Derek Jeter: Why His 3,000th Hit Has Done More Harm Than Good

Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit has hardly been worth all the trouble it’s caused, and that’s saying something about a future Hall of Famer’s career milestone.

We should be celebrating the hit as something special, the appropriate finish to a career that has been the embodiment of consistency.

At every turn, the great Yankee has handled his career the right way. He’s done his best for his team, said the right things and presumably played the game the right way in an era of players who deliberately played the game the wrong way.

Yet, ever since his 3,000th hit sailed into the arms of Christian Lopez, all we can do is criticize, speculate and ridicule both Jeter and Lopez.

It’s a sad day that we can’t let that one perfect moment exist in its own space and time, separate from the rhetoric and public examination, but his milestone has served as a catalyst for discussion whether it’s right or wrong.

First, the was the instance of the home run ball itself. Christian Lopez likely never imagined he’d catch a milestone that is usually hit to the outfield and scooped up by the first base coach, ushered into the dugout and never seen again.

However, the ball was rocketed into the stands, and just as soon as Lopez laid his hands on that ball, he was being ushered away with it and forced to make a fairly quick decision.

Does he give the ball to the man himself, or does he hold out for all the riches he can?

Normally the kind of greed that would propel Lopez to ask for cash would be frowned upon by many who believe the scent of money has spoiled most of that which is honest and pure about the game of baseball.

Our culture wrecks players who hold out for more money, who leave teams for selfish dollar signs and who strike because their million dollar pensions aren’t good enough.

So when Lopez asked for some autographed swag in lieu of money the reaction was…outrage?

Well, maybe more appropriately, judgment.

They scoffed at the idea that a fan could embrace his million dollar hero as that, a “hero,” and accept a modest sum for a ball he didn’t feel was right to hold for ransom in the first place.

God forbid he do the honorable thing and think about doing what felt right rather than doing what was most profitable.

But the word out on the street is that Lopez is a fool. He’s stupid for not paying off his loans or grabbing the cash to marry his girlfriend. Even Jeter, who didn’t demand the ball, is now being looked at to pay the taxes on the luxury seats the Yankees awarded Lopez as a reward for being so generous.

As if it’s Jeter’s responsibility to pay the taxes for seats he didn’t give away, but welcome to the problems over Jeter’s 3,000th hit.

Of course, Jeter is held to a higher standard of doing the right thing. It’s part of the reason why many of those with an opinion on the All-Star game are disappointed that Derek Jeter wouldn’t show up.

Clearly, snubbing the All-Star game in the wake of achieving a true milestone feels like a smack in the face to many who count on Jeter to be the face of approaching the game the “right” way, whatever that means these days.

Of course in order to believe this you, have to believe that Jeter belonged there at all. While the fan vote certainly counts for selection to the All-Star game, it’s not as if the fans have a great track record of picking the right team.

After all, there are few All-Star games that are more of a popularity contest than the Midsummer Classic. This was most evident when Jeter, who spent time on the DL and posted a .270 average that isn’t nearly as reflective of how poorly he’s played.

But yet Jeter owes it to the integrity of the event to go?

The event in question lost all integrity when MLB allowed it to be a popularity contest. When was the last time a popularity contest conveyed even one shred of integrity?

Of course those angry about Jeter’s actions hammer him for not being at a game that decides home-field advantage in the World Series. While this point is valid in a vacuum, the bigger picture is far more in Jeter’s favor.

Jeter has, whether the angry legions of baseball purists want to admit it or not, been nursing an injury.

The All-Star break is a great time for players to rest nagging injuries, and in the grand scheme of things, he’s better off resting for the final half of the season, than pushing himself to be there for a token three innings in which he’d risk aggravating it more.

But let’s not discuss that. That would only cause us to understand Jeter’s point of view.

But this game means something, right? Well, supposedly.

Sure the home-field advantage is decided that way, but honestly, Jeter is far less likely to impact that gave, given his recent play, than teammate Mariano Rivera would be. Rivera is staying at home and seems to be getting a pass where Jeter is verbally flogged for his decision to rest.

Of course none of the discourse would be as loud if Jeter was still a dozen hits shy of 3,000.

But once that ball left the yard, Jeter was expected to be there because now the game was about honoring its greatest active career player. Too bad Jeter decided to rest.

A 3,000th hit is supposed to be a milestone, but all it’s been is a nightmare.