Ride, Captain, Ride

Most fans are cheering loudly as Derek Jeter approaches 3,000 hits. There is that subculture, though -- Mets fans, Red Sox fans, Yankee-haters, etc. -- that are eager to tell you how over-rated Jeter is, how he can't hit anymore, can't field, yadda, yadda, yadda. Is Jeter the same player he was in 2001? Um, no. Can you point out to me another player who is as good as he was 10 years ago? Didn't think so. To say that Jeter is over-rated today is missing the point entirely. (But then, the Yankee-hater crowd is never big on logic.)

There are still those who say that the only reason Jeter is so exalted is because he played in New York and that he played on great teams. "Oh, anyone could have won on those teams!" Well, that is a hypothetical argument that can never be proven. But there are plenty of players on good teams that have nothing to show for it, so Jeter can't be knocked for winning. (Again, there's that anti-logic at work.)

Yet there are still those who would point to other players, stats, and whatever else they can grasp to diminish Jeter's career. Well, guess what? He's going to have 3,000 hits. I don't care where you played or when you played, because if you've got 3,000 hits -- something only 27 players in the history of the sport have achieved -- that's pretty exclusive company. And as for the company Jeter will soon keep, he'll walk in head held high.

Of the right-handed batters who collected their 3,000th hit in the last 20 years, Jeter will have the highest career average to go with them:

• Paul Molitor -- 3,319 hits, .306 career average
• Cal Ripken, Jr. -- 3,184, .276
• Robin Yount -- 3,142, .285
• Dave Winfield -- 3,110, .283
  
• Craig Biggio -- 3,060, .281
• Rickey Henderson -- 3,050, .279
  
• Derek Jeter -- 2,998, .312

Not too shabby. Congratulations, Derek! You deserve it.

Captain Cash

Well, the Yankees finally got their man. After much public negotiation, Derek Jeter and the Yankees have agreed on a 3-year, $51 million contract. While it may have been much ado about nothing, it's a relief all across the board to have the deal done.

Sure, the Yanks are grossly overpaying Jeter. And I'm not sure what he'll be doing in three years, let alone the fourth year of the contract which has an option he'll almost certainly pick up. But as it's been said, the Yankees are probably the one team in baseball that can afford to overpay a player like Jeter.

In the end, this was a deal that had to be done -- neither side would have come out looking good had the two not come to an agreement. At the same time, Jeter was able to hold his ground and make the statement, at least from a salary standpoint, that he's still one of the top players in the game. For the Yankees, they win the PR contest, as they were willing to pay whatever it took to keep the face of the franchise in the Bronx.

Throughout this "free agency" period, much attention has been focused on where Jeter will end up playing as his defensive skills continue to erode. Oddly enough, that doesn't concern me at all. With A-Rod to his right and Robby Cano to his left, Jeter is sandwiched between some good defenders. And with Mark Teixeira cleaning up anything thrown his way, the Yanks can afford to have an again Jeter manning the middle, at least for another couple of years.

Even on offense, perhaps last season was just an aberration, considering how well Jeter played in 2009. Besides, the Yankees have such a talented cast -- and the ability to replenish it -- that even with declining skills, Jeter won't slow the Yanks down.

All told, it's great to have the Captain back in the fold. Considering how it could have gone down -- Ken Griffey, Jr. in a Reds uniform or Joe Montana playing for KC? -- it's nothing but good new for the Yankees and their legion of fans.

Normally I don't pay much attention to the Mets. Okay, pretty much none, except to get a laugh here and there. But I happened to stumble across a little tidbit regarding the... ahem... "Amazin's" that struck me as remarkable. Tucked away in a "Mets Insider" column was the following revelation. Apparently, Jose Reyes doesn't always pay attention on defense:

It's hard to get ready for every pitch because how many pitches does the pitcher throw to home plate? A hundred and something? It's hard to get ready on every pitch.

Now maybe I'm naive. But can you imagine -- ever imagine -- those words coming out of the mouth of Derek Jeter? Check that -- can you imagine those words coming out of the mouth of one of Jeter's teammates? It would be the last day they were teammates. Perhaps I am spoiled, but I cannot picture a member of the Yankees saying something like that. Ever.

Oh, but Reyes wasn't finished, either:

Maybe you are going to get lazy with two or three because it's tough to get ready all the time.

Wow. Because when you're nine games out of first, perhaps every pitch isn't that important. Maybe that's just why Reyes is on the Mets. Or maybe, just maybe, that's why the Mets are the Mets. Either way, it's just Reason #184 why it's great to be a Yankees fan.