It’s what happens to drug free humans, we grow older and slower. Like death and taxes, they are life’s inevitables. If Jeter were to grow stronger and faster with age, like a certain person just found guilty of obstruction of justice, it would be more disappointing than watching his batting average fall.

Being reminded that Jeter is human makes what he was able to accomplish that much more impressive.

*wincing*

Agreed!

I maintain that his reliance on “the rotation” in 2004 which dragged Kevin Brown to the mound in game 7 of the ALCS . . . .

. . . but anyway . . .

I guess it just seems like handling Jeter differently is a clear thing you could do to squeeze out an extra victory or two. Quite simply, if you have a hard-throwing closer on the mound and a chance to tie or win a game, do you feel more confident with Chavez or Jeter at the plate?

And maybe that’s why Jorgie doesn’t get a lot of attention. I, for one, don’t expect very much out of him at this point and will be happy for what he gives. He can certainly be a solid player to have and he’ll probably continue to walk, so I’ll take what we can get. Jeter’s different in that he’s still at the top of the lineup, which is as important symbolically as anything else.

Jorgie has been used in all sorts of spots in the lineup during his career so it wouldn’t really matter if he had to bat eighth or ninth. Jeter, though?

I just feel like the situation could really get ugly because of his status and I guess that’s why the issue seems so urgent to me.

If his numbers are like last year’s does he continue to bat first or second?

Also, I think back to the way Torre used “his guys,” refusing to make necessary changes (often, obviously, he batted Alex eighth and such, but again, that was as much symbolic as anything else) when it seemed like he should. I keep harping on this, but I maintain that his reliance on David Justice in the 2002 postseason bordered on criminal negligence when he had a perfectly healthy Shane Spencer on the bench.

Anyway…

I still think though that not offensive team is perfect and can have a hole or two and win. If scutaro and varitek aren’t holes for Boston, I don’t know what is.

Of course they don’t make jeters salary and right now he’s not earning it.

But again if Hughes pitches like garbage, Nova is inconsistent and garcia is just a tick below league average none of this matters anyway [unless cashman trades for a good pitcher]

If we’re going to use small sample the IPK looks like the one we shouldve kept.

The pitching staff is an abject disaster after C.C. And considering that there is zero chance that of winning a World Series with C.C. and a cast of merry men with a combined 10.00 ERA, I’d say the focus on Jeter is more than just a “simple, prudent, and responsible analysis.” As I stated earlier, put out the fire before worrying about redecorating.

I disagree with the idea that it’s a season + 2 weeks. Because there’s a break, the chunk on either side of the break has to be large enough to justify that kind of continuity, and we’re not there yet. Oh okay, if you’re really in a rush, say a month at the least. But I’d give it till mid-May/early June.

Anyway I don’t have any nerve being struck, I just don’t think there’s cause for concern much less a few articles every day. I’ll excuse they NYT because the got around it by also reporting on the over-reporting of the “issue”.

How long (all things being equal, of course) before Jeter’s status on the team ought to change (e.g., demotion in batting order, willingness to pinch hit for him)?

This is a story because, as has been noted, it is in keeping with the trend from last season. In what universe is one season plus two weeks a small sample size?

I’m not saying he needs to be DFA’d, moved down in the lineup, pinch hit for, heckled, publicly humiliated, have his character scrutinized or anything.

Other than the fact that the decline of a player we know and love is painful to watch, I can’t quite understand the indignation over asking the question of when, whether and to what extent we officially have a problem on our hands.

I’m not trying to stir up trouble but I am honestly curious about why this particular line of inquiry seems to hit a nerve the way it does.

Like Raf says, there are alternatives; perhaps if we readjust our expectations to a more reasonable level. Jeter was far more of a gamer than we expected when he came up, so it’s unrealistic to expect anyone that follows him to automatically be at that level. If Nuñez is half the player Jeter was at his prime, that’s got to be about average for the current crop of shortstops, which in a lineup as currently constructed is not too much of a drop-off; certainly up from Jeter’s current contributions. And we know Nuñez at least has something more than Ramiro Peña…

That said, I do expect Jeter and everyone else to improve with warmer and more stable weather conditions, so I’m not that concerned.

– Richard Russo, Nobody’s Fool

I agree with your pitching concerns. The staff is a mess, there is no getting around that, and Jeter hitting .400, scoring 120 Runs, and Slugging .600 wouldn’t mean a hill of beans if that doesn’t change.

In other words, the car is out of gas on a deserted road and we have no water to drink, so whether the car needs a paint job is beside the point.

The larger point is that if the above is true, then the Yankees are in a lot more trouble than we thought because there are simple no alternatives to be had, either from the farm or by trade.