When A-Rod, Jeter and more posed shirtless

But at some point, the shirts came off, and multiple photos were taken at different angles. How, or why? There are varying opinions on it.

“I’m pretty sure it was nothing scripted,” Verducci said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, let’s think about pictures we’d like to get and, hey, why don’t we get a picture of all these guys shirtless?’ I was definitely not aware of that. I think it was an impromptu shot.”

Iooss wasn’t sure if he asked the group to remove the shirts or someone just went ahead and did it. Either way, he seemed to hint at one particular person to de-shirt first.

“I’m sure A-Rod was the first to take it off,” he said. “Oh yeah, he was like Ronaldo or something.”

And then the rest of the four players followed suit.

“I worked out a lot so I wasn’t worried about taking a photo without my shirt,” Ordóñez said. “I thought it was cool.”

“It’s another example of the power of peer pressure, I think,” Verducci laughed.

Is Derek Jeter's birthday a good enough excuse to bust out the 1997 shirtless shortstops photo? You bet it is: pic.twitter.com/N5GiWMls

— SI Vault (@si_vault) June 26, 2012

Derek Jeter stepping down from Marlins

Derek Jeter is stepping down from the Marlins.

The Yankees Hall of Famer was the CEO and minority owner of the team since 2017.

Statement from Derek Jeter: pic.twitter.com/10T4WWP5k8

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 28, 2022

Focus on Jeter should inspire memories of Garciaparra’s peak

“it’s as if Jeter stands alone as the shortstop talent for a generation.

It’s too bad, considering that Garciaparra was every bit the player Jeter was. And in his prime, he was better.

There’s no question that Jeter brings the superior career to a debate between the two. Injuries derailed what Garciaparra could become from a legacy standpoint, and cost him the Hall of Fame”

Shortstops with most seasons of 6+ WAR, debuting 1969+: