Buck'ed Up

I don't mean to pick on Derek Jeter, particularly in a vulnerable moment for him. The guy's rehabbing in god-forsaken Trenton in the twilight of his career and on the verge of a milestone hit. In his absence, the Yankees have won 14 of 17, the team's stand-in leadoff hitters have posted a .400 on base average and his replacement at short, Eduardo Nunez, has batted .300.

I've made pretty clear that Jeter is one of the five or six greatest shortstops of all time, just not the superhero his supporters make him out to be. His reputation for unparalleled leadership, Gold Glove fielding and "clutch" play are chimerical notions assembled out of wisps of wind by delusional admirers. One of his signature career plays never even happened -- the one where he supposedly dove into the stands to make a catch on a foul ball and then came out bloody and dazed.

If you're wondering why people like me bang on Jeter, allow me to provide you with two words: Joe Buck. Buck worships at the Jeter shrine and rambles incoherently on national television with paeans to the Yankee captain. Today was another embarrassing case in point.

During an insightful discussion started by Tim McCarver about how players age, Buck allowed that Jeter has ebbed at bat and in the field, but would be the guy he'd want fielding the ball with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series ... here's the fun part ... if it was hit right to him.

If you don't understand why this comment is a dereliction of common sense, I'm not sure any explanation matters, but let's take one perfunctory stab. Buck asserts that even though he's lost some of his baseball skills at age 37, Jeter is still "clutch."  In those categories in which we can quantify things, Buck has been forced to acknowledge that Jeter is listing towards below average. But in an arena in which he can continue to delude himself without factual contradiction, Buck has decided to call Jeter "the best." The best at what? At something every Double-A shortstop does routinely.

This is the kind of nonsense that sends baseball fans who actually care about facts into paroxysms of disbelief. Someone at Fox ought to clue Joe Buck in: these kinds of statements don't polish Derek Jeter's reputation; they stain yours.

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