I think that most non-Jeter haters who watched the game would react to that by saying, "Maybe not, but so what?"

They'd say "maybe not"? And the answer to "so what?" is obvious: it's interesting that this play lauded as an all-time great was topped earlier in the same game. It's interesting that Jeter's got an overinflated defensive reputation, and here's one example of why.

The slap was the right call AND it also fit quite well with what else we know about ARod. The two are not at all the same and it doesn't have anything to do with what team you root for.

Gotta side with Andy on this one. If Yankee fans made the same statement it would be worth considering.

I'm not neutral when it comes to NYY/BOS but I'm not primarily a Yankee fan (just root for them when my teams are eliminated). I can be sympathetic to that being unfair to Nomar but I don't get a connection between that play and everything else I know about A-Rod. My Monster Manual does not list that as a preferred Centaur attack.

You already wanted Michael Jordan to get off your lawn when you were 11? That's amazing!

Yep. I never liked the way that the greatness that was Jordan overshadowed everything and everyone else in the NBA. He was never one of my favorite players (though, as a Jazz fan I didn't despise him with a white hot passion until the 1997 Finals).

It's not like Jordan was going up for the layup and someone came up on that side so he had to change hands to make the shot.

Actually he did see someone coming and moved the ball for that reason. But don't let the facts interrupt your rant.

Actually he did see someone coming and moved the ball for that reason. But don't let the facts interrupt your rant.

Meh. Like I said in my original post, I'm going off my 11-year olds memory so the details might not be perfect. But I've seen the replay enough times to think it was still an unnecessary move. Just like the perceived "greatness" of this Jeter catch doesn't compltely match up with the reality, stories of Jordan's awesomeness are often exaggerated too. The infamous sick game 5 of the 1997 Finals, for example...

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

What did he see coming? Whatever it was, he misjudged it (as far as I can remember).

I remember it the way Booey does.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Bulls fan, ain'tcha? :)

Chase Utley makes a stunning play to help win a World Series, but 95% of fans couldn't even tell you it happened.

I advanced to a portion of the video that featured a woman saying (so help me G-d), "He came so quick!"

no gift basket for her!

That's pretty much always been my opinion about the famous switching hands layup Jordan did against the Lakers in the 1991 Finals (the legendary Marv Albert call, "A spec-TAC-ular play!"). I mean, yeah, it was the Finals, but it wasn't a game changing play or anything. And it was pointless showboating. It's not like Jordan was going up for the layup and someone came up on that side so he had to change hands to make the shot. He had a wide open layup and he switched hands to make a more difficult shot just because he was Michael Jordan and because he could. Showboating annoys me; it doesn't impress me.

(and I'm going off my 11 year old boyhood memory. I apologize if some of the details aren't 100% accurate)

i was watching that game with some friends and the consensus was that it was showboating but it was a message basket. he was telling the lakers that he owned them. and iirc the bulls pretty much stomped the lakers. ymmv.

I would be surprised if even Yankee fans argued it was a better pure defensive play than Reese's in the same game, however.

People, mostly non-Yankee fans always bring this up. I've never seen ANYONE do a hang time count. Pokey Reese got to the same place and made a catch there without running into the stands. Did he have more time to do that? I think that's pretty much the only determinative factor in which player was better, but no one has ever done this simple analysis. Not surprising I guess. People on both sides have already made up their minds.

I don't care which one was better (count me as in the already made up their minds category). Jeter's on the team I root, I was rooting that he would get there and he just barely did and the Yanks won the game, so that's all that matters.

I'll go ahead and argue that what makes the Jeter play more thrilling as a fan (or greater, if that's how you choose to define great) is the doubt over whether its going to actually happen. You don't know if he's going to get there, the tension rises every split second the ball is in the air, the uncertainty is what makes it a great sports moment. Whether or not some other guy could have done it smoother doesn't matter. It's about a guy doing everything he can to make a play when his team needs it. That's awesome to watch, regardless of the talent level involved.

What did he see coming? Whatever it was, he misjudged it (as far as I can remember).

Perkins, apparently.

I think you guys are right that in the end he didn't have to make the switch, but watching it you can see where he may have had a decision point wondering if Perkins was going to elevate to block and he may have thought he needed to go the other way.

On Jeter's dive, I've always thought it seemed a little unnecessary, but my best guess was that faced with having to make a quick decision he may have decided that diving into the stands was less dangerous than maybe slamming into the tarp or the wall, jamming a knee or an ankle or whatever. I certainly don't think he did it "on purpose" in the sense of diving rather than simply pulling up.