another two months.
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Photo Courtesy: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
