"Jeter isn't all that great." "He doesn't deserve this adulation" "It doesn't matter, it's just adult men cheering for other adult men playing a game."
Do people ever grow tired of trying to rain on other people's parades? Does it really bother you that much to see people take joy in something? Is it so hard to appreciate someone else's success? Do you just want to be right about something so you have to work so hard to prove someone doesn't deserve their success? Is, "well good for them!" something that has never crossed your mind? Troll, Hater, Cynic... whatever the word is these days, you take joy in getting others upset, and that's sad.
Let's say for a moment I believe that it's just adults playing a stupid game. Then actors are just adults pretending to be other adults. Why honor them? Because they deserve it, that's why. They're the best at what they do. And even if you still believe it's stupid for adults to cheer other adults, for many of us Jeter was the last hero from our childhood who still played well into our adult years. He's a connection to our youth. He's a constant and walking nostalgia at the same time.
Is Jeter the greatest to ever play the game? I don't think the most steadfast Jeter fan would try to make that argument. He may not have even been the greatest of his generation. Though, that argument will be made by comparing his numbers against players we shun because of PED's. Something he was never connected to. But even still, maybe he wasn't the best of his generation. He was never even the best player in any single year (though, 2006 he was pretty close). However, you could say that about a lot of hall of famers that we as fans worship. But so what if he isn't? He was constantly great. In the 20 years Jeter was one of the best, there were many who were considered thee best for a short period of time and faded. But Jeter had more hits at 38 than he did in 1998. People will say, "but this year he did fade and it hurt his team that he was in the lineup." What's your point? Ripken didn't look like an all-star in 5 of his last 7 seasons. But we honor him for never leaving the line up. (And he deserved it, I even went to his HOF induction). Jeter had one down year on his way out. He is the most prolific hitter of his generation, at least according to balls he hit that didn't land in a glove. He has the 6th most hits of all time. 4th most for someone not born in the 1800's when the game was played a little different. Only 3 players have more multi-hit games. Yet you'll still say he didn't have the sexy numbers, he didn't hit the home runs or have the RBIs, but that was never his game. He was the guy on base for the RBI guys to get those RBIs which is why he finishes 10th all time in runs scored. Yet even for a guy who wasn't about power, nobody, steroid users included, had more seasons in his career in which they batted over .300 and finished with both double-digit homers and steals. I could list all of his accomplishments, but I'd recommend just taking a look at this blog by Jayson Stark http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark. Sadly, the true hatters will skip that article and are already searching defensive saber metrics, to prove to me his lack of worth. Maybe he didn't range as far as others, but on balls he got to he had far less throwing errors than most.
If not even for his stats, we should honor him because he did it all the right way. He didn't admire his own homeruns and take a 10 minute trot. He ran out grounders. He Treated the media with respect, kept clean off the field. You'll joke, "yeah but he left gift baskets for his model dates." Sure, whatever, just another reach in an effort to destroy something good. Leaving gift baskets for ladies is a way better option than the alternatives we've been reading about. The haters and trolls just can't stand to see something that they can't be, happy. Jeter doesn't deserve the adulation? Well, he spent 20 years making a generation of people feel good. You sit at a computer trying to tear that apart. What's more sad than adults putting other adults on a pedestal for playing a game? Adults who find joy in bringing other adults down because they find joy in watching a game.
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Chris Luther is a NYC based comedian and non-profit fundraiser. Read last week's rant about the Worst Not Representing The Whole or some of his funny things like 7 Oblivious People Slowly Driving Us All Insane. Maybe read his rant about why you should just like what you like. or follow him on Twitter @chriscantlose.
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