(Once again, this post is long. And a bit rambling. You’ve been warned.)
Let me start this off by saying that I know players do it. I know Victor Martinez has a history of doing it. I know that managers like Joe Maddon most likely encourage players to do it. But that doesn’t mean I like it.
I get the idea that your job as a batter is to get on base any way you can. I get that. But I fail to see the difference between what Jeter did against the Rays the other night and what ARod did against the Red Sox in game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. ARod became so notorious for that slap that people called him “Slappy” for quite a long time (Hell, I STILL call him “Slappy”!). I’ve always maintained that my biggest issue with the slap play isn’t that ARod tried it but that after he was called for it he brought out all the histrionics trying to defend himself. (I have a clear vision of his putting his hands on his head and asking “What’d I do?” in the middle of it all. Whether it is a totally ACCURATE vision is another case altogether.) But you know what? I was wrong.
Seriously. Why should it be all right to play without any kind of sportsmanship? It doesn’t have to be against the rules to be wrong. (Isn’t that the argument many use about steroids back before there was testing in MLB?) Click o that first link, the photo of Jeter, and tell me what he’s doing in that photo isn’t wrong? I’m not trying to be sanctimonious because, God knows, I’ve done my share of lying in my life, but when you get caught lying there are usually consequences to deal with. In baseball (maybe in all sports but I’m focusing on baseball right now) you don’t have consequences. You get called “smart” or “crafty” for coming up with a new way to reach your goal.
I can read the minds of many of you right now. This is all because I don’t like Derek Jeter. Well, you’re right about one thing, I DON’T like Derek Jeter. I can name many things, from his ignoring Ken Huckaby’s apology (an apology he didn’t have to make) to unnecessarily diving into the stands to catch a ball, to his deriding the Red Sox for celebrating winning the wild card in 2003 (I saw this live on ESPN and still can’t find a link after all these years), to his refusing to tell the fans to back off of ARod (when he had done so in the past and after that for other players), to his performance the other night.
But this isn’t about my dislike of Derek Jeter. This is about the selective encouragement of cheating or, at the very least, poor sportsmanship. History tells us that ARod doesn’t care if he gets caught looking bush league but Jeter, presumably, does. The thing is, Jeter knows that he’s the mighty Derek Jeter. Man with the intangibles and calm eyes. He’s certain no one will look at the footage from the other night and think he was being unsportsmanlike. He was just being a captain! Doing what he needed to help his team get the victory. Heck, the manager who got thrown out of the game for fighting with the umps about this said if one of his own players did it he’d “applaud” them. And that’s the problem.
When did professional sports become about applauding the folks who cheat (whether it be by using PEDs or stealing signs, or messing with the ball, or lying about getting hit so you can get on base)?
Minor league baseball players are under constant scrutiny. They can’t do anything that goes against the rules, or that makes the team look bad even if it isn’t against the rules, without having to be responsible for it (whether it be a public apology, a fine, a suspension or anything the team does that doesn’t get publicity). They are taught to have a certain code yet when they get called up to the bigs they are, basically, told to throw the code book away because once you’re making big money anything goes.
It is unpopular to state that you think sports should be played the “right” way. You’re accused of either being naive, a goody-goody, simple-minded or just unrealistic. I think that’s ridiculous.
Let’s take into consideration the BBWAA election rules for the Hall of Fame, specifically rule 5:
5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
Cheating, however small, speaks to the integrity, sportsmanship and character of a player. But the fact that the league, the managers/coaches, the other players, the media and the fans allow the cheating to go on makes the waters murky.   Jeter can pull of the acting job he did the other night and even be praised for it (and he’s a sure to be first year eligible hall of famer) but ARod does it and it’s another black mark on that imaginary book people keep on folks they don’t like. How do players or people watching or the kids influenced by this stuff know when it’s okay to cheat and when it isn’t? Do you teach that it’s only bad if you get caught or it’s only bad if you get caught and people don’t like you to begin with because if they like you and you get caught they’ll excuse you for it? (I know it’s common to joke “Won’t someone think of the children!” but I think it’s valid in this discussion. Kids want to play professional ball and want to know how to do it and we’re basically telling them, “Cheat. You need to cheat to do it.”)
Certainly there are worse things happening in the world right now than Derek Jeter pretending to be hit by a pitch. But I think it’s a worthy discussion. Given the way MLB is run, I don’t think Jeter should be punished for what he did but he sure as hell shouldn’t be praised for it either.
5 comments for “Oh Bother”