The Heart of the Matter
Jeter, meanwhile, has become a villain in baseball. For those of you over thirty, read that again. Surreal, right?
His well-known reticence to share his thoughts now makes him look like a shadowy figure out to ruin a franchise to enrich himself. Now, that’s not true, but it is the narrative. And I expect him to lead their rebuild. But some comments once made tend to leave a mark.
However, even if that image is modified over the next twenty years, Yankees fans of the future will see him differently.
Jeter is no longer primarily a Yankee; he is first and foremost a Marlin. And he should be. It would be wrong if his current and future loyalties were not 99.9% with the team he partially owns.
Of course, he will never stop being a Yankees Hall of Famer. And he might even show up for an Old Timers’ Day or two. But the Captain’s Camps he will attend from now on will be with Marlin’s players, not Yankees’ youngsters.
He will not appear with any regularity in the Bronx; he needs to be in Miami. From now on his presence will be akin to that of any of the other monumented Yankees who no longer appear in person, guys like Ruth, Mantle, and Steinbrenner.
Jeter is already becoming a ghost of championships past.
And that might change if his team ever defeats the Yankees in the World Series. He might become a real Yankees’ villain then.