NJ: ESPN's Keith Olbermann certainly wasn't the first person to say something along the lines of, "Derek Jeter isn't as good as everyone thinks he is." But he began Tuesday night's show by saying, "Contrary to what you have heard, Derek Jeter is not the greatest person in human history. He did not invent baseball, he did not discover electricity, he is not the greatest shortstop who ever lived. And among all the terrific players in the history of the New York Yankees is his not by any measure, number one."
Olbermann then took nearly seven minutes to rip apart the Yankees shortstop (and all the hoopla provided by the team and other franchises) for a variety of infractions: The multiple goodbye ceremonies planned, statistics that aren't as impressive as they seem on the surface, terrible defense, the fact that he didn't ask to be benched or moved down in the lineup this season and especially for not finishing his career on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, choosing to have his Major League finale at Fenway Park.
Okay, so I know I love Jeter, but even I didn't think I would write back to back blogs about him. But this had to be addressed. Keith Olbermann is a loser, who can't keep a job anywhere he goes. He was on SportsCenter when it first started, but then moved to doing news and ended up with MSNBC and then back to doing this weird show at 11 on ESPN now. How did MSNBC think he had enough credentials to talk about politics on television. How did ESPN think that they should pay him to ramble about his ridiculous opinions in the middle of the night? How does ANYONE think that anybody will care what he has to say about ANYTHING?
But on to what he actually is saying here. He's saying that Derek Jeter, the guy who owns the 6th most hits of anyone that has ever played the game (most in franchise history) is not in the Top 10 Yankees of all time. He rambles off 10 names that he thinks are better Yankees than Jeter. Some of which have a legitimate case, and some of which don't even belong in the same category. He says Mike Mussina and Red Ruffing were better Yankees. How do you mention those two guys without mentioning the best pitcher in Yankee history, Whitey Ford? That makes absolutely zero sense. I loved Mussina, but he's not on the level of Jeter. He also played half his career with the Orioles. I'm sure Red Ruffing was good, but his number isn't even retired by the Yankees. Graig Nettles, bro? Really? Yeah the guy was a sweet third baseman but he's never mentioned in anyone else's consideration of top 10 Yankees of all time. A-Rod? Clearly Olbermann is missing the point as to why everyone loves Jeter. Not only is Jeter statistically one of the greatest players of our generation and all time, he's an incredibly like-able guy. There's a reason his sponsors are running advertisement campaigns solely on him retiring. It's because he's loved by many more people around the game than just the Yankees organization and fans. Don't even mention A-Rod in the same sentence as Derek Jeter. Yeah A-Rod was very good when healthy and roided up. Doesn't make him a top 10 Yankee ever. Especially when his best season wasn't even with the Yankees.
And what are these stats Olbermann is complaining about? He's arguing that because Jeter didn't lead the Yankees in a hitting category every year, his career is overrated. It's the consistency that matters. And I'm not talking about just the fact that he's played for 20 years. It's the fact that he was a very crucial part of the Yankees lineup for almost all of those 20 years. He's basically always batted over .300, reached 200 hits numerous times, scored over 100 runs numerous times. I could go on but I'm not so desperate for stats to back up my outlandish ideas that I have to manipulate information and dwindle it down to one thing Jeter might not have been that good at compared to a tiny group of players. And how bout these defensive statistics? Negative defensive WAR in 17 of his seasons? Yeah he doesn't have that much range right now, but have you seen some of the plays he's made in his life? I'm not even talking about the obvious flip play, diving in the stands twice, countless "Jeter" plays jump throwing from the hole. I'm talking about charging the ball, making that pro move play that no one can make any better, still right now. I'm talking about the plays he makes up the middle where he awkwardly throws without spinning around and wasting time, still getting plenty on the throw to get the runner. I'm talking about the countless over the shoulder catches he's made in the outfield. He has range in literally every direction and Olbermann and these statisticians are gonna tell me that he's given up more runs with his defense than he's saved? Not buying it. Besides, WAR is the most ridiculous stat ever made up. People try to act like WAR is a be all and end all statistic. Guess who is leading the National League in WAR this year? Jason Heyward is. Jason Heyward is batting .270 with 11 homers and 58 RBIs. He plays very good defense. Derek Jeter is batting .255 with 4 homers and 46 RBIs. He plays adequate defense. You're telling me that Derek Jeter is so much worse than Jason Heyward that he isn't even in the positive WAR? Yeah okay.
I know one thing WAR definitively cannot calculate. And that's intangibles. Intangibles are one of the most important things in sports and while Derek is clearly incredibly talented, it's his intangibles that are what have made him great, and it's what he's known for. I don't even need to get into them. It's self explanatory when you hear the name Derek Jeter.
And by the way Keith Olbermann, no one is saying Derek Jeter is the greatest human that ever lived (#1 Abe Lincoln, #2 Derek Jeter). No one is saying he invented electricity (probably could've if no one had yet...thanks Ben). No one is saying he invented baseball. But he is the greatest shortstop of all time, and I don't even get how that's debatable. In every way he's the best shortstop ever. Most important position on the field by the way, besides pitcher and catcher of course. It is honestly astounding that Keith Olbermann can say the shit that he says in this video. And I'm not just complaining because he's hating on Jeter. I've dealt with Red Sox fans, Mets fans, Orioles fans, Rays fans, other meaningless team fans that hate Jeter. It's because the things Olbermann says are so far fetched for even him to say that I'm surprised that he is still a living, breathing organism on this planet. How has he not done something so stupid to get himself killed yet?
My top 10 Yankees are the following:
1. Derek Jeter
2. Babe Ruth
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Lou Gehrig
5. Joe DiMaggio
6. Yogi Berra
7. Mariano Rivera
8. Bernie Williams
9. Whitey Ford
10. Phil Rizzuto
People are giving Jeter this Farewell Tour because he's earned the respect from everyone around the league, not because he's the greatest player to ever play the game. No one complained when Chipper Jones did this or when Mariano did. I don't get why everyone's complaining about Jeter this year. What's with this notion that a player has to be dead to wear a patch for him? They're commemorating his career. Simple as that. Sorry no other team has a Derek Jeter. That's the only way I can put it. He's Derek Jeter. He's earned it.
Oh, and Olbermann wanted an MVP out of Jeter at some point in his career. Sorry the voters were stingy. The dude should have 3 MVPs (1999, 2006, 2009) in my opinion. And how bout Keith saying that he's been mediocre since the 90s? He led the league in hits in 2012. Far from mediocre.
And yes, Keith. Derek Jeter is the King of New York. Without a doubt. So do us all a favor and shut up.
P.S. Who else would not care at all if Keith Olbermann shriveled up and died tomorrow? Just something about his face I don't like.
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