In the wake of Derek Jeter’s announcement that 2014 will be his last season, the “is he the best shortstop ever?” conversation will start to emerge. Among the conversationalists, there will be those who will argue that he is the greatest, or at very least in the top five. Conversely, there will be those that rush to say he is obviously not, and by the end of that conversation they’ll have tried to convince the world that he’s lucky to have made it past ‘A’ ball. The actual answer to the question is this: who cares?
The answer has to be “who cares?” because in the case of Derek Jeter, our view of his place in statistical history doesn’t matter. In his era, Jeter is one of a handful of athletes that gets (or should get) universal praise, as much for his on-field efforts as his ability to stay away from negativity outside the lines. His baseball abilities are great, but more important is how he has carried himself over the last decade-plus. In an age where it’s a less than prudent move to anoint professional athletes as role models, Derek Jeter has been that, and is an athlete that you can tell a young son about and feel confident that you won’t eventually be disappointed.
Though a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer, I’m not proverbially canonizing Jeter for being a swell guy. Don’t get it twisted. Major League Baseball is riddled with both good guys and guys you’d never let date your daughter. Some in the latter category are really, really good baseball players, and there surely isn’t a Hall of Fame dedicated to sweethearts. Jeter will have earned his way into every post-career accolade he receives. The icing on the cake will be the way in which he did it; clean, classy, and above the fray.
Leading up to this latest Super Bowl, we were bombarded with the Manning/Brady debate. Who is better? Can either be ranked among the truly elite in football history? Which QB has better hair? Okay, maybe not that last one (Brady in a landslide). From there, it was dissected down to whether or not Manning could even be in the G.O.A.T. conversation with his “measly” one Super Bowl win and lackluster playoff record. This is the trap that we seem to stumble into when we discuss greatness. It’s almost as though we’d rather talk ourselves out of it than give someone well-earned credit. Just as Peyton Manning should be lauded as one of the best ever, Jeter’s career should be viewed as one of the greatest.
I’m not here to crown Jeter as the greatest shortstop who ever lived. In my opinion, that entire topic is far too subjective. Rather, I’m here to plead the case that it doesn’t matter if he’s considered the greatest to ever play the position. He has done more than enough in an illustrious career to be considered among the greats, and I think he fits into that category exactly. And, if what I think I know of Jeter is true, that would be plenty to him.
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