2011 Sports Year Review: Part Three

Jeter Joins the 3,000 Hit Club-

In part three of the 2011 Sports Year Review we'll tackle a story that didn't exactly go unnoticed, however, still deserves to be looked back on as a memorable moment in 2011. The NBA season had ended, the NFL was smack in the middle of a lockout and this story happened in New York (with the New York media) so when Derek Jeter got his 3,000th career hit, it was well covered by the media. HBO even produced a great documentary of Jeter's 3,000th hit shortly after it happened. The media had so much time to dedicate to covering the story it even came up with the clever DJ3K catch phrase. I never took the time to put my stamp on covering the story so my 2011 review is my chance to pay tribute top Jeter's great feat.

This is how long baseball has been around. Look at these
guys.

Baseball has literally been around for over 100 years. Not sure that many people can grasp the severity of that reality. Baseball is called America's past time for a reason. People born in the 19th century played baseball! That’s why the 3,000 hit club is so prestigious. In over 100 years of baseball just 28 players have accumulated 3,000 or more hits. All of the members of the club who are eligible for the Hall-Of-Fame are in. Meaning as long as you aren't banned from baseball for life, haven't tested positive forPEDs or simply not eligible because you retired recently, acquiring 3,000 hits will land you a spot in Cooperstown. To join this club is a big deal.

As if hitting 3,000 his wasn't a great enough feat in itself, Jeter also did it for one of the most storied and prestigious professional teams in all of sports. By my calculations (which consist of a series of very complicated algorithms, years of accumulated historical data, complex theorems and my opinion... Mostly my opinion) there are three professional sports teams that are America's teams. These teams are completely polarizing; they divide America, you either love them or love to hate them. Market doesn't matter for these teams; they are equally popular in Lincoln, Nebraska as they are in New York. America's three teams are, the Dallas Cowboys, The Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Yankees. Being America's teams brings great praise but great scrutiny as well. Playing for these teams will either bring out the competitive fire in athletes or crush them. Guys like Kobe Bryant and Michael Irvin thrive on these teams while players like A.J Burnett and Tony Romo crumble. Setting team records for these teams is just a little more meaningful than others (I'm sure some day someone will be proud to be the Texans all-time leading passer). Breaking all-time records while on these teams; a really big deal.

Some rise up while other crumble under the pressure of America's teams

On July 9th, 2011, Derek Jeter joined the exclusive 3,000 hit club. He did it as a Yankee and as he's done for most of his career, he did it in dramatic fashion. We've already established the exclusivity of the 3,000 hit club, however, even more exclusive is getting into the club with a home run. Jeter became just the second player in the 100+ year history of baseball to acquire his 3,000th hit with a home run. This wasn't exactly a home run off some shlub either. It came off one of the hottest young pitchers in the league, David Price. Hitting 3,000 wasn't enough for the Captain on this day. He would go on to knock in the eventual game winning run and cap the day with 5-5 performance at the plate. Jeter did all this, in front of the home New York crowd. Sure it isn't the old Yankee Stadium, but it’s still Yankee Stadium.

Jeter didn't need 3,000 hits to validate him as a potential Hall-Of-Famer. He didn't need to hit a home run on this day. He didn't need to go 5-5 on this day. However, as Jeter has done his whole career he exceeded our expectations. Whether he is diving into the stands or just being in the right place when no one else would be, Jeter has always given us moments. I wasn't around for Ruth or Gehrig. I wasn't around for Mantle or DiMaggio. I wasn't even around for Berra or Mattingly. I came into baseball when Wade Boggs was ending his career as a Yankee, Tino Martinez was in the twilight of his career and a young Jeter was breaking into the league. I may not be able to put the other all-time greats into perspective but for me Jeter is the greatest Yankee of all time.

For all he's accomplished in the steroid era, he’s never been linked to PEDs in any way. He's played in the most ruthless media market his entire career and avoided any type of controversy. He has embodied what it is to be a captain and a winner his entire career. When the day comes for Jeter to finally hang it up, a gaping hole will be left where the Yankee's short stop used to be. A hole too large for even Jeter to make one of his signature back hand grabs.