It's no secret that this has been something of a lost season for Our Hero, not to mention our Yankees, but the faithful may take heart that Derek Jeter finally seems to be over the injuries that have plagued him this year. After another good night—a dinger!—leading the Bombers to victory, he is 16 of his last 28 and has pumped his numbers to a respectable .298/.358/.411. The .300 mark is clearly within range, and better still he's only 2 hits shy of 2,500 for his career. Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
PS: He's dating Lyla Garraty.
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Definitely a lost season for the Yankees, I won't disagree there. But a lost season for the Captain? Give him another month+ before we write him off. He's been just average, while many of his teammates have been below average so isn't that a small achievement in Yankeeland?
Posted by: John - YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 09:00 AM
I don't subscribe to this kind if silliness, but if A-Rod gets the BS "unclutch" kind of criticism then wouldn't it be fair to say that Jeter has gone on a tear just when the pressure disappeared, when the idea of a playoff spot became something of a relative overaccomplishment as opposed to something just within the grasp?
But of course nobody says that, for good reason. I hate the double standards.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 09:18 AM
I think the "good reason" you are referring to is his years of actually coming through in the clutch. I am not giving any Yankee a pass for this season, but I am fairly certain Jeter isn't having a great August just because there is less pressure. Historically he has not been one to back away from pressure filled situations.
Posted by: John - YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 09:22 AM
The Sacred Cow
Posted by: I'mBillMcNeal | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 09:36 AM
I can only imagine the noise had A-Rod gone from having a sub-par year to having a close-to-career-average year all because of one insanely good week after the team fell down the standings.
The outcry would be deafening. But somehow this ends up as "hey look at our Captain!" praise. The guy who continues to consistently outperform every player on earth still gets the burning paper bag of dogsh*t, the guy who has a good week in August that covers up pretty serious underperformance gets the gushes.
I know why this is, and I am certain that we SFs are guilty of the same thing with our players. And I know that YF appreciates A-Rod, perhaps more than many other YFs. But my guess (maybe a wrong guess, I don't know) is that this post represents the sentiments of a lot of Jeter-loving Yankee fans who don't think the same way that YF does about A-Rod.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 09:57 AM
Well don't lump me into that bunch you are speaking of SF. To me it's far more important point that this team as a WHOLE has underachieved. It's been such a frustrating year, the last thing on my mind is Alex and his abilities in the clutch. Honestly I don't think the idea that this whole mess belongs to Alex has ever crossed my mind.
Posted by: John - YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Consider yourself unlumped!
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:23 AM
SF: You have entirely manufactured an argument that does not exist, for no reason, and to no purpose. "I can only imagine." "Would be." Blah, blah, and this after stating that you "hate double standards." Then YFs are broadly accused of holding them, but based only on your supposition (and who cares, anyway?).
I really don't understand the thought process here. Jeter has a great couple of weeks. We comment on it, naturally. Why should that be even remotely controversial, and why do we have to tie the specious issue of ARod's clutchness to it?
Posted by: YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:24 AM
It's so simple and obvious SF...Jeter has come through, ARod has not. End of story. Do I hate ARod? Nope. Do I think he is a bit of a fragile nancy-boy? Yep. Do I still rock the #13 jersey? Yep.
I'm just waiting for that moment when he comes through and flips that switch to be that player everyone seems to think he is...
He certainly carried us last year, and that was great to see but this year he has regressed. Would anyone disagree with that?
Posted by: krueg | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:35 AM
P.S. Jeter is god.
Posted by: krueg | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:37 AM
I do hope that Jeter's recent hot streak is a sign that he's not falling off a cliff like it seemed earlier this season.
Posted by: Nick-YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:00 AM
He just needed a new, young, gorgeous girl in his life eveidently...
Posted by: krueg | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:01 AM
When has Jeter ever NOT had a new, young, gorgeous girl in his life? The man is blessed.
Posted by: Atheose | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Jeez, a little touchy there YF. It's not specious, and the A-Rod thing was a recently hot topic here, particularly the issue of high performance while nothing (or something) is on the line. It's interesting to me (and maybe nobody else, that's fair enough) that these guys get treated so differently, despite the fact that one guy is clearly a more significant contributor to whatever the successes the team may have. I haven't seen any threads touting A-Rod, rather the opposite, despite the fact that he's far more responsible for whatever victories the Yankees have this season. And again, if he had a hot streak that (your word) "pumped" his numbers up he's be exposed as some sort of fraud.
I don't begrudge you your adoration of Jeter, that's not the issue. And I don't question your reasonability, at all. Sorry if it came off that way. I'll leave the subject alone from here on out.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:10 AM
But you're looking at it the wrong way SF...Jeter led us to CHAMPIONSHIPS! ARod has really led us to nothing...yet. It's really that simple. Is it not obvious? Not to mention ARod is in a category of his own when it comes to criticism due to his contract and his personality. Again, if we win it all in 2009 it will be all good forever. I'm not as old as you guys but wasn't Reggie not that great in pinstripes but then blew up in the postseason and is now REGGIE-REGGIE-REGGIE!!!
Posted by: krueg | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:26 AM
I'm sure these comparisons have been made countless times before now, but ARod is a lot like Roger Maris and Reggie Jackson. Both came to the team and were overshadowed by homegrown heroes (Mantle and Munson), and criticized by the media. Then they won a championship and everything was gravy. Like Krueg says, if ARod wins a championship all will be forgiven.
Posted by: Atheose | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:47 AM
" I haven't seen any threads touting A-Rod, rather the opposite, despite the fact that he's far more responsible for whatever victories the Yankees have this season. And again, if he had a hot streak that (your word) "pumped" his numbers up he'[d] be exposed as some sort of fraud."
This is just a bunch of utter bs. Pass.
Posted by: YF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 12:07 PM
He's back! Yay!
Based on 28 at bats!
Boooo.
Posted by: mark | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 12:25 PM
Yes, you are right. Rodriguez isn't held to different standards. He's not. I am wrong. You win. He isn't crapped on for hitting three-run homers in the first and not the eighth. He isn't. I am wrong. You win. Yep, there were threads posted about how A-Rod started the team on the comeback against the Royals the other day, about how important his homer was to getting the team back in the game. Yep, there they are, right in the archives. My bad, I was wrong, you're right.
Oh, wait. There they aren't. Just continual comments (here and elsewhere) about how A-Rod has to prove himself, over and over and over and over and over (or, I guess, once in the post-season, however random that accomplishment might be, and however serendipitous the post-season circumstances are). Sorry for pointing that bs out.
You honestly think that if A-Rod was underperforming, then went on a tear when the Yanks were 11 games out of the division, that fans wouldn't be all over him for the timing? Seriously?! You may not think it relevant to this thread (or specious, whatever), I don't. Never the twain shall meet.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 12:27 PM
If ARod went on a tear...we probably wouldn't be 11 games out anymore. That's the point.
Posted by: krueg | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 02:11 PM
crap on this if you can: sf's motivation for his comments is not to point out the double standard [a delicious irony in itself], or to defend arod [odd, at least], but rather to take yet another tired old, sf [generically speaking], shot at our beloved captain...let it go sf...nomar is no-more...we have the 2 premier left-infielders of that "era" on our team...one has one multiple championships...the other will achieve some pretty lofty personal goals, and perhaps even a championship of his own, which may be more important to him than most of us realize...
Posted by: dc | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 06:23 PM
entirely misread, dc, but whatever. I hate the double standard with A-Rod, that's it. Believe it or don't. I am not a liar.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 06:38 PM
"...I am not a liar...."
not saying you are sf...in fact, i find you refreshingly honest, truly...but, underneath the defense of arod against the dreaded double-standard, lies the animosity for jeter, "the" captain, that only an sf can appreciate, and only a yf can expose so skillfully... ;)
Posted by: dc | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 06:49 PM
ha, dc.
The fact is I don't dislike Jeter, as do a lot of SFs. I harbor tremendous ambivalence towards him, to be frank.
Posted by: SF | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 07:21 PM
um, ok, you may not 'possess' the animosity i referred to, so you too may consider yourself "unlumped"...
by the way, since there doesn't appear to be a yankee gamer, this is as good a place as any to be thankful for 'mr. no-range' making a couple of good plays tonight...one to each side...
Posted by: dc | Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 07:33 PM