Derek Jeter is on his way to being the greatest Yankee of all time. The team is peaking at the right time, and the lack of drama in the AL East has left a vacuum. Nature and the press abhor a vacuum, and the press adore a story that writes itself.

Garret Anderson shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence with Derek Jeter. Plus, any excuse to fawn about their beloved is good enough for the NY papers, and this is actually a good excuse.

Bitter much? Must suck to be a beat writer for a random blog, hey try harder and maybe you'll get some news coverage yourself, say something like "Oh... I heard a rumor that the Red Sox are trading for Manny Ramirez, unnamed but VERY reliable source!" Yea now thats news you want to read.

In an era of narcissistic entertainers and athletes, the Captain has done it with class and humility (and steroid free!). He didn't even want to tip his helmet to the crowd last night out of fear that he may disrespect the visiting team. And yes, passing the likes of Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle is a much bigger deal than passing Garret Anderson.

What I don't get is why are you criticizing the NY Daily News' coverage of a team playing in their own city? Yea, the Yankees soon-to-be hit leader might not end up with the most hits in all of baseball. But hits, while the statistic that is highlighted here, have less to do with the stature of Jeter and Gehrig. That's the focus. I think that is what all the commotion is about. And again, it is the overall coverage, national and local, that is at fault here. You idiots in the media do this every freaking time a player approaches a "huge" statistic. It's not the players fault, as it always is made out to be, that the media chooses to cover something that the player does when it is part of the game. Jeter didn't go 0-12 to get in the limelight, he did it because he was in a slump. If you can't handle that then I don't know why you are covering baseball. It's part of the game.

So let me get this straight, a NY newspaper has too many stories about a NY team? What are they supposed to write about, the Mets? This is one of the last records set by the golden age of the Yankees to be broken, of course it's going to get alot of coverage. Plus, did you ever think that the fans WANT to read about it?

I hate the Yankees, but I totally respect the history of the Yankees as they pretty much represent the history of baseball, which I love. The Angels should not even be mentioned when compared to the history of the Yankees. It's a BIG deal because the Yankees have been around since the BEGINNING of baseball...and Lou Gehrig is a LEGEND. It's awesome because most of today's fans didn't get to see Lou Gehrig play, but we get to watch Jeter! How can anyone who loves baseball NOT appreciate this momentous occasion? I would hope any hometown player breaking a record like this is covered from the front cover to the back cover of the newspaper. It certainly beats all of the bad news. Congratulations Jeter!! and I surely hope I get to watch him break the record tomorrow night!

Bitter much? Must suck to be a beat writer for a random blog, hey try harder and maybe you'll get some news coverage yourself, say something like "Oh... I heard a rumor that the Red Sox are trading for Manny Ramirez, unnamed but VERY reliable source!" Yea now thats news you want to read.

Quoting for hilarity's sake. You honestly have no idea what Craig does in real life. Here's a hint, he's not a beat writer.

Craig Calcaterra, you are pathetic! I guess your Mutts didn't start their new ballpark off they way that all you Mutts fans predicted and boasted about, so now you have to berate the Greatest MLB player in Modern Era. Your words ozze with jealouscy, and make me sick. Anybody, even a Housewife that doesn't know one thing about Baseball, can see right through you. Now, go back, and make believe the words you write, actually have meanning, and that your some big sports writer, cause in reality, you couldn't write a column in my kids middle school newspaper. Yep, I hate to break the news to you Craig, but, your a pathetic loser, just like your Mutts. And, while you & your Mutts are playing golf, one of the three Greatest MLB players in New York baseball history will be playing with the Greatest Franchise in Sports History, on their way to yet another Playoff appearance, and they're 27th World Series Championship. And, after this season is all over, you can look forward to watching all the coverage Derek Jeter will get by winning this season's MVP. Yep, your not too jealous...hahahaha

Media overhype, hardly.

If you are a true baseball fan you have to savior what is a remarkable achievement and for Yankee fans a record not likely to be broken in the next 30 years, if ever.

When his career is over, hopefully not anytime soon, he will compile numbers that will not only assure him a first ballot in the hall of fame but those that will be lauded by those who are true fans of the game and sport.

The other current Yankee that fans should step back and admire is that of Mo, who has for over his distinguished career has compiled a ERA that is truly remarkable. Media hype hardly. It does give me a great degree of satisfaction to see the media who took glee in noting that the highest paid payroll in baseball failed to deliver for the past several years.

This year it has all come together and Jeter's play deserves all the attention he deserves and we are lucky to be in a media market that provides us the coverage and gives it more attention than a fire in the city or a new Walmart opening..

It's the Yankees, not some damned national league team. or expansion team. It's the Yankees, the only team.

I think the funniest thing that happens around here is that, whenever I write something that pisses off the fans of a given team, those fans assume that I am a fan of their rival. If I say something perceived as negative about the Yankees, I'm accused of being a Mets or Red Sox fan. If I say anything about the Sox or Mets, I must be a Yankee lover. It's almost pathological.

As for this story, I don't begrudge the Daily News for covering this story or the Yankees in general. It's their beat. But I defy anyone to find an example of a local newspaper running seven stories about a single event -- let alone an event involving only a team record -- at one time.

It's a bit unreal that for all of the championships the Yankees have won that they do not yet have a player who has had 3000 hits for them or won 300 games for them.

Amen Mo. We need more Derek Jeter's in the game. Get a real job Craig - your just a miserable hater.

"Derek Jeter is on his way to being the greatest Yankee of all time."

What's great about this bit of nonsense is that it perfectly encapsulates Craig's very point - that while the milestone is significant, it simply isn't as big a deal as it's been made out to be.

Come on. This is a counting stat, and wasn't Gehrig's career cut short by some injury or something? Gehrig, Ruth, and DiMaggio (and possibly the Mick) were all greater than Jeter. That's no dig on Jeter. I would think that anyone would be happy to bested by those four.

And you do realize that Gehrig would've had more hits, well over 3000, if he didn't.....ummmm....you know.....die!!!!! You are very bitter man, you need to lighten up. Also, I laughed out loud when you compared Anderson to Jeter, Anderson isn't worthy to carry Jeter's jock. And to have over 3000 hits with one team is a hard stat to get due to free agency and such, most teams have usually one guy and he's a real real old timer.

You're missing the point, M. Simmons. The point being that the number of hits a guy has for one team is a pretty lame indicator of how good he is, and thus the number of hits a guy has for one team is not as newsworthy as the friggin' moon landing.

You're right, Garret Anderson is nowhere near as good as Derek Jeter. But there he is, just a couple hundred hits behind Jeter in the hits-for-one-team category. Craig Biggio isn't as good as Jeter either, and he has a few hundred more hits for one team than does The Captain. That suggests to me that such a stat doesn't say as much as everyone seems to think it does.

Jeter is a great player who should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There are, however, a half dozen things that make him great before getting to this record.

The list of things Derek Jeter would still have to do to become the greatest Yankee of all time is probably a good deal longer than the impressive list of things he's already done. Garret Anderson doesn't belong in the same sentence as Derek Jeter, no (unless, you know, that sentence is about single-franchise hit leaders), but Jeter doesn't belong in the same sentence as Ruth or Mantle. This type of "greatest Yankee of all time" nonsense is exactly what creates this whole backlash.

I agree. This article, once again, is written with biase. The BIG deal here is Jeter will be the all time hits leader for the most storied franchise in sports history....not the Angels.

Like others have mentioned, you should have an idea about the background and personality of those you are throwing barbs at before doing so.

Things Craig isn't:
1) A beat writer
2) A Sox fan
3) A Mets fan
4) A hater
5) An idiot
6) Unemployed (he's a shingle carrying attorney)

What Craig might lack *in this instance* is the benefit of perspective, particularly that of a life-long Yanks fan. That's not a crime, it's just a fact.

I'll post this since I actually link to Craig's ATH up top in the posting, and it's a sharing of my perspective on Jeter, as a Yanks fan: http://www.itsaboutthemoney.net/2009-articles/september/perspective-on-jeter.html

If you replace "Jeter" with "Greg Maddux", I suspect Craig wouldn't be so critical of the local coverage. We fawn over our own heroes and we roll our eyes at others doing the same. Human nature, I guess.

I'm a huge Yankees fan and couldn't get enough stories about Jeter, until I read this one. Mom always said if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In my opinion, the only reason the writer is getting this many readers today, is he's stolen Jeter's name and the very dispute he's writing about to ride a wave of emotion and popularity. This makes him a hypocrite in my book.

Fair enough, Neil. Allow me to note, however, that in citing your "Mom always said . . ." rule, and then going on to call me a theif of Jeter's name and a hypocrite, you're breaking your "Mom always said . . ." rule and are, dare I say it, being a hypocrite.

True enough Craig, but I have nothing to gain. Touch a nerve? you didn't spell check.

Hardly. You'll note that you're not the first nor the most vehement critic I've had this morning.

You should also know that this thread is not exactly a high water mark in terms of heat or number of comments we've had around here. If I wanted to write stuff simply to piss people off and generate pageviews, I'd say something a little more inflamatory than "Derek Jeter is a great player passing another great player's record, but it's being over-covered."

I'm just a baseball fan on my lunch break, not a lunatic. When your story is on the home page of NBC Sports, I expect more; though they cover every word Obama utters as Gospel also. Post a link to another story you've written, and I'll read it to formulate a better opinion of the author.

I'm just a baseball fan on my lunch break, not a lunatic. When your story is on the home page of NBC Sports, I expect more; though they cover every word Obama utters as Gospel also. Post a link to another story you've written, and I'll read it to formulate a better opinion of the author.

Hmm. I'd think someone with the time to sit here and assault Craig in a silly and nonsensical way (writing a directly-on-point story about a player in the news is stealing that player's name, just because you don't agree with what he has to say about it? Wha??) would also have the time to click the "Circling the Bases" link above and read some of the dozen or so pieces Craig writes per day.

Craig: if you are at all astonished or confused by the NY Daily News' coverage of this event, I humbly submit that you may just not be sufficiently familiar with the NY Daily News' style of...reporting.

Let's review, for all the Yanks fans out there.

your = possessive of you
you're = contraction of you + are

Two sentences to illustrate:

1) No one's impressed at your ability to buy a title, Cashman.
2) You're a fool if you think Derek Jeter is in the same league as Babe Ruth. He's not even the best shortstop on his own team.

Greatest Yankee of all time? Are you actually serious about that? He's better than Ruth, Mantle, Gerhig, and Dimaggio? You, Mo Green, are what some people call a moron. Derek Jeter is breaking a record that he wouldn't even be sniffing right now if not for Lou Gerhig contracting a cruel disease.

If you really mean what you say about there being too much Jeter coverage then why did you write this blog entry? You are adding to the too much Jeter coverage.

Craig,

The nerve of you injecting commonsense and reason into the conversation. I mean, it's not like the YES Network fawns over him over night. It's not like Michael Kay's knees get weak whenever he's around him, blushing like a schoolgirl. It's not like John Sterling, the biggest moron in sports, carries on every night about how incredible Derek is; selfless, team oriented, etc, and give the same stupid monologue about how Derek Jeter doesn't care about personal stats. And, after that doesn't happen everynight, he and Waldman don't continue to drone on about how whenever anyone else says they don't care about personal stats, they are lying, but when Derek says he doesn't care about personal stats, he's telling the truth.

I mean, none of this stuff ever, ever happens. Never! So, it's just outrageous that, when Jeter FINALLY gets his due, after so many years of toiling in obscurity, without any recognition from the media, that you have to rain on his parade!

I had the exact same thought--I'm surprised that hasn't been talked about more.

1. Great post, Dees.

2. For the last couple of years, Red Sox fans have been the most obnoxious in all of baseball. But with their team's success this year, I think the Yankees fans have retaken the lead.

3. The Yankees fans are right that their team should not be mentioned in the same sentence as the Angels. Perhaps the Yankees will be worthy of that honor if they can ever figure out how to beat the Angels.

4. Finally, I bet all these Jeter-worshippers believe he actually deserved those Gold Gloves he won. (Guess what, Yankee fans -- at his best, he's only an average defender. More often, he's mediocre).

Nice broad over-generalization.

Thank you for proving my point, obnoxious Yankee fan. You just keep writing fawning pieces about Jeter for your blog, and I'll continue not to read your blog.

Nice but overblown.
God I love to hate the Yankees.

Is that a promise? If so, it's a deal.

I'm with Craig on this one. I've never had a problem with Jeter and think he's a class act all the way, but if you live outside of the greater New York metropolitan area like most of the country does, the amount of saturation coverage ANY Yankee gets when he even farts is pretty disturbing. I now call ESPN the Nightly Yankee News, and god help us if they make the World Series this year.

Wow, Craig, you surely did rile THEM up...

IMAGINE THAT THE HOME TOWN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS COVERING THE BEST PLAYER TO PLAY BASEBALL IN NEW YORK IN PROBABLY DECADES. WHAT ARE THEY CRAzY ..............

CALL ME CRAzY BUT I WOULD THINK DEREK JETER BASEBALL COVERAGE IS BETTER THAN NEWS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FOR SMACKING MINKA KELLY AROUND ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMERICA, WHERE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE DAILY NEWS......

IMAGINE THAT THE HOME TOWN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS COVERING THE BEST PLAYER TO PLAY BASEBALL IN NEW YORK IN PROBABLY DECADES. WHAT ARE THEY CRAzY ..............

CALL ME CRAzY BUT I WOULD THINK DEREK JETER BASEBALL COVERAGE IS BETTER THAN NEWS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FOR SMACKING MINKA KELLY AROUND ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMERICA, WHERE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE DAILY NEWS......

FUNNY HOW CRAIG HAS NO PROBLEM RELAYING GOSSIP
ABOUT KATE HUDSON AND A-ROD FROM THE DAILY NEWS.........

Ben, that mentioned last night Jetes- the boss gave hime that name-
is ahead of Pete Rose- THE HIT MAN - BY 80 HITS at this age....
I hope he does get it.

You think the reportage is breathless today? Jeter is likely to set the record on 9/11. And while I think there is something good about a little good happening in NYC on this terrible date, it's inevitable that the media will tie the anniversary and the record together in some way that goes far beyond remembering what the Yankees and the Mets did for my town in 2001.

DO YOU KNOW THAT CHICAGO HAS A ESPN, LA HAS A ESPN........

CRAIG IS HITTING NEW LOWS, WRITING STUFF TO GET TRAFFIC TO THE
BLOG, COME ON GUYS GET A CLUE, CRAIG IS CREATING TRAFFIC.

Pato, why did you have to hurt my feelings, no more swipes at
the Mets until next year, MAY THEY RIP..........

Most local newspaper print seven stories total, maybe that
flew over you big brain, what did you think you were reading
the NEW YORK GAZETTE.......... YOU MIDWEST PEOPLE ARE SO FUNNY ....

I bet their is seven stories about PUJOLS EVERYDAY ........
but that is good because he from St. Louis

They collect championships, the individual awards don't
matter...... THE HOLIER THAN THOU BASEBALL WRITERS CHOOSE
THOSE AWARDS.....

HEY CRAIG, EVEN THE LADIES - WHO KNOW ALOT OF BASEBALL-
ARE RIPPING YOU :-(

SO, HAVING THE MOST HITS FOR THE YANKEES IS A LAME STAT.......

Craig, RUN OUT TO HOME DEPOT AND BUY A FEW SHOVELS........
YOU ARE KNEE DEEP.......

CRAIG, PLEASE STOP TALKING TO JIM RICE ABOUT DEREK JETER.

DUDE, YOU ARE MAKING A FOOL OF YOURSELF AND DOING A REAL GOOD JOB.
STOP HATING, I BET YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER ALWAYS MAKES THAT
FLIP PLAY AGAINST THE A's AND THEN TELL'S THE MEDIA
" WE WORK ON THAT", TO WHICH Mr. Torre SAID " I HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, WE NEVER PRACTICE THAT "
HOW ABOUT DIVING INTO THE STANDS AND BUSTING YOUR FORE HEAD
OPEN, BLACKENING YOUR EYE ANT THE POPPING UP TO SHOW THE
UMPIRE THE BALL, HE DID SO TWICE! OR HIS JUMP AND THROW.
YO HAVE MADE YOURDELF LQQK LIKE A FOOL.........

WHERE ARE ALL THE SHORTSTOPS WHO DESERVE THE GOLD GLOVE MORE
NOMAR ??? A-ROD, HE IS NOW ON JETERS LEFT, PLAYING THIRD

WHO ARE THESE SHORTSSTOPS YOU TALK OF ???

HEY HOTROD...

THE BUTTON TO TAKE OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK IS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE KEYBOARD, IN CASE YOUR HEAD WAS TOO FAR UP YOUR YANKEEOGRAPHY TO NOTICE. I AM VERY AWARE OF ESPNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE INEXPLICABLE THAT THEIR NEW YORK TEAM COVERAGE (AND NOT JUST THE YANKS) SOAKS UP SO MUCH NATIONAL AIR TIME. THANKS FOR PROVING MY POINT WITH YOUR SATURATION REPLIES!!!

HOTROD - I've seen you comment here before and I'm seriously curious: Why do you almost always type in all caps? And, why do you like to have so many comments all in a row?

Actually, the Yankees have not been around since the beginning. A short history lesson.

National Association 1871 - 1875

National League 1876 - present

American League 1901 - present

Baltimore Orioles 1901 - 1903

who then moved to New York and eventually took the name Yankees, sometime in around 1910.

Professional baseball existed for 40 years before the Yankees came along, and thrived. The Yankess have the most championships, sure, but that doesn't mean everyone has to fawn over them pretend like baseball history doesn't exist outside Yankee Stadium.

I really enjoyed reading this. And I really want an "eye ant" now that HOTROD has brought it up...

HOW ABOUT DIVING INTO THE STANDS AND BUSTING YOUR FORE HEAD
OPEN, BLACKENING YOUR EYE ANT THE POPPING UP TO SHOW THE
UMPIRE THE BALL

All: please don't take my attempt to defend the Yanks as an attempt to defend Yanks fans. Good lord, some of them are flat out embarrassing.

Chill on the ALLCAPS, HOTROD, OK?

Wow. This is why so many people hate the Yankees and their fans.

Craig - nice job In bringing out the best in Yankee fans (I mean, we know that they are all modest, sincere, and hardworking - just like their hero Derek Jeter, the greatest Yankee ever for all time).
I cannot say I am a Jeter fan, but I can give credit where credit's due. Plus, it is odd the Yankees never had a 3,000 hits player before - maybe that's what happens when you use major league teams as your farm system.
As to the point - well, what else DOES the Daily News have to write about? I mean, a House member calling the President a liar can only go so far. Plus, unless there's another political embezzlement story out of Jersey (though the organ donor angle was priceless), then, all that's left is Derek - who was ROBBED of the MVP award in 2006, so he DESERVES all the ink they can find.
Oh, and many wonder why Omar went off on Adam Rubin - maybe Rubin is really a Yankee fan too (I am sure he thinks Jeter is "THE GREATEST YANKEE EVER!".
BTW, I am NOT an attorney and I AM a Mets' fan.

I don't know why everyone gets so fired up about this. Look at this way. A great deal of what Jeter brings to the Yankees, and to baseball doesn't show up on the back of a baseball card. He's a classy player, he plays hard, always tries to get that extra base, hes always tagging up on fly outs, crowding the plate and taking first base a ridiculous amount of times after getting hit. And maybe the guy deserves a day to be rewarded for that. While he may not post the power numbers of Ruth/Mantle/Dimaggio... he sure as hell plays as hard as those guys did... and for the modern yankees.. he's every bit as important as those guys were to their teams. And by all accounts, hes an extremely talented, extremely humble, and just a classy classy player... and he's the type of guy baseball needs to celebrate alot more.

Thanks Jeff, you are so smart, how did you get so smart Jeff??
When I grow up I want to be just like you.

Thanks Jeff, you are so smart, how did you get so smart Jeff??
When I grow up I want to be just like you.

BECAUSE IT'S AMERICA AND I CAN, HOW IS THAT........

HEY MOTHERSCRATCHER- NICE NAME - CAN YOU SEND ME THE MEMO
ANNOUNCING YOU ARE NOW IN CHARGE, I WASN'T AWARE.

THANKS

RYAN, I WASN'T AWARE MR. PERFECT WAS IN THE HOUSE, UNLIKE YOU, I'AM HUMAN AND I DO MAKE ERRORS BUT I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I DON'T THINK I CARE. I DON'T RESPECT PEOPLE WHO ARE SO SMART THEY HAVE TO WALK AROUND ANNOUNCING IT TO THE WORLD,BUT THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. I HOPE EVERYTHING IS OK WITH WHAT I TYPE , IF NOT WHO CARES!!!

Have you seen the coverage at the onion? Hilarity.