Nobody ever won a pennant without a star shortstop. -Leo Durocher
Public Service Announcement: Ok, here we go! If there is one guy in baseball I hate above all the others, it is Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter is the face of all that is wrong with this world. He is the face of evil. He is the face of the New York Yankees. But I must give credit where credit is due. I must give credit even if it makes me sicker than the Asiatic Flu. Even if it makes me jumpier than a giant kangaroo.
Last night, Derek Jeter had three hits. Last night Derek Jeter passed Luis Aparicio (2673) as the all-time leader in hits as a shortstop (2675). Hooray Derek Jeter! Of course, some major-leaguers who played the majority of their careers at shortstop accumulated more total hits than Jeter. Of course there was Honus Wagner. Of course there was Cal Ripken. Of course there was Robin Yount and Luke Appling. But each of those men collected a significant amount of their hits while playing other positions. All but 13 of Jeter’s career hits have come as a shortstop. Happy now?
Peace out homies. Six two and Even!
Need More? Derek Jeter, MLB, New York Yankees
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Yup, not much of a Yankee fan, BUT, he probably did it without juicing, or shooting himself, or killing any dogs, or raping anyone, or dating Madonna, or trafficing dope through airports, etc. etc.
He might have been overrated earlier in his career, but he's been underrated the past couple of years. Now he's perfectly rated. He's a solid No.2 hitter who takes a advantage of hitting ahead of great power hitters. He can steal a couple of bags, but he'll never be a prolific basestealer. Above all else, he'll do whatever it takes to win his team the ballgame.