The corpse of Derek Jeter is on display. The real ball player is clearly dead. Yankee manager Joe Girardi obviously does not have the nerve to bench Jeter. Perhaps Girardi has been ordered to play Jeter by upper management. Jeter is the only Yankee who can remove Jeter from the starting lineup.
Jeter's On Base average has dropped to .298. That's On Base, not Batting Average (BA). League On Base average is about .320. Jeter's slugging average (SLG) is the same: .298. Plus, Jeter is last on the team depth chart for fielding at shortstop behind Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew.
When Derek Jeter passes Alex Rodriguez in Runs, will they stop the game and save the ball? Tuesday, August 5, 2014
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
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In 33 games Jeter still hasn't scored those six runs. He's two from tying Rodriguez.
The Yankees have 14 more regular season games to play, with their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament fading fast. Jeter's presence in the lineup violates every team concept that Jeter supposedly embodies. The Yankee captain can right the ship by benching himself.
Lou Gehrig benched himself when illness became too much for him to perform. Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle both turned down their same high salaries to continue because each knew that he could no longer perform at a high level. Mantle was zero for his last 18. Jeter is now zero for 24.
If he continues to play, Jeter should play out the season and not finish in Yankee Stadium with three games remaining in Boston. Ted Williams did the equivalent: ended on a home run in Boston and skipped the final three games in New York.
Ted Williams in 1951 Red Sox games 142-150 ... and abandoning his team. Thursday, February 10, 2011
September 28, 1960 (nine years to the day) at Fenway Park Boston Williams did his famous thing: homered in the 8th in the final at bat of his career; Boston was still losing 4-3. What did he do next? Williams abandoned his team. Top of the 9th: "Carroll Hardy replaces Ted Williams playing LF batting 3rd". Nice move. Leave in a one run game. That eliminates the possibility that he may bat again and ruin his individual accomplishment. Aided by an error Boston scored two in the bottom of the 9th to win 5-4. Number 2 batter Willie Tasby was the final Boston batter. Williams spot was next with Carroll Hardy waiting to bat.
In 1960 after the Ted Williams farewell homer Boston still had three more meaningless games to play at Yankee Stadium. Boston played them without Ted Williams. Yanks won all three: 6-5, 3-1, 8-7. I wonder how Ted Williams teammates, especially the pitchers, felt about that. You think losing pitchers Brewer, Nichols and Earley were thrilled about the great Ted Williams simply going home before the season had ended?
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Derek Jeter ... overrated. Derek Jeter ... overrated. Derek Jeter ... overrated. Friday, September 12, 2014
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