Jeter

[Seattle799]

It's cool that he had a great last game at Yankee Stadium... but his OPS is .614... there are only 4 players worse than him this year....

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Seattle799

but his OPS is .614... there are only 4 players worse than him this year....

Sorry if being blunt, but who cares?? He's a stud, and ending his amazing and ever clutch career with a game winning hit in his last AB at Yankee Stadium is pretty fitting. I'm happy for him and for the Yankee fans that got to see him exit in style.

As a kid I remember seeing Mike Schmidt (an All Star that year) go 0-fer and make two errors in SF, prompting him, in tears, to call it quits right after the game (my dad had taken me specifically to see Schmidt). Do I feel this is worth pointing out if/when his career comes into discussion?--- "But he barely hit.200 and booted two balls in his last game..."--- No, I do not because it happens to almost all the greats (Ruth, Mays, Aaron, etc). Guys age, their skills, play, and stats diminish over time. That's why they retire. It does not take away from the greatness of their careers, nor from the thrills/joy they gave fans over years, even decades of great play.

[bobbvc]

Wondering if he ever walked through the neighborhood chatting with fans when he wasn't on camera.

[Seattle799]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

As a kid I remember seeing Mike Schmidt (an All Star that year) go 0-fer and make two errors in SF, prompting him, in tears, to call it quits right after the game

I don't think it's fair to compare Mike Schmidt and Derek Jeter... Schmidt won THREE MVP's. Jeter? zero.

Sorry, I'm from Minnesota.

[Batter67up]

http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark...-jeter-numbers

[iwantitiwinit]

There's got to be some reason 48,000 fans stay on their feet for an hour after the game is over. The guy is extraordinarily likable, I don't know why, why he always is the one put in the position to do something special, why more often than not he comes thru in those spots regardless of how his skills have diminished. The guy is just magical. I think a lot of it is how we/I seem to easily identify with him how easy it is to see/project ourselves in him. Somehow he makes you feel special, special just watching him play. A lot of improbable things had to happen last night to allow him to be put in that position to succeed. Asked after the game, "Derek what were you thinking your last time up?...Just don't cry". He might not have cried but I did. I also screamed, jumped up and down, gave my kids watching the game with me a high five and kissed my wife. I will miss him.

[Vintageclout]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

There's got to be some reason 48,000 fans stay on their feet for an hour after the game is over. The guy is extraordinarily likable, I don't know why, why he always is the one put in the position to do something special, why more often than not he comes thru in those spots regardless of how his skills have diminished. The guy is just magical. I think a lot of it is how we/I seem to easily identify with him how easy it is to see/project ourselves in him. Somehow he makes you feel special, special just watching him play. A lot of improbable things had to happen last night to allow him to be put in that position to succeed. Asked after the game, "Derek what were you thinking your last time up?...Just don't cry". He might not have cried but I did. I also screamed, jumped up and down, gave my kids watching the game with me a high five and kissed my wife. I will miss him.

+1 - For all those people who refuse to place an ounce of faith in fate/destiny, I highly advise them to replay the 9th inning of the Yankee game last night! "Magical" is indeed the perfect word to describe Jeter's career that extends far beyond "black & white" statistics such as WAR, OPS, etc., for so many of Jeter's amazing feats Bill James could not even dream of compiling via a mathematical calculation. Watching Jeter for 20 years is sheer proof that the full measurement of a great baseball player cannot always be seen in a box score or league leader's category. While Jeter has certainly amassed some formidable statistics of his own (e.g., a .310 lifetime average for a shortstop that includes nearly 3,500 hits), I firmly believe his "intangibles" far outweigh the significance of statistical achievements. Box scores don't measure a ballplayer taking an extra base when necessary, laying down a critical bunt, making a near-impossible "flip-play" to the catcher to keep a season alive, sacrificing his body to catch a foul ball by diving head-first into the stands, playing every inning of every game as if its his last, and NEVER uttering one derogatory word towards either his teammates or any peers throughout his remarkable 20-year career. How else can you explain the seemingly infinite adoration of this man who could stop traffic with his presence, and has brought so much joy to the countless number of fans who truly appreciate his unbridled love for our National Pastime. Is he naturally gifted like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle...no....absolutely not. But, I think even those four iconic Yankees would roll over in their graves to tip their caps to Derek Jeter for everything he has meant not only to the Yankee organization, but even more significantly, to the game of baseball.

Joe T.

[kkkkandp]

Thanks to my wife (I don't even want to know what she paid) my son-in-law and I were there. It was awesome and surreal. I cannot lie...after Robertson blew Kuroda's save (AGAIN!) I told my son-in-law it was as if Girardi had gotten together with Showalter before the game and said "If we're winning in the top of 9th and Derek is due up in the bottom of the 9th, we'll blow the lead so he can win it." And he performed right on cue! If someone wrote up a script like that for a movie and that was the ending, no one would buy it!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Batter67up

http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark...-jeter-numbers

1 Finally, there’s this astounding number. According to Elias, it’s the number of games Jeter has played, in his entire career, in which his team, the mighty Yankees, was mathematically eliminated from some sort of race for some sort of trip to the postseason. One meaningless game in 20 seasons? Whoa. On one hand, it would be nuts to argue that was all Derek Jeter’s doing. On the other hand, what defines his career better than that? A man who lived for the big game -- and played nothing but big games. For 20 years. What better way to put a frame around the career of one of the greatest shortstops who ever turned a 4-6-3?

So last night made 2.

[cubsfan-budman]

I dont think this was posted.

what a great ending!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqKcTYxARJU

[JohnP0621]

I wiould take Jeter as my shortstop any day. Anyone who puts him down are just haters and dont really understand How Graet and Classy this Guy is. Not only is he the Captain and Face of the Yankees but he is also the Face of all MLB. Every Player,Manager ,Coach etc have nothing but Great Respecty for Jeter because he always gave respect to the Game .
Class Act in every way...

John P

[packs]

Incredible game. Would have still been a good way to go, driving in the go ahead run. But that error would have left a bad taste in my mouth.

Glad to see things play out the way they did. I even made my girlfriend get off her computer to watch his last at bat because I told her it was important. She wasn't disappointed either.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Seattle799

I don't think it's fair to compare Mike Schmidt and Derek Jeter... Schmidt won THREE MVP's. Jeter? zero.

Sorry, I'm from Minnesota.

Schmidt only came to mind because I remember that game so well. Frankly, it's my only "in person: impression of the guy, but I take it with a grain of salt because I know he had been great for so many years prior to those last couple. I think Jeter's 2013-2014 stats fall into that "grain of salt" category.

I've never been a Jeter or Yankee lover, but not a hater either... and I do genuinely think he's a guy who will never be fully defined by his numbers and/or awards. It's becoming cliche, but I really think his intangibles--confidence/calmness/smarts/toughness, that he brought and maintained every day for 20 years equaled many many wins for the Yanks.. though of course this can never be measured or broken down by anything found on Baseball Reference. As a quick aside, though I love stats, I really hope they don't completely replace eyes, ears, gut feel when assessing baseball greatness/talent.

Jeter is the real deal.