Rooting for The Captain . . . or Not

Mac Engel, writing in his must-read Star-Telegram column,⁽¹⁾ recently offered some thoughts on Derek Jeter. He deemed Jeter worthy of respect as a human being, despite his status as a wealthy, pinstripe-wearing, paparazzi magnet.

After reading it, I can’t disagree with the case Mac builds. From showing common courtesy to earning the respect of the staff at visiting stadia, Jeter demonstrates a humanity some celebrities struggle to retain. I don’t know Jeter personally. I’ve worked with a lot of athletes, but never crossed paths with The Captain. I do know the other two voices who testified in the article, however, and can vouch for the general quality of their insights. Mac has loads of experience dealing with athletes and if there’s one guy who knows the straight dope on what kinds of folks pass through Globe Life Park in Arlington’s third base dugout, it’s Visiting Clubhouse Manager Kelly Terrell.

The visiting dugout at Globe Life Park in Arlington (Derek Jeter not pictured)

I’ve been trying to square the rosy, and doubtless accurate, picture they paint of Jeter with the fact that since September 15, 2010,⁽²⁾ I have rooted against him when he has played baseball. Some of my antipathy comes from the name on the front of his jersey, of course. The Yankees cost me too many opportunities to enjoy postseason games in the ‘90s for me to ever hope they win. I can usually set that aside when it comes to individual players, however. If Mark Teixeira hits a walk-off home run, I am displeased the Yankees won. I am happy for Tex, though, because I found him a great pleasure to work with when he played for the Rangers.

In 2010, Jeter did something on a baseball field I really disliked. He lied. He claimed to an umpire that a pitch had hit him when he knew it had actually hit his bat. Jeter’s ruse succeeded, he took first, and later scored on a Curtis Granderson home run.⁽³⁾

Since I find dishonesty distasteful, I have since hoped that Jeter’s at-bats all end with weak grounders to short, as he did to end last night's game. After reading Mac’s article, it struck me that lying is likely out-of-character for Derek Jeter. Yet on that night in St. Petersburg, he perpetrated a scam.

I hate blaming things on “society.” Individuals are responsible for their actions. But in this case, it’s the only explanation. Rays manager Joe Maddon got ejected for arguing the call that night, but after the game suggested he would have “applauded” one of his players for doing the same thing.⁽⁴⁾ He’s not alone. I once had a conversation with a former big league coach in which I asked what would happen if a player admitted to an umpire that he had trapped a ball instead of catching it. The coach suggested that the player’s reception when he returned to the dugout would not be a positive one.

I hoped that replay would help modify such conduct, at least from a practical standpoint, if not an attitudinal one. Then in June, Matt Carpenter faked an HBP and got away with it despite replay.⁽⁵⁾ I want to cheer for Matt Carpenter. He’s a Texan, for goodness sake. I even called a handful of his games when he attended TCU. But since then, I must admit, I’ve kind of been hoping the pitchers win their matchups with him.

Carpenter majored in communication at TCU,⁽⁶⁾ and it’s conceivable he took a course at some point that covered ethics in the profession. And, indeed, had he or Jeter deliberately lied to a reporter, journalists would justifiably vilify them. If they fib to an umpire, however, many laud them for doing whatever it takes to win. The baseball instruction they received over the years deemed playing by the rules subordinate to winning.

If the culture could change, it would have to begin at the most basic levels. Coaches would have to teach children that playing a game involves entering into a contract. You agree to play by the rules and your opponent agrees to do the same. If you violate the contract, you have done something wrong, even if you get away with it. Even if the deceit helps you win, it’s still wrong.

It’s not that way yet, and, unfortunately, perhaps never will be.

Does a worthy end justify an unethical means? In baseball, that seems the prevailing wisdom. Even the good guys do it, which makes it darn hard to decide for whom we should cheer.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

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Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Mac Engel “Jeter always realized key to being loved was simply ‘don’t be a jerk’,” Star-Telegram.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/07/28/6001971/jeter-always-realized-key-to-being.html#storylink=cpy (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽²⁾ Associated Press “Derek Jeter Fakes Getting Hit By Pitch, Claims ‘It’s Part of the Game’,” NESN. http://nesn.com/2010/09/derek-jeter-fakes-getting-hit-by-pitch-claims-its-part-of-the-game/,” (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽³⁾ Ibid.

⁽⁴⁾ Ibid.

⁽⁵⁾ Thomas Harding “HBP call stands following Rockies' challenge,” Rockies.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/col/cardinals-hit-batter-ruling-stands-following-rockies-challenge?ymd=20140623&content_id=81296404&vkey=news_col (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽⁶⁾ Amber Parcher “TCU baseball player, coach aid national team to victory,” Daily Skiff.

http://www.tcu360.com/dailyskiffcom-archive/2006/09/6342.tcu-baseball-player-coach-aid-national-team-victory (accessed July 29, 2014)