Mike Golic and Buster Olney on Jeter this morning

[NewMarketSean]

So I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning, only because Howard Stern is off for the holiday and what they were talking about this morning got me thinking...

They're talking about Jeter and how he's only a few hits away from 3,000 and how it seems like the media and fans aren't celebrating that achievement enough and focusing on his decline more than they should. Now I don't watch ESPN, ever, but people here have said that it's basically become Jeter Watch lately, so I beg to differ. Anyway, they go onto say we should be celebrating Jeter right now and having the discussion about his decline later.

I do believe that getting 3,000 hits is a huge plateau and guarantees that a player makes the HoF, even though Jeter was headed there anyway. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they may make an exception to vote him in the day he retires the way the media drools over him. But I think Mike and Buster are way off here. I think people ARE celebrating Jeter and he'll get his standing ovation and curtain call when he gets his 3,000th hit. But it's clear the guy is done as an every day player. Add to that, baseball geeks have always known he's been overrated since his defense is usually terrible and he's benefited from being drafted by a team that then went on one of the best runs in the history of baseball. But all that said, he's a great player.

So I'm kind of torn here. Jeter deserves his props and I think people are giving them to him. But on the other hand, Mike and Buster are again expecting everyone to just hang from the jock of Derek Jeter and the Yankees.

What do you think? Are people really not giving him enough props as he approaches 3,000 hits?

[Frobby]

Not so sure he is "done as an everyday player." He's still carrying a WAR of 0.5, which is 19th among 26 qualifying SS. That makes him a below average everyday SS, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he's "done." Maybe next year.

I think he'll get plenty of props when he gets his 3000th hit. It's only natural for fans to be questioning whether he belongs at the top of the lineup, and whether the Yankes would be better off if he was replaced.

[MikeAD]

I think its just a different era of baseball right now. In the past the "greats" got great fanfare around 3,000. Wade Boggs was a Devil Ray and people were coming out to see him get to 3,000. The same with Cal, other teams' fans were cheering him on. Same with Tony Gwynn when he hit his. You don't see that now. You might with a really likable guy like Pujols (if he gets there), but for the most part, fans don't really care. ESPN can't make them care. I am not a Jeter hate by any means, he is one of the greatest SS of all time, but MLB fans just don't care.

[Dipper9]

I think its just a different era of baseball right now. In the past the "greats" got great fanfare around 3,000. Wade Boggs was a Devil Ray and people were coming out to see him get to 3,000. The same with Cal, other teams' fans were cheering him on. Same with Tony Gwynn when he hit his. You don't see that now. You might with a really likable guy like Pujols (if he gets there), but for the most part, fans don't really care. ESPN can't make them care. I am not a Jeter hate by any means, he is one of the greatest SS of all time, but MLB fans just don't care.

I disagree. Fans care. The difference is YANKEE fans care about one thing and one thing only...WINNING. Jeter's 3000 hits is a great milestone and will be celebrated, but to Yankees fans is just a brief distraction from their real goal. Boggs 3000th hit was THE event in Tampa. Cal's 3000th the THE only thing we had in Baltimore. That's not the case with the Yankees. They have more important team goals to be focused on than Jeter's 3000th hit.

[MikeAD]

I disagree. Fans care. The difference is YANKEE fans care about one thing and one thing only...WINNING. Jeter's 3000 hits is a great milestone and will be celebrated, but to Yankees fans is just a brief distraction from their real goal. Boggs 3000th hit was THE event in Tampa. Cal's 3000th the THE only thing we had in Baltimore. That's not the case with the Yankees. They have more important team goals to be focused on than Jeter's 3000th hit.

Well, here's the deal, Cal's was in Cleveland. And the lead up to it (in other towns) was celebrated. People wanted to see it. Boggs was in Tampa, but there was that lead up in other towns. I am talking about general baseball fans not fans of that player or fans of that team. Murray was back on the O's for his 500th homer and other cities were cheering him on. You won't find that today. Jeter would be the player you would see it in, but you won't. There will be a break in the game and a standing ovation, but its not something you would wake your kid up for if he was playing in Anaheim. This isn't Randy Johnson taking a no-hitter into the ninth and dad's waking their sons up to see it. Maybe it should be, I don't know, but the game or the audience, or something has changed.

[Sports Guy]

Well, here's the deal, Cal's was in Cleveland. And the lead up to it (in other towns) was celebrated. People wanted to see it. Boggs was in Tampa, but there was that lead up in other towns. I am talking about general baseball fans not fans of that player or fans of that team. Murray was back on the O's for his 500th homer and other cities were cheering him on. You won't find that today. Jeter would be the player you would see it in, but you won't. There will be a break in the game and a standing ovation, but its not something you would wake your kid up for if he was playing in Anaheim. This isn't Randy Johnson taking a no-hitter into the ninth and dad's waking their sons up to see it. Maybe it should be, I don't know, but the game or the audience, or something has changed.

Cal's was in Minnesota...I believe off of Hector Carrasco. LD single up the middle IIRC.

[Frobby]

I disagree. Fans care. The difference is YANKEE fans care about one thing and one thing only...WINNING. Jeter's 3000 hits is a great milestone and will be celebrated, but to Yankees fans is just a brief distraction from their real goal. Boggs 3000th hit was THE event in Tampa. Cal's 3000th the THE only thing we had in Baltimore. That's not the case with the Yankees. They have more important team goals to be focused on than Jeter's 3000th hit.

I don't think Yankee fans are any different than any other fans. However, when your team is in contention, then there is a much greater potential consequence to playing a guy who may be over the hill so that he can reach an individual goal. The O's were not contenders when Cal got his 3000th hit, so who cared if he should have been in the lineup or not?

The Yankees carried Bernie Williams long after he was past his prime, and they just signed Jeter to a three-year deal that is nothing but a super-expensive "thank you" for past performance. I don't think their team or their fans are any less sentimental than any other team or its fans. But they have been pretty good at judging when a player will stop being productive. I remember in the winter of 2007-08 I thought the Yankees were crazy to sign Posada for $4/52mm and Rivera for 3/$45 mm, but they pretty much got their money's worth.

[MikeAD]

Cal's was in Minnesota...I believe off of Hector Carrasco. LD single up the middle IIRC.

Ah, youre right, not sure what I was thinking there. I also remembered it as a packed crowd and I see now that it was somewhere around 18,500.