Old Media Doesn't Help Jeter

It's bad enough that the media dumps heaps of praise on Derek Jeter for all sorts of mythical stuff. There is Mr. November and Captain Clutch and all the other nonsense that heaps a nationhood of scorn on Jeter as a player. If the media--at least those that are old school and not the new baseball analysts that take delight in puncturing holes in the old guard's adulation--would have treated him no more or less than one of the most interesting and effective offensive shortstops in our generation, things would be fine. But they haven't (and despite this Fan's bemoaning of Jon Miller's dismissal, Mr. Miller was one of the guilty parties) and because they haven't...because they were more interested in building the myth of Jeter, there isn't a more fiery lightning brand of derision than that of the Yankee shortstop. That same old school has now given Jeter another Gold Glove that we all know he doesn't deserve and adds to the din and clamor. Mr. Neyer has already fired two salvos and he isn't alone.

Clearly Alexei Ramirez was the best fielding shortstop in the American League this past season. Pennington was probably second. Jeter--who made very few errors, and is a solid shortstop in that he catches what is hit to him and makes the throws once he catches them--doesn't have the range of those two and is clearly not their equal in the field. If one of them had won the thing, then the young media...the baseball analysts (many of whom this Fan admires)...wouldn't have further ammunition and neither would the thousands of comment makers on thousands of sites all over this country. It's enough to make a Fan pull his hair out. And thank goodness, this Fan has lots of it for an older guy (eat your hearts out!).

Jeter winning the Gold Glove is just about the worst thing that could have happened to his image and for the way he is viewed around the country. Yes, sure, a few die-hard and blindly loyal Yankee fans will raise a glass to the Captain, but they are misguided and they don't help.

Yes, Jeter has already punched his ticket to Cooperstown. Yes, Jeter is one of the top ten shortstops of the last fifty years because of his offense. Yes, you can't argue with five rings on his fingers. But geez Louise, stop voting him those dang Gold Glove Awards. They don't help anything. They just make things worse.