Quote:
Originally Posted by The Poet
And not to get your nose out of joint, brother Scott, but here's the facts:
On June 13th Jeter got a leadoff single to reach 2994 hits. In the field during the 5th, he looked to have hurt his leg on a flyout. At bat in the bottom of the 5th he came to the plate, made contact, limped to the bag for the out, then turned and went directly to the dugout, not to return. Taken to the hospital, his MRI indicated a Grade 1 strain. Jeter was placed on the DL for the first time since 2003.
As for "holding him out so he'd hit 3000 at home", note that not only was this in the middle of a game where he could have gotten two more ABs at least, but it proceeded a 3-game home stand against the Rangers. Another hit in this game and one each in those, or a multiple-hit one or two slapped past a fielder off the iffy Texas pitching, and he would have had 3000 nearly a month earlier . . . IN THE BRONX.
Despite this, you see something fishy in him coming off the DL on the road, and just prior to a short homestand against the Rays prior to the All Star break (shortened even more by a rainout), who have superior pitching than do the Rangers? All this, plus the supposed contrivance of a player who's integrity and committment to his team (and not his personal stats) has never been questioned?
Yeah, something stinks alright, but it's not what you propose.  |
I didn't suggest Jeter had anything to do with it at all, first and foremost.
Jeter is hitting .270. Odds are he's going to get 3 hits in Cleveland in those 3 games on the 4th, 5th, and 6th, which is exactly what he did, leaving 3 more for the homestand on the 7th, 9th and 10th.
My question to Mac was more or less how much the front office plays into something like this. They could have easily let him sit for another week, then the all-star break to insure his health.
It just seems awful convenient how things played out exactly like they needed to. I'll admit that maybe there's nothing there at all, but it still makes me wonder how this all went down. It'd be cool to be a fly on the wall for the whole thing.