Jete!
After going 0-for-2 in the first two innings of today’s game vs. the Mariners, Jeter got two singles in the later innings to keep his average at a solid .376. In doing so, he tied Tony Gwynn for #18 on the all-time hit list with 3,141. Next is Robin Yount with one more. Paul Waner has 10 more, George Brett a dozen. In the next few weeks, Jete can move up to #15. It really got me thinking. I’ve witnessed firsthand a career for the record books. I can say this because I tend to watch/listen to 90% of the games every season. So, the question lingers…
Who precisely is next?
Yount
Waner
Brett
Ripken
Lajoie
Murray
Mays
Collins
Molitor
Yastrzemski
Wagner
Anson
Speaker
Musial
Aaron
Cobb
Rose
Know the most amazing thing about this list? I remember Yount, Brett, Ripken, Murray and Rose all playing. 5 of the top 17 players were in my lifetime. Beyond that, Lajoie? Wagner? Anson, Speaker…these names are legendary! Yastrzemski was the last triple crown winner 45 years ago. With 129 games left this year, I’m looking forward to a healthy Jeter. If he can keep up a decent average, a safe estimate of another 150 hits is not outrageous. With that, he’d pass even Willie Mays and sit at #11 all-time. I know people talk about him being 37…but I remember seeing Pete Rose play towards the end of his career. He just kept going. Not saying Jete is as good as Rose, but even with the last two ‘poor’ seasons, he still had 341 hits total. Let’s say he takes the option for another year. If he gets to 3,200 this summer and could match his 2010/2011 totals of 340 hits over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he could be sitting at ~3,650. That would pass Stan Musial and place him beneath Aaron, Cobb and Rose. Legendary.
Yogi & Guidry (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
OK, speaking of legends…Yogi is the man. The other day I talked about Jete being top 5 Yankees ever, and the more I thought about it, and the more I looked at the stats, how can I possibly not include Yogi? The Babe, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Yogi, Mantle, Jete. If I had to pick 5, that would be hard and maybe Jete doesn’t make the cut. Today was Yogi’s 87th birthday and they had a big celebration. I’ve seen a lot of Old Timer’s games, and the legends are becoming fewer. When Scooter died a few years ago, it really hit me hard. Yogi is another one. *Ahem* 3 MVP Awards, 10 WS titles (in 14 appearances), a lifetime .285 hitter, 2,150 hits, 358 HRs, 1,430 RBIs and 1,175 Runs. His postseason stats, all World Series games, mind you, consist of 75 Games and 39 RBIs. Between ’55 and ’57, his BA in those WS were: .429, .417, .360 and .320. I could go on and on…but I fear the day when Yogi’s gone. Not to be morbid, but if Jete is the man, then Yogi is the fucking man. Let’s not forget he’s been married to the same woman for 63 years. He is a legend.
Sorry for the long rant…
The first season I’ve been detached from in decades winds down today and the postseason for my beloved Yankees is a bit shaky. While it’s been a fun and rather surprising year, I don’t know if we have what it takes. The one-game playoff versus Minnesota is one of those ‘anything can happen’ situations and I’ll admit the best of two concept I heard about recently sounds like a better solution. But even if we beat the Twinkies, we go up against the team coming off the hottest streak in over 100 years. That shortened five-game series is no less stressful! And the winner faces either the Astros (*ahem*, 2015) or the Sox (hatred). OMG, the latter would be insanity. 
