Many know, one of baseball’s greatest players as, “The Captain,” “Captain Clutch,” and “Mr. November.” New York Yankees star Derek Jeter was definitely one of a kind and his final days wearing those pin stripes showed how special he really was to the sport.
Jeter’s final game was the perfect close to his career. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-5 on Sep. 25. The Red Sox paid their respects to the captain by bringing out legends Paul Pierce, Carl Yastrzemski and Bobby Orr. They also donated $22,222.22 to Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation. Loved is an understatement for Jeter.
In the 20 seasons that Jeter has played with the Yankees, he has a World Series MVP Award, five World Series rings, All-Star Game MVP Award, 13 All-Star Game appearances, five Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger awards. This would be more than just an impressive trophy case for any player.
People think of Jeter as mediocre and overrated just because of how much praise he receives, but know without a doubt that he really is a great player. They even use the fact that there have been many other “greatest players in the world” before him. Of course there were greats before him. Sooner or later there will probably be a Derek Jeter prodigy, but that does not change the fact that his records are some of the best of all time.
As soon as Jeter graduated high school, the Yankees drafted him. He made his MLB debut in 1995 and in just the following year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award, became the team’s starting shortstop, and helped them win the 1996 World Series. Not many rookies, especially at age 22 are even capable of achieving all this in just two years.
ESPN’s Keith Olbermann went on a rant about why he thinks Jeter was not one of the greatest of all time.
“Objects in the mirror may appear smaller than they appear. He has been in that mirror for 20 seasons and to many fans, basically every sports fan under 30, he is the only object that has been in that mirror,” Olbermann said. “In fact, you have to be at least 41 or 42 to have a clear memory of the New York Yankees winning a World Series without Derek Jeter, hence this victory lap.”
That being said, Olbermann makes a lot of money, and has defined his career by offering his unique brand of contrarian opinions. The worst criticism that one can pose Jeter, is that he is so overly worshiped and has such a fan frenzied legend that nobody can possibly live up to it. That sounds much more like every ball player’s dream growing up.
Speaking about the past does not affect the present and future. Jeter was a great asset to the Yankees for the 20 seasons. Is being called overrated in his case that bad anyways? He was worshiped, loved, and treasured by many for doing what he loves.
