Tuesday, August 5, 2014

When Derek Jeter passes Alex Rodriguez in Runs, will they stop the game and save the ball?

I stumbled onto this at a Red Sox site:

Five Reasons To Hate Derek Jeter

The first two are pretty much right.  I don't know where the woman thing comes from.  Read some of the comments.​

I had re-tweeted and G+ a couple of my posts from earlier in the year putting Derek Jeter into some rational context:

Derek Jeter is not a great hitter or fielder. So, how can he be a great player?  Friday, February 14, 2014

In ranking Jeter, why ignore Banks, Yount, Rodriguez?  Sunday, February 16, 2014

Yesterday during the Fox game a couple of former players assured us that one day Jeter would be regarded on the same Yankee level as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, listed chronologically.  Argh.

I then started looking again at the milestones that Bud Selig prevented Alex Rodriguez from reaching this season because Selig suspended Rodriguez for using performance enhancing drugs (PED):

Runs: 1,919 (2,000)
RBI: 1,969 (2,000)
Hits: 2,939 (3,000)

Yeah, I know, Rodriguez stuck a needle in his ass and injected steroids.  Very amusing and insightful.

I then noticed that Jeter has 1,913 Runs.  Even with Rodriguez banned, Jeter is still behind him in the one thing you'd think Jeter should have been better at: getting on base and scoring.  Rodriguez has 1,919, six more than Jeter.  By the way, On Base average:
Rodriguez .384
Jeter .379

Carl Yastrzemski 1979 or 1980 by Steven Carter
from Northern New England, USA via Wikimedia Commons
Games have been stopped and the ball saved for posterity each time Jeter passes someone in Hits, most recently Carl Yastrzemski and the all time shortstop Honus Wagner.  Next up is Cap Anson, who has ten more Hits and undoubtedly will be ridiculed by the self righteous as a racist.

But here's the thing: will they gag when Rodriguez is passed in Runs?  Will they mention it at all?  Maybe just quickly as they show the leader board?  And the big question: will they stop the game and save the ball?  Maybe Jeter can have Rodriguez autograph it.  Note Rodriguez is still shown as active (bold) on the all time list for Runs Scored.


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