Thursday, September 16, 2010

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

***JETER? YOU MEAN OUR JETER?***
Jeter "pretended" that he was hit by a pitch, when he really wasn't. I would have called it cheating, but after listening to all the ex-jocks who are now working as analysts (notice I said 'working as...'), it seems they have other names for it. Faking it, working the ump, part of the game and doing what was needed to win. A rose by any other name, I guess.

The ex-jocks did make some interesting points. What outfielder hasn't short-hopped a fly ball and held up the glove as though he caught it? What infielder hasn't missed a tag and held his glove high before he started a motion to throw the ball around the infield? One former linebacker said he used to "accidentally" push a referee into a running backs hole to jam him up till someone could tackle him. A former basketball player who used to "flop" all the time when he wasn't even hit. "It's up to the official to catch it," they said. Interesting attitude, that. After researching all these viewpoints and opinions, I came away with two very intriguing thoughts:

1) All this faking goes on so much, that we've all become used to it and think nothing of it. "That's the way the game is played," we think. Except now, it's Jeter doing it. Derek "Mr. all-round, great guy, gentleman Jeter. Mr. Perfect. Everyone else can do it, but Jeter isn't allowed to have feet of clay.

2) This came out of the NY papers, of course. Fans may allow Jeter to "have a momentary lapse in judgement," but what would be the outcry if this farce had been perpetrated by Alex Rodriquez? They would have been melting tar and plucking feathers before the game was over. So apparently it's not what was done, but who did it.

The bottom line? I guess we will now stop saying WWJD (What Would Jeter Do). A word to Michael Kay: I believe that a "Jeterian Hit" now has a whole new meaning.

CP-

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