Danny ChaiI totally relate to A’s feelings of dread re: The Great Baylight Plague of 2006. Abby was barfing on Sunday and diarrheaing ever since (her diapers STINK). Jieun was riding the vomit wave on Tuesday. I’m waiting for the hammer to fall, washing my hands about 30 times a day to ward off whatever I can. We’ll see if I hold up.
I bought two 6th Man tickets to the Stanford-Cal basketball game Jan. 3. Let me know if you’re around and want to go. Eddie and Irvo are also going.
People write and talk a lot about why, despite having far and away the hugest payroll in baseball every season, the New York Yankees haven’t won a World Series in six years. Some say just bad luck. Some say that the lineup has been assembled so that it’s a collection of star players, but it doesn’t come together as a true team with role players like during their championship years.
You know who I think doesn’t get enough of the blame? Derek Jeter. During their championship years, he was a young player, people like Brosius and O’Neill (ex-Red) were the veterans. Now he’s the clear clubhouse leader. And if you ask me, he’s a pretty lousy one. Like, it’s well known how once you’re in his doghouse, you stay there pretty much forever. It’s also well known that ARod is in his doghouse for some thing he said years ago, despite ARod’s attempts to apologize right after it happened. Whenever ARod struggles (and in the postseason it seems to happen a lot), Jeter offers tepid support at best. You definitely don’t get the sense that he, as a clubhouse leader, is doing all he can to make ARod a better player. You almost get the sense that he’s happy when ARod struggles, as it reinforces how Jeter is a better clutch player.
Doesn’t sound like much of a clubhouse leader to me – he’s petty, holds grudges, and isn’t willing to lay down personal things for the benefit of the team. My claim is that a big reason for the Yankees’ postseason struggles is the ascendancy of Derek Jeter as the team leader, and how poorly he fills that role off the field.