Baseball’s Credibility Lies in Jeter’s Gold Glove
Matt Shanley
Few things matter in the life of a male college student.
Of course there’s beer, girls, and sports, but what has made its way into my life as of late is the fact that I have become a role model for my eldest cousin.
Jack Tyler Lisowski is eight years old. He is me. There’s absolutely no way around it. He talks the way I talk, throws a baseball the way I throw a baseball, and he loves the Yankees, maybe even more than I love the Yankees.
Together, our favorite pastimes include a pleasant, yet always competitive game of wiffle ball, teaching each other the ropes of video games (some from my era, others from today’s world), and, of course, discussing sports.
He can name every relief pitcher on the Yankees’ 26-man postseason roster. On multiple occasions, he’s recited all thirty professional baseball teams and even divided them by league and division. He knows what numbers are forever retired in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park, and unfortunately, he’s now old enough to hear, and comprehend, talks of steroid allegations.
Our most recent conversation consisted of him doing nothing other than listing names. He’d shout one after another,
and I’d, unwillingly, say whether or not said player was accused of or admitted to cheating.
Mark McGwire? Yes.
Barry Bonds? Clearly.
Manny Ramirez? Supposedly.
Alex Rodriguez? Unfortunately.
Derek Jeter?
I paused. I stared blankly at absolutely nothing. The thought that Jeter’s name was even brought up in this conversation astonished me. Jack simply didn’t know any better, and so he asked again.
Derek Jeter?
This time of year, Jeter’s name is mentioned often. He’s spoken of in both positive and negative lights. Yankee fans remember his heroics in Octobers past. Several others try to make claims as to why Derek Jeter is overrated and overhyped. Whether or not Jeter is as good as some make him out to be, he is one of the few bright spots left in Major League Baseball, and professional sports in general.
In spite of the billion-dollar spending sprees, destruction of American landmarks, and half-dozen steroid admissions in the Bronx, Derek Jeter is all that the Yankees were meant to be.
Jeter grew up a Yankee fan. In fact, he once worshipped former Yankee Dave Winfield. He was drafted by the Yankee organization, came up in the Yankee farm system, and attained super-stardom in a Yankee uniform.
While it still seems as though every other day a new slugger is exploited for his alleged steroid usage, Jeter has avoided all of it. The closest he’s ever been to performance-enhancing drugs was attending press conferences for teammates admitting their usage of performance-enhancing drugs.
Sure, the Yankee Captain makes his way into the rumor mill, but it’s usually only because of whom he’s dating at the time.
The fact of the matter is this; whether you love him or hate him, you need to respect Derek Sanderson Jeter. It’s been said many times before and it will be said for decades to come, but Jeter is one of a select few from this era that fans can sit back and enjoy watching without having any questions arise in their heads.
So, no, Jack. Derek Jeter is as clean as they come.
