3000 for Jeter

[barrysloate]

And he did it with a home run...that means a fan has the ball!

[novakjr]

Moments like this are why I love MLB Network...If it weren't for them I wouldn't have gotten to see it live...Congrats Derek..

[Brendan]

And he did it with a home run...that means a fan has the ball!

I'd like to see what that sells for. :eek:

[novakjr]

Now, I'm sure Jeter wants the ball, and I know it's gonna have a high cash value. Any guesses what the Yankees will offer the fan for it? You know they're gonna make an offer. Lifetime season tickets possibly?

[asphaltman]

Well what do you do....be the good guy that gives Jeter the ball for a few autographed items (bats, balls, jersey, etc)....or tell Jeter he can fight it out in a REA auction? :D

[peterose4hof]

Jeter has always been a class act and by all accounts a great teammate. He is a surefire, first-ballot HOFer and I'm glad I was watching when he got #3000

I was surprised to hear that of the 28 players to hit 3000 he is only the 2nd to do it with a HR and Wade Boggs is the other. Two guys not known as HR hitters. Gotta love the oddities of baseball!

[barrysloate]

It will probably take more than 100K to pry it loose.

[dherm360]

I was going to say 250K plus, I'm sure if Steinbrenner was still around he would want it too and the negotiations would already been started in his luxary box

Congrats to Jeter

[GoldenAge50s]

I also believe he is the ONLY player ever to get his 3000th hit in any Yankee Stadium.

[novakjr]

A triple away. Any chance he cycles in this game? If then, which ball would be worth more? 3000? or the triple for the cycle?

Obviously, this is hypothetical because the triple would never reach the public. But then again, 3000 never will now either. If there is a triple for the cycle, and it somehow reaches the general public. Would it fetch anywhere near what 3000 would have?

[Brendan]

A triple away. Any chance he cycles in this game? If then, which ball would be worth more? 3000? or the triple for the cycle?

I would think the 3000th hit ball. By a lot.

[tedzan]

4 for 4

7th inning......and, maybe a chance for a 5th at bat in this game.


YANKEES fan since 1947

TED Z

[calvindog]

First HR he's hit at home in a year. Amazing.

[oldjudge]

The fan who caught it is a class act too. He said he wanted nothing for the ball, just for Jeter to have it. He said Jeter earned it and deserved it.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Greatest Yankee ever without a doubt.

[MVSNYC]

the fan said that? jeez, i guess he's not in the "hobby" ;)

i think it would be cool to at least get his jersey or bat from today's game in return...

congrats to Jeter!

p.s. hi Barry & Jeff! dinner soon? been awhile

[terjung]

Greatest Yankee ever without a doubt.

really?

[chaddurbin]

p.s. hi Barry & Jeff! dinner soon? been awhile

YAY ny dinner thread coming...

[richieb315]

The fan who caught it is a class act too. He said he wanted nothing for the ball, just for Jeter to have it. He said Jeter earned it and deserved it.

He should of cashed in on it.

[barrysloate]

Hi Michael- good to see you posting again. Hope you are well.

[A2000]

A Google search for the highest prices ever paid for a baseball showed:

Mark McGwire 70th Home Run Ball (1998) - $3,005,000

Babe Ruth All-Star Game Home Run Ball (1933) - $805,000

Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball (2007) - $752,467

Henry Aaron's 755th Home Run Ball (1976) - $650,000

Bonds' 73rd - $517,500

Murray's 500th - $500,000

Mantle's 500th - $250,000

McGwire's 500th - $250,000

Barry Bonds' Home run No. 755, the ball that tied the record (2007) - $186,750

Sosa's 66th - $175,000

Sammy Sosa's 66th homer (1999) - $172,500

Ruth's first at Stadium - $130,000

Fisk's Series shot - $120,000

Steve Bartman's foul ball that Chicago fans believe cost the Cubs a trip to the 2003 World Series was bought by someone who plans to destroy it (2003) - $106,600


I'm a huge fan of the Yankees and Jeter, but sorry, there's no way I would've given the baseball back. :eek:

[terjung]

The fan who caught it is a class act too. He said he wanted nothing for the ball, just for Jeter to have it. He said Jeter earned it and deserved it.

Christian Lopez will receive four Champion Suite tickets for the remainder of the season and through the playoffs.

[barrysloate]

It's safe to say that Jeter is the first player to go 5 for 5 on the day he got his 3000th hit. What a memorable game!

Oops...Biggio did it. I guess Jeter will have to bat one more time.

[ChiefBenderForever]

really?

Yes really ! He brought the Yankees out of the worst years of their lives, no Jeter no world championships. Yes he had help but nothing like Ruth, Dimaggio, or Mantle had. I would say Mantle is 2nd as he had more competition than Ruth or Gehrig. And Dimaggio was overated but had a nice swing, actually probably the 2nd best next to Ted Williams. The pressure Jeter had and the clutch he came through with goes down second to none !

[tedzan]

4 for 4

7th inning......and, maybe a chance for a 5th at bat in this game.


YANKEES fan since 1947

TED Z


5 for 5

Did I say he would get a 5th AB ?

And he delivered, by driving in the RUN that won game.

What a day :)


TED Z

[calvindog]

To get your 3000th on a day like that...is just incredible. 5-5? HR for 3000? Game winning hit? Unreal.

[tedzan]

Does it get much better than that ?


TED Z

[glchen]

I think Ruth would be the obvious #1 in Yankees history. He brought them their first title in 1923, and for that one, he didn't much help then either. I would say, IMHO, that that the greatest Yankees are:

(1) Babe Ruth
(2) Mickey Mantle
(3) Lou Gehrig
(4) Joe Dimaggio
(5) Yogi Berra
(6) Derek Jeter

[iwantitiwinit]

Just got back from the Yankee game with 2 of my sons and my wife, something I'll never forget. Pure pandemonium. As soon as the ball left the bat everyone in the stadium knew it was gone. I was in right field in the second tier perfect view, I'll see that ball arcing in my dreams. It was great!!!!!

[calvindog]

Does it get much better than that ?


TED Z

Hard to imagine a better day for Jeter. Really fitting for the guy.

As for the top 6 Yankees of all time, I agree with the names listed above just not perhaps the order. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMag, Mantle, Berra and then Jeter.

[sycks22]

Fun fact: Molitor is the only guy to get a triple for his 3,000's hit. Jeter being the greatest Yankee of all time is rediculous. He's a .300 hitter with minimal power and very overrated at SS. He's a great player, but Ruth / Gehrig / Mantle are top 3 Yanks of all time with Dimaggio possibly sneaking in there somewhere. Yanks have 1 title in the past 10 years, same as the Chisox / Marlins / Cardinals. Yanks were the team of the 90's, not 2000's. Boston has 2 in the 2000's, that's got to hurt the true Yankee fans out there.

[packs]

Great game for Jeter. I think some are getting caught up in the moment though. He has been an incredible hitter in the post-season, but he is not the reason the Yankees won their rings. Without Mariano Rivera (under a 1.00 ERA in the post-season), Andy Pettite (19-10) and crazy as it sounds, Orlando Hernandez, Jeter's post-season numbers wouldn't amount to any rings.

My top five Yankees:

1. Gehrig
2. Ruth
3. Dimaggio
4. Mantle
5. Mariano Rivera

Someone back there said Dimaggio was over-rated but had a nice swing. I couldn't disagree more. He finished his career with 361 home runs and 369 strikeouts. Pretty incredible hitter.

[novakjr]

Great game for Jeter. I think some are getting caught up in the moment though. He has been an incredible hitter in the post-season, but he is not the reason the Yankees won their rings. Without Mariano Rivera (under a 1.00 ERA in the post-season), Andy Pettite (19-10) and crazy as it sounds, Orlando Hernandez, Jeter's post-season numbers wouldn't amount to any rings.

My top five Yankees:

1. Gehrig
2. Ruth
3. Dimaggio
4. Mantle
5. Mariano Rivera

I think I can agree with that list, although I'd swap Mantle and Dimaggio.. To me the only reason that Gehrig is 1st ahead of Ruth is because Ruth was bought by the Yankees, rather than being a true product of the Yankees. Whitey might be very close to Mariano.. And Berra's right there too. At best Jeter might rank 8 on my list, possibly lower, if I were to give it some serious thought.

[packs]

This is my top ten Yankees list:

1. Gehrig
2. Ruth
3. Dimaggio
4. Mantle
5. Mariano Rivera
6. Yogi Berra
7. Whitey Ford
8. Bill Dickey
9. Derek Jeter
10. Bernie Williams

Had he not gotten hurt, I believe Don Mattingly would be right up there under Mo.

[glchen]

About Ruth not being #1, they practically named their stadium after him ... Also, Rivera and Jeter have a fat ZERO regular season MVP's and Cy Young's between them. Mantle, Berra, and DiMaggio all have 3 MVP's each. Gehrig has 2 and Ruth has one.

Here are the # of rings as a Yankee (and appearing in that WS): Berra (10), Dimaggio (9), Mantle (7), Gehrig (6), Ruth (4), Jeter (5), Rivera (5)

[packs]

Mariano Rivera might not have any league MVPs, but can you think of a more valuable player to have on your team than him? I'd take him with my number 1 pick of the entire league if I had one.

I rank Gehrig as number 1 because there is no telling what numbers he would have put up had he not gotten sick. I don't know the details of ALS, but assuming he had his last fully healthy season at age 34 and had never had a significant injury in his career, there were untold numbers of seasons he never got to play.

[William Todd]

I would pretty much agree with Gary's order of greatest Yankees. A fantastic day for Jeter! Comparisons from the different eras are extremely hard. Where are the Bruces?

[ChiefBenderForever]

Agreed people are getting caught up....in the past !!! Seriously not fair to call Ruth the greatest Yankee as he might be the greatest to ever play in all of baseball. If Jeter isn't an MVP, who is ? All the listed Yankees are great and very tough to compare or put in any order it's all a matter of opinion.

[canjond]

Just got back from the game. It was absolutely incredible - I actually was in "The Perfect Game" suite with Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers and a few other former Yankees (and right next to the suite where Derek's father and Minka Kelly were). Very interesting to see the players reactions, especially Nettles - he was so locked in on the game and kept saying it was incredible.

Edited to add, Minka Kelly is gorgeous.

[richieb315]

Ny Yankees 3000 hits Minka Kelly...What a life

[T206Collector]

I was at the game as well. I brought my six year old. I was holding him steady as he stood on the seat to get a better view, and then when it was up, I lifted him up on my shoulders and we jumped around together (carefully enough). For what it was worth, I didnt think it was gone off the bat. I think I was thinking it was maybe a double or going to be a nice catch by the left fielder. But it just kept carrying.

Our seats were in the sun, about a zillion degrees, and so after the pandemonium died down, we went to the gift shop, got some hats and shirts, and then headed home. I saw hits 4 and 5 on my sofa.

Really cool experience...

[PhilNap]

fun fact: Molitor is the only guy to get a triple for his 3,000's hit. Jeter being the greatest yankee of all time is rediculous. He's a .300 hitter with minimal power and very overrated at ss. He's a great player, but ruth / gehrig / mantle are top 3 yanks of all time with dimaggio possibly sneaking in there somewhere. Yanks have 1 title in the past 10 years, same as the chisox / marlins / cardinals. Yanks were the team of the 90's, not 2000's. Boston has 2 in the 2000's, that's got to hurt the true yankee fans out there.


2000, 2009 = 2

[xdrx]

I bought a buddy of mine tickets for a Yankee game this season. I asked him which game he wanted. Reply: "Jeter's 3000th hit game". Thanks, that'll be easy to choose...So, I look at the stats and schedule and take a shot. He'll be at the game tomorrow.

Funny thing is I was getting a lot of grief (good-natured) about the game I chose right up until Jeter strained his calf. A glimmer of hope. Then, looking at it this week it still seemed to be a long shot, until the rain out last night. Finally some optimism, then 5-5. Doh!

I can't put Jeter at the top of the all-time Yankee list. How can you push Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle aside? But I would offer up that Jeter is right there as far as best player in the game for his era. I'm setting steroid freaks aside, of course, and placing a high value on all of The Captain's intangibles.

[sycks22]

2000, 2009 = 2

1 win in the last 10 years = correct statement.

[PhilNap]

1 win in the last 10 years = correct statement.

One of the last 2 is even more accurate.

[Brendan]

Well, since this seems to have turned into a top 5 all time Yankee list, I will add one as well. The player must have been on the Yankees for a significant period of his career to be considered. (e.g. no Rickey Henderson or Roger Clemens)

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Mariano Rivera
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Derek Jeter

[kkkkandp]

We had tickets for Friday's game. Needless to say were were a bit bummed with the rainout. The tickets we had for Friday, however, were not bought. My son-in-law got them from a work associate. As it turned out, that work associate was using the tickets for those seats on Saturday, but he gave us others that actually turned out better. Field level, but out of the sun. Seeing it unfold in person was unbelievable. 3000th hit, a 5-hit game, the winning RBI and a Yankee win. The kid who caught the ball was very honest and classy. It was basically a perfect day. The only bummer was the line for Monument Park was too long, so my daughters didn't get to see it.

I can only imagine how much extra income the team made yesterday from Jeter commemorative merchandise. I estimate it was at least $2 million. We spent $80 on two t-shirts and a magazine and most of the 48,000+ people there had at least that much stuff.

[canjond]

Couple more photos to add to the above...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/270226_1904558050017_1123714554_31684568_5396703_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/269970_1904596730984_1123714554_31684630_3623568_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/265124_1904579730559_1123714554_31684590_5425409_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/265060_1904598131019_1123714554_31684633_5917531_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/265020_1904558930039_1123714554_31684571_558744_n. jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/264694_1904578970540_1123714554_31684587_1329352_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/264085_1904580730584_1123714554_31684594_4027698_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/262361_1904580090568_1123714554_31684592_7231399_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/262106_1904598451027_1123714554_31684635_6613497_n .jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/jon_canfield/261826_1904578690533_1123714554_31684586_7368783_n .jpg

[steve B]

Great pics!

What a wonderful day for everyone, fans and players alike.

from this Red Sox fan, congratulations to all!



Steve B
Who went to something like 15 games in a row trying to see Yaz get #3000.
My parents put an end to that the day he finally did it, so I missed by one day.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I can't see ranking Jeter ahead of Ruth Gehrig Dimaggio or Mantle, or ARod if he's been a Yankee long enough to be part of the discussion. But he's right at the top of the next tier.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Arod had three good playoff games and did get his ring but not sure how he could even be in the discussion, he has been more of a burden than team player.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Arod had three good playoff games and did get his ring but not sure how he could even be in the discussion, he has been more of a burden than team player.

2 MVPs and 6 All Star selections as a Yankee. 7 straight years of 100 or more RBI. Uh... some burden.

[steve B]

Alex Rodriguez always struck me as a good player with great skills. Great players make everyone around them better, and he just doesn't do that. Great personal stats but not much else. Despite the flashy numbers losing followed him everywhere, even to NY. Remember, his ball slapping interference call had a bit to do with the sox winning in 2004. (Plus the silly Arod, I rod whatever letter plus a few from the last name fad started with him maybe not his idea, but I'll blame him anyway)

Jeter on the other hand has always seemed to be one of those guys that finds a way to win. And he's always taken the hard times boston fans have given him very well. When asked about the "Nomars better" or "overrated" jeers he said he expected it and that on some level he enjoyed it because the bad players never got that sort of attention. It's tough to dislike a guy like that, even one in pinstripes.
Still not sure about "greatest Yankee" or even top 10 but certainly one of the best of his era. consistently above average even when other shortstops have been better briefly- Nomar, Tejada, Rodriguez, probably a couple others with great 2-3 year stretches. But they all faded or moved.

Steve B

[53Browns]

The fan got 4 premium seats for every home game for the rest of the season, some autographed memorabilia and got to meet jeter in person!!!

I would have sold the ball at auction. No question about it.

[GaryPassamonte]

I was also at the game on Saturday. It was the single most exciting game I've been to and I'm not a Yankee fan.

[Brendan]

[
The fan got 4 premium seats for every home game for the rest of the season,
But he has to pay tax on this. That's not going to be easy to afford.


some autographed memorabilia
And how much did this cost the Yankees or Derek Jeter?

got to meet jeter in person!!!

He probably could have met Jeter in person just to see if they wanted to work out a deal for the ball. Even if they did, he could just "change his mind" and sell it.

[sportscardpete]

At the end of the day, the kid walked out with more than he came in with. Can't be too greedy. I'm sure Derek will give him an undisclosed check just to quiet the local sports radio guys (WFAN).



And as for A-ROD, there is no way he was every detrimental to the team. Guy was rock solid 95% of his time as a Yankee.

[Blunder19]

I tried to snap a pic as he was swinging.. hit the button to early.. but I got the ball halfway from the pitcher to home plate right before he crushed the homer... check it out..
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg309/blunder19/jeter1.jpg

[iwantitiwinit]

Swing batter!!!!! Nice pix. I'm in second tier in right field second person in from the left edge of your picture 12 rows up (I think).

[E93]

Jamie,
That is a pretty cool shot!
JimB

[packs]

I was talking to my friends over the weekend about what if one of us had caught the ball. Of course, it's a great gesture to just give the ball to Jeter, but I don't think I would have. A future HOFer has been very fortunate in his life. God given talent, his health, the opportunity to play on winning teams, and the ability to provide for his family. Jeter has taken full advantage of all the good fortune he's come into in his life. I think catching that ball, selling it, and being able to provide for my family would be no different. Just my two cents.

[Blunder19]

Jamie,
That is a pretty cool shot!
JimB

Thanks Jim... at first I was pissed I missed the swing... but with so many others getting the pic of him swinging... I actually started to like the split second before pic

baseball on the way in! next stop Left-Center field :)

[sox1903wschamp]

from this Red Sox fan, congratulations to all!

Who went to something like 15 games in a row trying to see Yaz get #3000.
My parents put an end to that the day he finally did it, so I missed by one day.

It did take forever and then as I recall, it was a seeing eye single but after that wait, anything would do!

Sorry for the slight derail. Congrats to Jeter and his fans from another Sox fan.

[Gary Dunaier]

I tried to snap a pic as he was swinging.. hit the button to early.. but I got the ball halfway from the pitcher to home plate right before he crushed the homer... check it out..

Nice shot - it shows the stadium, and all the fans with cameras waiting to capture the moment. That's the kind of shot I like to take.

[xdrx]

Thanks Jim... at first I was pissed I missed the swing... but with so many others getting the pic of him swinging... I actually started to like the split second before pic

baseball on the way in! next stop Left-Center field :)

What were you shooting with Blunder19?

[ls7plus]

I was in Boston at the time of the 1999 All-Star game, and took an official ball over to the hotel where I knew the players would be packing and leaving after the game was over, I was one of several adults there to seek autographs of the stars. Joe Torre and Tony Gynn were most gracious signers (although Tony signed off to the side, rather than on the sweet spot, and then slyly glanced at me to see my reaction, which was simply one of gratitude, as it was purely a venture into a new collectible area for me). Another Minnesota Twin player whose name I cannot immediately recall also readily agreed to sign the ball, and seemed delighted to do so.

When I asked Jeter, however, his rather gruff reply went something like this: "Duh, I only sign for the kids!" And indeed he was signing only for several boys of about 12 or 13 years of age. Unfortunately, the adults seeking the autographs were the actual collectors, while the several boys for whom Jeter was signing were simply being fed baseballs by two dealers seated away from the action down by the street curb! When the "kids" balls had been signed, they returned them to the dealers and received some pictures of dead presidents for their efforts.

In short, Jeter's conduct was felt to be insulting to me on two bases: (1) his attitude was that an adult couldn't be a fan who wanted his autograph for its own sake, and therefore simply wanted it to flip it for money; and (2) even if his premise was true (and it was not), where would the harm be if he could take a second or two to enrich another person by a rather nominal amount through the mere fact of signing his name to a baseball? There's no exploitation of poor little Jeter going on in that scenario, as signing doesn't cost him a thing! Derek Jeter--not the sharpest knife in the drawer by a long shot.

And by the way, wouldn't you say that Jeter's "signature hit" is one of those fisted little turds he dumps off the handle of the bat and into right field? Would be more sanitary to have his bowel movements at home! Derek Jeter: more cheap hits than any five men, alive or dead!

Sorry if the above offends any of his fans, but Yankee guys have thick skins--they can handle the truth about their "hero."

Larry

[T206Collector]

ESPN.com: Baseball [Print without images]

Saturday, July 9, 2011
Getting a jump on Derek Jeter
By Doug Glanville
ESPN.com

Three-thousand hits is a lot of hits by any standard. I feel pretty good about my 1,100 and by the time it is all said and done, Derek Jeter will have three times that number. At least …

I didn't play against him as much as I did some of the stars in the NL East during the '90s and early 2000s, but I saw enough to understand how much of a force he was at the plate. Sure, he had an inside-out swing, which gave him a large margin for error to making "good enough" contact. Sure, he had the cool cucumber style, which made him impervious to pressure. True, he had a number of great hitters behind him and probably in front of him over the years. But what I found to be his most amazing attribute is that he is next to impossible to defend.

You hear about the dominant forces in basketball, like Michael Jordan's first step or Dirk Nowitzki's unblockable shot. Or how Andre Agassi's return of serve was so deadly that it was like he was the one serving. But the way Jeter swings makes him practically indefensible from the idea that you cannot anticipate where he is going to hit the ball.

As a center fielder, I was the captain of the outfield and I lived on anticipation. So I had to study the opposing hitters, the patterns of my pitcher, the weather, the environment, where the catcher was setting up. Based on all of these factors and more, I could get a good sense of where the ball was going to be hit.

For example, when Gary Sheffield was up, and he was up 2-0 in the count, and I see that my pitcher, Curt Schilling, was about the throw a fastball up and in, I could practically get a running start toward left-center field, knowing that Sheffield was probably going to pull the ball.

I learned this approach from my outfield coach and legend, Jimmy Piersall. He taught us that an outfielder needs to be in constant motion, that a good jump starts from planning. On every pitch, he expected us to be leaning or even taking a full running step to where we thought the ball was going. He even used to say, "If you have to dive for a ball in the outfield, it just means you got a bad jump!"

Over time, I got pretty good at my jumps.

Then with time, the knowledge came with the skill. I learned every hitter in the big leagues down to which hitter would be most likely to hit a screaming knuckleball into the outfield (see Todd Zeile, Chad Kreuter or Vladimir Guerrero). I could even tell you about pitcher patterns, like telling you when teammate Randy Wolf was going to throw a changeup or when he was about to throw over to first base.

After a while, it became a game within the game, one that I enjoyed. (And who wouldn't enjoy something when you knew what was about to happen.) I could get under the skin of hitters by stealing hits, playing shallow and getting a running start toward the wall. In one game against Alex Cora, I was so shallow that I could have touched the second base umpire. That turned out to be total overconfidence since he burned us all night by hitting balls in the gap, but I had to push the envelope to see if he started thinking about it. Mind games were part of it too.

Then Derek Jeter walked in the box. I knew he was a great hitter, and I understood that what made him great was his ability to spray the ball all over the field. That meant I would have to cover everything, and I would have to position my other outfielders in areas that gave them the best chance to run down a ball in any direction. In other words, I had to put them in the dreaded "middle." The middle is not good. It means you cannot predict much of anything, so you place yourself in some estimated place of wish. Then you get ready to run all night.

Remember, players also have spray charts just in case the on-field experience isn't enough. These charts tell you what you need to know. There is a big blotch of ink indicating where this guy hits everything. Most players have an area that is full of activity, telling you where to position the outfield. Not Jeter. His chart was as if a 2-year-old got hold of the spray paint … and got happy with it.

Recently, ESPN research guru Mark Simon introduced me to BABIP (batting average on balls in play) -- and a light bulb went on. Jeter is second all time (.354) in batting average when he puts the ball in play (not including home runs). Defending Jeter is difficult partly because he sprays the ball around and makes it hard for defenders to cover a lot of ground and because, for some reason, when he hits the ball seemingly no one can catch it.

Derek Jeter is a master of disguise. Most hitters tip off where they are going to hit the ball. Sometimes, the tip comes from a pattern in a count or a pitch or a situation. Sometimes, it is just because he hits everything to a certain area or maybe you can see that he pulls open his shoulder when he is about to pull the ball. Jeter tips nothing. He could take any pitch on any count against any pitcher, in any situation and hit the ball … you guessed it … anywhere.

So what does that mean for an outfielder? It means that you cannot get a good jump on him. You are flat-footed, you lose a split second -- and that split second is a HUGE difference in a fly ball dropping and a fly ball being easily caught. It's HUGE enough to make him one of the toughest hitters ever to defend once he puts the ball in play.

And I am an outfielder. Imagine what he does to infielders who are a split second late. They may lose an arm.

Jeter is cool. He shoots Gatorade commercials, he dates supermodels, he has enough rings to lose circulation in his fingers, he gets 200 hits a year, he signs autographs, he gets 3,000 hits before he is 40 … and yes, he is slowing down. I even feel I should apologize to him and his fans for writing about him in the past tense.

But behind this man of mystery is the fascinating reality that he is not a power hitter yet he still dominates a game like one. This is because this guy is practically impossible to defend. You cannot anticipate anything he is going to do; all you can do is hope that he hits the ball to you.

Jeter is the living example of why getting hits in baseball is so hard to do. He does just about everything possible to take the defense out of the equation when he makes contact. And even then, he still gets a hit only 35 percent of the time. Well, 3,000 hits later, I guess that was more than good enough.

Doug Glanville, who earned a degree in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, played nine major league seasons with the Cubs, Phillies and Rangers. He serves on the board of Athletes Against Drugs and on the board of the MLBPAA (MLB Players Alumni Association). His book, "The Game from Where I Stand," was released in May 2010. Click here to buy it in paperback on Amazon.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dougglanville

[t206hof]

I am just curious as to how Mariano Rivera would even be mentioned in the same breath as Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio and Mantle. In my opinion relief pitching and (so called) closers is Terribly Overated. Sorry if it sounds like I am venting but that is how I feel about it. Dennis.

[packs]

Mariano Rivera is not just a relief pitcher. He is almost an automatic win the second he steps onto the mound. He has 581 career saves in the regular season with only 71 blown saves. In the postseason he is 8-1 with 42 saves and an 0.77 ERA over 94 games. We're talking about some BIG games. There is no one like him and there never will be again. Once in a lifetime player.

[T206Collector]

Mariano Rivera is not just a relief pitcher. He is almost an automatic win the second he steps onto the mound. He has 581 career saves in the regular season with only 71 blown saves. In the postseason he is 8-1 with 42 saves and an 0.77 ERA over 94 games. We're talking about some BIG games. There is no one like him and there never will be again. Once in a lifetime player.

+1