Larry Brown Sports

Derek Jeter is coming to the end of his career with the New York Yankees. Since he is one of the most popular players in MLB history, it makes sense that a lot of people have wondered if he will dabble in television as an analyst or commentator after he retires. The captain says it ain’t happening.

“I would have a hard time criticizing people,” Jeter said on a recent Brandon Steiner podcast, via the NY Daily News. “I know how difficult it is. A lot of times, ex-players come in and act like everything was so easy when they were playing. I played against them. I couldn’t criticize people. I think that would be difficult.”

Good for Jeter. We don’t really need any more Curt Schillings in the world — not that Jeter is in any way the same type of blowhard that Schilling is. But he makes a good point. There are so many former players who become analysts and rip on everyone that it has become annoyingly hypocritical.

That being said, never say never. Jeter may feel that way now, but once he finally decides to hang up the spikes there’s always a chance he could change his mind. Oftentimes guys don’t realize how much they miss the game until they have retired, and broadcasting is a good way to stay involved. Then again, this is the same Jeter who still dominates the dating scene like a college bro. He’ll probably have plenty to keep him busy in retirement.

Photo credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Post called Derek Jeter fat and embarrassed the Yankees shortstop by running a photo of him last week that made him look overweight. They followed up that photo with a nugget on Sunday saying Jeter was “pigging out” at a restaurant. It looks like their reports are inaccurate, and we have photo evidence that proves otherwise.

MLB Network tweeted out the above photo on Monday, and they say it was taken on Sunday when Jeter and former MLB player/current analyst Harold Reynolds had lunch.

Jeter also laughed off the New York Post’s story, which called him “Captain Eater.”

“I thought it was pretty funny,” Jeter told “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN Radio. “I guess there’s a lot of things you can do with a picture. The funny thing is we were just talking about, before then, the day or two before then, people were telling me I lost a lot of weight, and then two days later I’m on the front page of the New York Post. They had a little fun with it. But it’s over and done with.

“Hey listen, I’m not battling the New York Post,” Jeter continued. “That’s a no-win situation. I guess they do what they do, they had fun with it. I got messages with a lot of different people asking me what I’m doing.”

So, unless Jeter was doing a massive stomach suck-in for the ages, it looks like he wasn’t as fat as the Post made him seem. He actually looks pretty good for a guy who can’t exercise thanks to his foot being in a boot.

Derek Jeter is out for the postseason after fracturing his ankle while fielding a ground ball at short during the top of the 12th inning of ALCS Game 1 between the Yankees and Tigers on Saturday.

The Yankees shortstop was trying to field a grounder from Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta when he went down to the ground in obvious pain. He tried passing the ball to Robinson Cano to make a play, but his efforts were fruitless and Peralta reached on an infield single.

Jeter was carried off the field and replaced by Jayson Nix at shortstop. Detroit scored on the next batter to increase their lead to 6-4.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi told the media after the game that Jeter suffered a fractured ankle on the play and that he was out for three months. Eduardo Nunez will replace Jeter on the postseason roster.

Girardi also told the media that Alex Rodriguez was not an option to replace Jeter at shortstop and that it would either be Nix or Nunez playing shortstop.

“I wouldn’t do that. It’s just been too long,” Girardi said.

Rodriguez was a Gold Glove shortstop before switching to third base when he signed with the Yankees. He’s only played shortstop five games since joining the club.

Jeter has been bothered by an ankle injury since September. He left a Sept. 12 game at Boston with a sprained ankle and served as the team’s designated hitter the next few games while trying to heal. He also hurt his left foot on Oct. 10 against the Orioles.

When you take his age into consideration, you would probably assume 38-year-old Derek Jeter only has a few more productive seasons remaining in professional baseball. However, his numbers from the 2012 season make that seem like less of a certainty. Jeter’s 18th season in the majors was one of the most productive of his career. More specifically, he continued to rack up hits at an incredible pace. His 216 hits were the second-most of any season in his Hall of Fame career.

The question is how long can Jeter continue this production. Despite his incredible success, the Yankee captain is still 952 hits short of tying Pete Rose for the most in MLB history. He would need five more seasons of the same production to surpass that mark, and Rose doesn’t see it happening.

“I don’t think he will break the record,” Rose told Sports on Earth (via ESPNNewYork.com). “First of all, I don’t think he wants to leave the Yankees. And the Yankees, they’re about winning. Jeter had a great year this year, but he’s what? Thirty-eight years old? And he’s a shortstop? How many 40-year-old shortstops you see walking around? Not too many, right?

“And they can’t put him at third because A-Rod’s there. They can’t put him at second ’cause (Robinson) Cano’s there. He don’t help them in left field — he’s got to be in the center of things, you know what I mean? What are they going to do? Put him at first base?”

While New York fans may not want to hear it, Rose is right. Jeter would need five more seasons at his current pace to surpass Rose, meaning he would still have to be a 200-hit guy at age 43. The odds of that happening are very slim, even if he stays with the Yankees as a DH or some other position. Ozzie Guillen may have said it best when he made these comments about Jeter, but age catches up to everyone. If anything, Jeter further solidifies how amazing Rose’s career truly was.

Photo credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

Michael Jordan is driven by competition and has a massive ego. It’s his competitive drive that led him to work as hard as he did to win six NBA championships. Naturally, he’s quite proud of the six rings he’s won, and he likes to hold “scoreboard” over many other top athletes.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who endorses the Jordan Brand, has won five World Series rings, which is exceptional by any standard. But Jeter recently told ESPN’s Rick Reilly that Jordan still talks trash to him about it all the time.

Reilly: OK, you have five world championship rings. How much do you think about Michael Jordan having six?

Jeter: Think about it? Of course I think about it. He reminds me all the time.

Reilly: He texts you and reminds you?

Jeter: All the time.

That sounds about right given what we know about Jordan’s predilection for talking crap. The Yanks have a pretty good chance of winning another World Series this year, and even if they don’t, Jeter looks like he still can play for a few more years. Mike better get his ribbing in now before Jeter ties him, because that could happen.

H/T Complex

By signing a three-year, $51 million extension prior to last season, Derek Jeter made it official that he will retire as a Yankee. That is, before he went out at age 38 and put together one of the best seasons of his career. Jeter ranks third in the American League with a .323 batting average and has belted 15 homers. He has over 200 hits on the season for the eighth time in his 17-year career. At the moment, the captain is showing no serious signs of slowing down.

The Yankees have an $8 million option for Jeter in 2014 which could increase to $11.5 million if he wins a Silver Slugger award and finishes in the top six in MVP voting. Given his numbers, that is certainly possible. If the Yankees decide that is too much, would they actually let him walk?

“Well, if I wanted to keep playing, yes,” Jeter told ESPN’s Rick Reilly when asked if he can see himself playing for a team other than the Yankees. “It’s a business. People forget that.”

When it comes to Jeter in pinstripes, we do indeed tend to forget that it is a business. He wants to keep playing shortstop, but the one thing that is deteriorating is his range. People point to the fact that Jeter hardly ever makes errors, but a lot of that is due to the fact that he can no longer get to balls he once used to gobble up.

New York faced a difficult decision with Jeter two years ago when he was 36. It will be even more difficult when he’s 40 — especially if he still wants to play shortstop and is not open to being a DH just to retire a Yankee. If Brian Cashman wants to keep him, he’ll probably have to pay. Plenty of teams are willing to open their checkbooks just to sell tickets with a name like Derek Jeter.

H/T Eye on Baseball
Photo credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

The comments Skip Bayless made on Wednesday about Derek Jeter were nothing more than Skip being Skip. His job is to create buzz and say extremely controversial things, and he may have outdone himself by insinuating that it’s possible Jeter has been able to continue playing at such a high level because of performance-enhancing drug use.

“I would have to be sight- and hearing-impaired not to at least wonder, because there is no HGH test in the sport of baseball,” Bayless said according to the NY Daily News. “They do not blood test; they do it one time in spring training for HGH, not again the rest of the year. How could I not wonder, ‘Is he using something?’ If you’re Derek Jeter, would you think about using HGH right now? Because I would. How would you not? Would you not think about it?”

Unfortunately, many feel as though all players are guilty until proven innocent in this day and age. However, the fact that Jeter has passed all of his drugs tests throughout his incredibly long and successful career would seem to make him innocent, no? Jeter, who seemed blindsided by the remarks, said perhaps it is Skip who needs to be tested.

“Whenever you have people that anytime you bring something like this to light with guys that are doing things, it’s like, now you have everybody questioning everything,” Jeter said. “That’s the unfortunate thing. Maybe Skip should be tested. What do you want me to say? I ain’t getting involved with this, man. You can say whatever you want to say now, huh? There’s no repercussions.”

It should be noted that the talking head has surprisingly massive pipes. Putting Jeter on the same level with guys like Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon is never a good idea, but Skip is happy as long as people are talking about it. As much as Terrell Suggs annoys me, he couldn’t be more right when it comes to Bayless.

Photo credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE