NEVER COUNT JETER OUT

“No doubt. When you have doubt, that’s when you have trouble.” 

--Derek Jeter

If you needed to learn anything from today’s press conference from Derek Jeter, that line above is the line that you need to write down and hang on your kid’s bedroom wall.  Never doubt your ability.  Never say “Can’t."  Sure, many can say that it was because Jeter “didn’t doubt” that he is in this ankle mess in the first place.  You know what I say to that?  Bull.  Do you want a teammate that asks for a day off or do you want a teammate that’s all in?  It’s the latter and you know it.  

Derek Jeter wanted to play and Derek Jeter got hurt.  Sure, maybe he worked the ankle more than he should have on the field.  But how often do we feel a tweak and just keep on going in your own life? We’ve all done it at some point.  The difference of course is Jeter happens to wear the pinstripes and is wrapped up in his goal... winning.

At today’s press conference you didn’t learn anything you didn’t already know. But we knew that would happen. For instance, you knew Jeter would say he’d be back this season.  You know he’ll be back for Mariano Rivera’s last season. You know he’ll be back for us fans and you know he wants to get on that field again.  If he said he’d be out for 2013, that my friends would be breaking news.  

The more interesting news that I picked up on was the description of “timelines”.  Jeter said it best, something I’ve been saying at Bleeding Yankee Blue for months now… he didn’t want to get into a timeline today because Lord knows they are never correct. So he simply said “The last timeline I set, I didn’t make.” Look, for the most part, this press conference was force fed to us.  It was forced on by Yankee brass and Jeter agreed to do it so everyone would stop asking.  Jeter hates talking about injuries, we know that.  If we all thought there would be something earth shattering, we were mistaken.  It was like the last time he wanted to speak about his ankle.  I wrote about it in WE'RE STARTING TO TICK OFF DEREK JETER when we quoted Jeet himself, ""I will not address how anything feels anymore..." Enough was enough for him then.  Now, after today, we know he’s still hurt and will hopefully return in 2013.  And you know what? That’s all we should know and I’m fine with that.  

But remember what Jeet said today, there is no doubt he’ll  be back in 2013.  I believe that.  But for now, we wait and go on without him.  It’s OK, he’s there ladies and gentlemen… but he's just healing, not playing.  But one thing I have always believed and you should too... never count out Derek Jeter… ever.

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