AARON JUDGE AMONG THE GREATEST EVER

As I stated in AARON JUDGE IS JUST A GOLDEN GOD just a few short days ago, there is just something very special watching a player as incredible as Aaron Judge in the modern era.  You hear about the moments and stories about guys like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, etc.  But we never really see that in baseball today.  Sure, there are glimpses of true greatness and mammoth home runs, but it's a moment in time.  This year however we are seeing consistency with what I can safely say is the greatest player in the modern Yankee era and something you all will be speaking fondly off when you're old and gray like me.  It's special to see Aaron Judge not only lead with dignity and integrity, but to see his home run pace year after year is absolutely wild.

Now, he will no doubt be added to a list that only a few have seen.  It's just plain crazy and incredible. The New York Post writes:

"Aaron Judge stands a pretty good chance of becoming the fifth player ever to hit 50 homers in three different seasons.

Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa did it four times each and Alex Rodriguez three. Thus, Judge is in line to join Ruth as the only players to achieve this feat who are not tied to illegal performance enhancers.

It is another sign — regardless of your baseball morality — that Judge is climbing all kinds of lists. Next year, he will be playing in a 10th season, which will make him — when the time comes — eligible for the Hall of Fame. The key part of that previous sentence is “when the time comes” because it seems reasonable that Judge is going to extend his prime longer and mount a no-brainer case for Cooperstown, in case you think he is not there yet."

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but how do you not talk about it?  Yes, there were guys like Mattingly, Mantle, DiMaggio and Jeter is our lifetime and all were dynamic.  But this is a whole new level.

I wish all the best to this role model and true leader.  Judge is very, very special.

BLASTING PETE ROSE IN A BOOK REVIEW DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE'S THE HIT KING!

I have to say I was looking forward to Keith O'Brien's book about Pete Rose.  Titled "Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball", it is said to be one of the best reads on Pete Rose, the good and the bad.  

I have been a longtime fan of Pete Rose. He was the guy who helped get me obsessed with baseball as a kid. Growing up in Kentucky I would often venture with my family to King's Island in Ohio, and it was the height of the Big Red Machine.  Reds' shirts were everywhere in the theme park because it was Reds country.  You couldn't escape it and I remember when I saw Rose play and hit and as a little boy there was nothing more incredible. A dude playing the game harder than anyone I'd ever seen.  It was quite a thing.

And so fast forward to one of the most ridiculous book reviews I have ever seen from Patrick Sauer of the Washington Post who found it fitting to insert his own personal view of Pete Rose into his review like he actually has the clout to bring his tainted opinions of Rose to the table.  In essence, I do not care.  

You see, when you talk about Pete Rose, you talk about hitting. That's when it comes to the discussion of baseball ability. Sure, he gambled and he's admitted it and womanized and hung out with odd folks at times, but it's the hitting that will always stick with me.  In 1985 he broke Ty Cobb's hit record and he'd go on to have 4,256.  An incredible feat.  And for me, that's what stands out most.  For some odd reason, or maybe he's just a foolish ego-maniac, Sauer thought it fitting to demolish Pete Rose as "as colossal jerk" and "I was 9, and I was right." Like... who cares.

Here's the thing; Pete Rose had many flaws, but who doesn't.  Ty Cobb was a racist son of a bitch, but he's in the hall of fame.  And I think about this ridiculous review and think to myself, if Rose didn't bet on baseball is Sauer still talking about how Pete was a Son of Bitch and adding his own personal opinions of the guy or is he passing on writing the review.  My point is saying every negative thing you want to say about Pete Rose, but in the end, he still is the all-time hit leader.  Meanwhile Rose must have kicked Sauer's dog or something because he's angry and almost obsessed with trying to publicly dismantle Rose. 

"Outside of a true devotion to the craft of hitting, there is arguably nothing admirable about the adult Pete Rose, and I barely knew the half of it before reading “Charlie Hustle.” (Even Rose’s nickname was derisive. New York Yankees legends Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle tagged him with it for trying so hard during a meaningless spring training game.)"

Sauer literally dresses down Pete for playing ball too hard and tags a few baseball heroes in there to make it seem more legit. By the way, Mickey Mantle was an incredible player, he was also a drunk and womanizer, but I guess Sauer can let that pass.  Again, this might be the worst book reviews I've ever read.  Sauer's personal antidotes offer nothing but an ego trip for the length of the article.

"One moment late in Rose’s career suggests that even his fiery love of the game had some fraudulence in it. O’Brien cites multiple people who say that Rose, while playing with the Montreal Expos, used corked bats. One of the people is a clubhouse manager (and carpenter by trade) who did the illicit woodworking on Rose’s lumber. It calls into question the legitimacy of the end-stage hits that Rose needed to surpass Cobb. I would now wholeheartedly argue that Ichiro Suzuki’s hits as a professional in Japan should count and that his combined total of 4,367 makes him the true Hit King, the one to uncomplicatedly celebrate when he’s elected into Cooperstown next year."

And the worst part of this article/review, whatever it is, is the constant pounding and this quest for influence like his opinions matter.  No Patrick, Ichiro, while incredible, is not the true Hit King, but there needs to be some kind of accolade for him. Pete is the all-time hits leader and its Major League baseball.  Ichiro's numbers are combined and last time I checked, Japan's league is not the MLB. Stop your forcing of rules to make your argument, you're bad at it. Ichiro had 3,089 in the MLB. That's just the way it is.  It's not that we don't want to count all of Ichiro's hits, but you are so big about following rules and having Pete Rose have integrity and how he needs to stay out of the Hall of Fame, but you're perfectly fine bending the rules to put Ichiro in as the All-Time hit leader and yet he didn't achieve it in the MLB? You're literally an idiot.

I like reading books to form my own views of the person being written about. I have to say, in all of my years of journalism, I have never quite read a more foolish article/review than the one that Patrick Sauer has written for  "Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball". And here's the worst part; he did O'Brien and injustice. I may never read it because Sauer tainted it with dumb opinions and ego. No one cares that you thought that Pete Rose was a jerk at 9.  I met Rose twice and both times he was fantastic.  And you know what? No one cares about that either.  Rose was a degenerate, a womanizer and got himself in a ton of trouble.  But he's also the all-time hits leader and yet Patrick Sauer cannot admit or praise the one single part that makes up Pete Rose on the baseball field.  

Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.  He's not a man of character. He's had bad judgement in his life. But at the end of the day, he's a Hall of Famer because of 4,256. That's it.  

Sauer can kick rocks.  

FINDING BASEBALL HISTORY & TY COBB

One of favorite baseball activities when I was a kid was collecting baseball cards. It was a quarter a pack and came with a hard stick of gum, but each pack came with the hope of finding a favorite player. If there was a Yankee in the pack, well, that was something to announce to all your friends and celebrate. It was where I first learned the art of trading and negotiating I also learned about the player stats on the back of the card. That was where I learned what a batting average and an ERA was.

Every kid's dream happened this past week at some undisclosed location in "the South" when a family found a crumpled paper bag in an old house containing seven Ty Cobb baseball cards. I have to say that when I heard this, I was immediately filled with jealousy wondering why I never have that kind of luck. At the same time, I was happy that a piece of baseball history was discovered. The cards were in excellent condition - better than the other 15 known Ty Cobb cards - and I hope that at least one of them makes it to Cooperstown so I can see it. As of this writing, a couple of them have been sold to collectors.

I don't know about some of you younger fans, but us old-timers placed a lot more value on cards than fans do today. In fact, if you've followed the value of baseball cards, you know they've been in decline for some time now (read: Fewer Are Investing Hearts and Money Into Baseball Cards). If you had a popular player, you had gold on your hands. If some player was hot in any particular season, you had leverage trading his card in the school yard or in the neighborhood. That's not to mention if you had a rookie card for a rising star. I remember when Thurman Munson died, I took all my Munson cards and I put them in a little safe. I still have them, and regardless of what the price guides say, they are NOT for sale.

I said earlier that I wish I had the kind of luck this family had. The truth is I did once find something that someone put out in the trash. I once started collecting baseball caps, and one particular summer afternoon I saw this plastic bag out back with the trash filled with them my wife thought I was nuts, but I went through them to see if I could find a baseball team's cap. Most were company logo caps. But I saw this one light blue cap with a white B on the front. Could it be? I flipped it to the back where I found an embroidered "1957". I quickly put it in my bag and walked away with what is still one of my favorite baseball collectibles.

I share this story because I think there's something special about these kinds of baseball memorabilia. Items that reflect and act as an historical record of baseball from each era. From my day, I have cards of lots of Hall of Famers - Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer - as well as Yankee legends like Ron Guidry and Reggie Jackson. On a few occasions as an adult, I added to my collection. My first purchase ever on eBay was a Don Mattingly rookie card that I got for $7. This year, in particular, is going to be a great opportunity to get the rookie cards of Yankees we expect to have great careers.

It's great that they found those Cobb cards. I wish more cards from those years were around. They were special. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to drive to my parent's house and help them clean some closets!

--Ike Dimitriadis, 
BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon






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ROSE TO THE HALL IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Pete Rose has always been a hero of mine.  Yes, I’ve been a Yankees fan since the day I drew my first breath, but as a Pee Wee, Little League, Babe Ruth, and High School baseball player, it was Rose who I most tried to emulate.  His style of play represented the only way I wanted to play any sport – be it baseball, basketball or pick-up football.  To me, it just made sense that you’d want to put your heart and soul on the line in the name of competition every single play.

Rose never strolled or slowly shuffled his way to first base when he was issued a walk or hit a soft grounder like some players we know.  No, he sprinted and turned the corner, trying to prod his opponents into an ill-advised throw to the bag. 

Every moment he was on the base paths, he was challenging the other team.  He made sure they were never comfortable.  When they did accept the challenge, he was in it full throttle, diving head first in either an attempt to get back to his base or advance to the next.  I gotta believe that, as a kid, he never came home with a clean uniform.  For that matter, I’m pretty sure he never left a game as a player without stains of dirt and grass all over the front of his jersey.   For anyone that watched him play, you couldn’t help but admire his pure passion and resolve.

Pete was never blessed with great physical talent.  There wasn’t anything special about his throws, or his power at the plate, or even his speed on the diamond.  What made him a professional – a top of the line professional – was that hustle.  It is what set him apart from his peers, and from others who came before him.  Because I was always smaller than my teammates, and didn’t have the superior talent that others did, Pete Rose was proof that I could still set myself apart.  He was the model I would have to follow if I ever wanted to get respect as a player.

I’ve always believed that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.  I still do.  His accomplishments on the field certainly qualify him.  Until this week, I also believed he should be reinstated to the sport he gave so much to.  Until this week….

When Commissioner Manfred’s decision to not reinstate Rose was made public, I was somewhat surprised.  Our fairly new leader had led me to believe that he was open to the idea of bringing Pete back during his first days as Commissioner.  I wondered what could possibly have come out to slam the door shut on the former Phillie and Red.  Then I read the bits and pieces of Manfred’s report that were being publicized and understood.

As Matt Snyder of CBS Sports wrote:

“The pertinent part of the five-page press release here is as follows:

"During our meeting, Mr. Rose told me that he has continued to bet on horse racing and on professional sports, including baseball. Those bets may have been permitted by law in the jurisdictions in which they were placed, but this fact does not mean that the bets would be permissible if made by a player or manager subject to Rule 21."

There's a footnote, too, which includes one of the most damning facts about Rose's case.

"Even more troubling, in our interview, Rose initially denied betting on baseball currently and only later in the interview did he 'clarify' his response to admit such betting."

So he lied. Again.”

Yep, in spite of knowing what it would take to finally get his name back in decent (not good, it will never be good) graces with baseball, Rose still bets on the sport and still struggles to tell the truth about it.

For someone who always went all-out to accomplish his goals within the sport, he couldn’t do the same to give the sport the chance to once again embrace him.  I’m disappointed that someone I looked at as being so strong and determined on the field is so very weak off it.

Gambling is an affliction; a disease for many.  But unless those suffering from that affliction have strong support around them, they rarely can beat it on their own.  I can only surmise that Pete doesn’t have anyone helping him to help himself.

I’ll always think Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.  While his outside-the-lines activities certainly inflict damage if allowed an association with the sport, Cooperstown is supposed to represent the great accomplishments – and those who accomplished them – between the lines.  His level of play on the field, and genuine effort, cannot be questioned.  The precedent has been set over and over again.  A supposed murderer (Ty Cobb) is one of the most hallowed of plaques to adorn Cooperstown’s walls, and ironically is the man whose hit record Rose broke. 

I agree with Mr. Manfred that Pete Rose should not be allowed back into baseball.  To do so would damage the sport’s integrity, and the Commissioner’s job is to protect it.  It is the right thing to do.  There’s just one more piece to make it completely “right”; the baseball writers need to get Rose into their Hall of Fame.  Baseball’s immortals are an incomplete group without him.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 




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SORRY FOLKS. RUBEN TEJADA NEEDS TO BE MORE AGILE

I mean, is the media mad at the Chase Utley's slide, or are they just mad that the New York Mets lost?  I mean, I know the Mets are America's team these days, but the slide that Chase Utley made in a critical moment in last night's Game 2 of the NLDS was nothing that hasn't happened 100 times before.

Here's the thing, the media is in love with the Mets.  And let me go further, and let's be honest; if Ron Darling doesn't ask the question in the booth, "You don't think that play is dirty?", I'm not sure we're talking about this. Watch the clip below. No one seems shocked.  It's business as usual until it's determined that Tejada is hurt and Darling starts stirring the pot.

Darling also states... "They wouldn't even allow that in the NFL."  Charged words. And, OK, it's really not part of baseball to even drag that into the conversation. But clearly Darling is rooting for the Mets.

Look, Ty Cobb used to go in spikes high. That was dirty.  That was later banned.  But we all know that runners going to second on a potential double play have to try and take out that fielder. And guess who also knows that? Infielders.  We have all seen it happen for years in baseball.

Your job as a runner is to break up that play so your teammate can make it to first and so your inning can continue. Bottom line.

Sometimes you slide in hard. Sometimes you slide in really hard. Sometimes you even slide in exceptionally wide to go after that fielder.  It happened the other night between Beltre and Tulowitzki.

Sometimes you even slide in really late, you throw your hands up or you go in real aggressive as to get that fielder to lose balance or to not get that throw off... and you know what?

That's the game ladies and gentlemen! That's the game!  Ruben Tejada? He needs to get the hell out of the way!  Why in the hell is no one talking about that?  I mean... look at it?

No question Chase Utley comes into the base awkardly and slide is late. Trust me, I'm no fan of Chase Utley. But I do not see what the different is between his slide and others I've seen in Major League Baseball over the past 25 years, even longer.



Tejada needs to be athletic. Tejada needs to be more nimble, more agile. Tejada needs to move his ass and get that runner out at first. That's his job!

Look, I feel bad for Tejada.  The Mets are having a nice season and now the guy is out. That sucks. But the media is in love with the Mets this season, after all... it's a nice story.  But let's call that Utley slide what it is... it's baseball,  and whether you call it clean or not, the bottom line is Utley had done what plenty of runners coming into second base have done forever... BREAK UP THE DOUBLE PLAY... and he did his job there.

The Dodgers tied it up against the Mets right then and eventually won.  But no one is talking about that. They are instead falling into the bias trap. "The Mets got robbed!"

No... the Mets lost... get over it.

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THE YANKEES MOUNT OLYMPUS: JOE DIMAGGIO

There has never been a player that combined grace and consistency at such a high level, and there probably will never be.

When experts discuss the greatest center fielders in history, ultimately his name is mentioned in the same breath as Mantle, Mays and Cobb.

Of course, I am talking about Joe DiMaggio.

The “Yankee Clipper” played from 1936 to 1951, missing the 1943, 44 and 45 seasons while he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.  In spite of that lost time, “Joltin Joe” hit 361 career home runs and carried a lifetime .325 average.

All the great ones, especially the players in our Mount Olympus, have the unique quality of raising the level of play in those around them.

DiMaggio was no different.

In the years that Joe was active on the Yankees roster, the team averaged 98 wins per season.   During the three seasons without him, the Yankees averaged 87 wins.   That alone speaks volumes as to his importance to the team.

During his 13 MLB seasons, the Bombers were in 10 World Series and won nine of them.  His accolades are among the greatest in the sport and include:

• Selection as  an All-Star in every one of his 13 seasons
• Three MLB MVP awards
• Led the league in hitting twice
• Led the league in home runs twice
• Three times led the league in total bases
• Three times was named World Series MVP 

 He is a baseball immortal.

The most famous of his campaigns may be 1941.  That season the center fielder set a record that stands to this day; and may never be touched.  From May 15^th until July 17^th DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games.   During that streak he batted .408 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. Yeah... he was hot.

DiMaggio always carried himself with class and dignity.  On the field his smooth, effortless swing and graceful, yet speedy, strides made him the picture perfect baseball player.

Off the field he ran with the “high society” crowd and had high-profile marriages to actresses Dorothy Arnold and Marilyn Monroe.  In spite of divorcing the latter after only 274 days of marriage, following her death DiMaggio had a half dozen roses delivered to Monroe’s grave three times a week for 20 years.

From his famous marriages to the Simon and Garfunkel song “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” to references in Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” to being the face of “Mr. Coffee”, the Yankees’ great embedded himself in American culture.

Any list of the greatest players in baseball history has the name Joe DiMaggio in it.  He was the first (upon his insistence) to be introduced at Yankees’ Old Timers Day as “The Greatest Living Yankee”.

While that may have been considered arrogant, he certainly could provide the career numbers to back it up.

Just a year after his final season, Joe’s number “5” was retired by the Yankees and in 1955 he was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

DiMaggio died in 1999 at the age of 84 and a little more than a month later the team erected a monument to the legend in Yankee Stadium’s famous Monument Park.

He forever stands among the most beloved and iconic figures in Yankees history, and now he takes his place in the New York Yankees’ Mount Olympus.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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CANO MUST DECIDE: MONEY VS. STELLAR REPUTATION

So it turns out that the Mariners DIDN'T offer Robinson Cano a 10 year deal worth $240 million.  But they are planning on offering a 9 year deal worth $225 million instead.  Oh... that's better.

Yup, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times, that's what's happening:

Source with knowledge of the Mariners planning said they are going to offer Cano 9 years/$225 million
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) December 6, 2013

Now look...we've hammered Robinson Cano pretty good here over the past few weeks. It may not be entirely fair, but we are correct when we break down what reputation means to an individual and what fan perception is right now for number 24. There is no question, people believe Robinson Cano's money hungry, selfish, greedy and disgusting. I've heard it all.  But we didn't invent that, he did.

Now a few days after the Jacoby Ellsbury signing, I am equally confused by the idea of still offering 7 years and $153 million to Ellsbury.   Many believe, me included, that that may even be too high.  Sure, when the guy is on, he's really on.  He's a great player, he's relatively young and the potential for him to be a superstar in New York in unquestionable. But we've seen big contracts turn sour quickly, and fans have become less than excited by big contracts.  Teams though, teams like to repeat history, suggesting that each player is different and Cano could be "that guy" that is so durable, so eager for the money grab, that his adrenaline will carry him through possible championships for the next 9 years in Seattle.  OK, well, they have a right to think that way. Seattle wants to make a big splash and they're willing to dump everything they have into this guy.  This guy, Robinson Cano, the talent we appreciated at 2nd for years in New York. But understand this... he's a moving part in a team of 25 and not a team leader like Seattle is attempting to prop him up as.

Cano's good. No, no... Cano is great! But Cano is not 10 year / $230 million great and not even 9 year / $225 million great. Put it in perspective... He's not Mick Jagger, or Keith Richards... he's not even Charlie Watts. Cano is Bill Wyman.  He's there, he's talented, but not the leader of the group.  I left out Ronnie Wood there, but you get my point.  

The Yankees still have "room" for Cano. Steinbrenner said it today. But now Cano, who clearly has no control of this whole mess has gone to daddy... and here comes the spin.    According to the New York Daily News, Jose Cano is alittle ticked off at the Yankees. The Daily News writes: "'The Yankees don't seem to want him,' Jose Cano told the Daily News when asked about his son’s status with the Yankees... General manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees have been trying to sign Cano, though he acknowledged that his club has “a lot of needs” he’s had to focus on at the same time."

I said weeks ago that this was about agent manipulating player. Cano's people are controlling this dude in his first big opportunity to make himself look real good in this great game. But he's not controlling his own contract negotiation.  Now, I know Cano's a smart guy and he makes decisions in his life, but when your "people" muck it up, there needs to be a fix.  Cano came out and denied his offer of $300 million last weekend.  He tried to squash the beef between he and the fans.  He was right to do that. But at that point, if he REALLY and TRULY cared about the Yankee organization and being part of the club, a club who has a much better shot than the Seattle Mariners at winning a championship, he should have made the call and took the money the Yankees were offering.  In reality, if he took out a calculator, he would find that he would make the same money each year being a member of the Yankees or Mariners.  

But to him, I guess he just sees numbers. "$225 million is bigger than $175 million.... I go with the bigger one"... like this is 3rd grade arithmetic or something.  Add is up Robbie:

• $175 million divided by 7 is $25 million per year 
• $225 million divided by 9 is $25 million per year 

If your really stuck on a nice yearly salary and you like big numbers... $25 million a year is a nice way to go. And if you'd like to win, the Yankees are where you want to be.  AND, and this is a big one... If you want to be a leader, you have 7 big years in the Bronx to transform into one. Derek Jeter will be gone, ARod will be retired, and you can stand on top with guys like Ellsbury, CC Sabathia, David Robertson and Brian McCann.  The fact that I'm even breaking this down for him is ridiculous, but you see what I'm trying to say.

One of my friends asked me the other day, "Why do you think the Yanks are playing such hardball with Robinson Cano?" Well, the answer is simple... when it comes to this particular negotiation, the players are faceless.  What I mean is, the Yankees hate the number 10, meaning 10 years and the idea of 9 probably isn't too appealing either. The fact of the matter is, the Yankees won't offer deals that long anymore because they've learned from ARod.  They will never, ever do that again.  They will offer Cano more money per year, because he's been productive, and that's a nice olive branch, but Cano for some reason doesn't see that and I don't get it.

I was thinking about the "source" from Anthony McCarron's story HERE yesterday suggesting Cano could be "a baseball legend in Seattle." Not the brightest line I've ever heard, but he said it. But there is one thing interesting about legends in the game...

(In Photo: Yogi Berra with Ted Williams)
The great ones, the truly great legends played the game hard, they played it right and they were always known as great teammates, respectful, presented good sportsmanship on the field and had good reputations among each other. They also weren't rich back then.  Now, some of those legends, Ty Cobb comes to mind, was known as a real S.O.B., but they were few and far between.

Reputation followed these legends.  Remember, a lot of the greats didn't get nearly what the players get today, money, lodging, etc,  but they loved the game and weren't babied and over time, after retirement, there was a respect for the other man they played against years and years later.  They formed bonds... they had good reputations.  It's an important part of this whole thing being under-reported.  Thank goodness we have an outlet to express it here, because there is no better example right now than looking at what's happened to Mr. Robinson Cano.

Look, at the end of the day, Robinson Cano can do whatever he wants, he's allowed. I'll still like him as a great Yankee 2nd baseman.  But as I predicted here, his reputation is in shambles and if he doesn't care about that, that's sad.  I've said it before and I'll state it again;  I would rather have a stellar reputation; likable, hardworking and dedicated to my craft than perceived as a selfish, greedy and ignorant human being.  In the end, the money runs out, but a positive reputation lasts forever. Money can't buy that, you need to earn it to be great.

Come home Robbie... we're want you back kid.

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PETE ROSE IS FEELING THE HEAT OF JEET

Let me start by saying that I love Pete Rose.  When I was a kid, I spent a few years living in Kentucky, right around the time the Big Red Machine was the greatest thing in baseball. If we ever visited Ohio, there were a ton of Reds fans. Around that time I saw Pete Rose play and I knew his hustle was the way you played the game.  Years later there's another guy that I admire, he happens to play on my favorite team, and his name is Derek Sanderson Jeter.

Joe Posnanski from Sports on Earth has a great piece called Holding Court with the Hit King. In it, Pete Rose obviously says what he says to try and protect any attachment he has left in the game of baseball, his all time hits record and here are some great quotes from Mr. Rose about how he doesn't believe Derek Jeter will ever break his record:

“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 ARod’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?”

Then he went on...because that's what Rose does, he talks:

 “He still needs 950 hits, right?... He had a great year this year, but you think he can do that again? At 39? A shortstop? Let’s say he does it again. Let’s say he gets 200 more hits next year. And let’s say he gets 200 more hits when he’s 40, though I don’t think he can. OK, can he get 200 more hits when he’s 41? You think he can?”

Look, I get it. We all know that Derek Jeter is older these days and this idea that he could break Pete Rose's all-time hits record seems absolutely ridiculous.

But think about this; when Pete Rose was playing, no one thought anyone would break Ty Cobb's record either.  Couple that with the fact that Posnanski is quoting "the guy" that is actually holding the hits record. Plus, this is the same guy that lied about gambling for years until he admitted it, read HERE. I know he's the right guy to interview on this topic, but do we really need to hold Rose's opinions to a high standard after his reputation as a manager was tarnished? Now, as far as the gambling stuff, that's another debate for another time. I actually think what's done is done and Pete Rose's playing ability is enough to get him into the Hall of Fame (Read ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. TIME FOR PETE ROSE TO GO TO COOPERSTOWN. ), but I also think that Derek Jeter, while a long shot, has a very good chance of breaking Pete Rose's record. I'm in the minority, and that's fine. 

Sure, it can be a pipe dream for me... but so was Ichiro Suzuki coming to the New York Yankees (Read HERE)... and that happened. Trust me, weird things happen in the Bronx... and if I'm Rose... I'm putting money on Derek Jeter.

Great piece by Mr. Posnanski!

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