The Yankees, Aaron Judge and the fate of Major League Baseball

The Shortstop Stands Tall

The Yankees waited a while for the next dynasty to rise but, once again, it was led by the right man at the right time. This time, it was Derek Jeter.

It is hard to look back at the steroid era with anything but a jaundiced eye. Every home run, strikeout, and all-time record set is open to suspicion. The biggest hitters from that time are still fighting to protect their reputations. There are even a few Yankees of the time who are more than just suspect.

But not Derek Jeter. His career was always the result of work and effort, and never prodigious power. The Captain did a thousand little things right throughout his career as his 3,465 hits crawled upon the grass.

Lord, You Gave Them Eyes…

That the baseball gods favored him was evident throughout. They did not help him get a single hit or make one dive in the stands. No, they favored him by putting him in position to showcase his talents on the biggest stage.

Think back to his last game. That Jeter got the game-winning hit in his final home at-bat is de rigueur. What is unbelievable is the confluence of events during that game, as orchestrated by The Fates, to put Derek in that position.

His hit was wondrous but the fact that he was placed at the plate with a chance to win, and leave the indelible mark of the ultimate winner, shows a baseball power guiding Jeter’s fate. And that of baseball’s.

Jeter became the face of the game not by being the biggest man with a bat but with his integrity. And his timing was impeccable, for both he and the Yankees.

If Jeter were a big, burly man who led the league in homers once or twice, his career would not demand respect; there would just be too many questions. Instead, he and most of his teammates stand not only as the best team of the time but as among the least suspected of all the nineties baseball superstars; again, with some very notable exceptions.

No one accuses Bernie or Paulie or Jorge of juicing. And that’s what makes that team so special in the here and now. They won, and they won our respect.