The Derek Jeter Farewell Tour is almost over. Not everyone thinks he’s the greatest human ever. Listen, my opinion wavers on the guy. He’s way overrated on the defensive side, the five Gold Gloves are a joke. Some of Olbermann’s vitriol is warranted, some is grandstanding.
The thing that annoys me, and apparently Olbermann, is the myth of Jeter. Yes he played the game with the utmost respect. Yes he played hard every day. Yes he helped win a lot of championships and of course he had a long career. But it’s all the other…shit that makes him intolerable. You can thank guys like Joe Buck and Tim McCarver for a lot of it. Captain Intangibles, the eyes of a champion, all of that tongue-bathing that took place for twenty years. And the Yankee fans didn’t help matters.
One thing cannot be denied: Jeter is a Hall of Fame celebrity-banger. The notches on his gun belt are impressive, Minka Kelly and Jessica Biel a couple of my personal favorites.
Whatever you think of the guy, it is the end of an era.
