Just to Pass the Time...

This is an argument I had (and won) in a conversation about Derek Jeter on a message board.


Anonymous Comment: Chacon, Wang, Small, and A Rod. Those four men carried the team. Bernie Williams didn't do sh!t for the team this year. Look at Jeter's strikeout numbers? He was second on the league in strikeouts with 117. Like I've stated before, he's all defense and no offense. Most overrated player in all of baseball.


My response: "OK...To state that any one Yankee carried the team in 2005 is foolish. In one of the most consistently inconsistent seasons I can ever remember, you can point to every single Yankee as having carried the team at one point (just like you can blame just about every Yankee for contributing to losing in the first round of the playoffs). The Yanks might never have gotten above .500 without Tino's torrid homerun streak in May, Moose's two CG shutouts started two of the longest and most significant winning streaks the team went on, guys like Felix Escalona, Bubba Crosby, and Tony Womack all had walk-off, game-winning hits, and really, if we had to pick *just one* player who carried the team it UNDOUBTEDLY would be Mariano Rivera! But baseball is a team sport and this season was certainly a team effort.


As for Bernie Williams, Anonymous, Do you happen to know which New York Yankee had the best average with runners in scoring position and two outs? Not A-Rod (not even close, actually), not Sheff or Matsui or Jeter or Giambi...None other than Bernie Williams himself. Did you watch any games in '05? Because if you did you'd remember his game-winning grand slam in Seattle, his game-winning hit versus the Mets at Shea, the go-ahead triple vs. the D'Rays that topped a 13-run 8th inning, his walk-off homer at the Stadium in September, and all the other big, clutch hits that Bernie has been able to come up with his whole career. Now, of course he's not the player he once was...He's a mere shadow of that player, but he's still a big-time hitter and in all honesty, there aren't too many guys on the team I'd rather see up in a big spot than Bernie.


Finally, to say that Derek Jeter is just a defensive player is insulting and foolish. If he were a Rey Ordonez or Omar Vizquel-type guy, I'd agree with you. But a guy who hits over .300 (.309 if I'm not mistaken...) with *202* hits, over 120 runs scored, 19 homeruns and 70 RBIs for a LEADOFF HITTER is pretty damn good! But according to your logic his strikeouts cancel all these numbers out, huh? Add a second consecutive gold-glove to that on top of a .314 lifetime batting average, 4 World Series rings (and one WS MVP award) and you tell me how many other major leaguers can compare to that in terms of all-around consistency, talent and performance. Guess what? You can't!

Think before you speak, people!"

Ignorant people drive me crazy. Remember, this was all informal and off the top of my head so I think I might be wrong about Jeter's lifetime average, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now. Had that argument a while ago but there's nothing going on right now and I thought I'd give you something to read about if you are in fact checking the site. And if you are, thanks so much for reading! Why not leave me a comment, though? I really do enjoy feedback and would appreciate it ever so much!


*Lara Marie