What Makes A Player A "True ______"?

by wgarrett on Aug 12, 2006 9:52 AM EDT

What, to a sports fan, makes a player a "true (enter the name of your favorite sports team here)"? For example, what makes a player a "true Yankee"? Doubts about his Yankee-ness have been laid at the feet of one Alex Rodriguez, otherwise known as "K-Rod" (for his penchant for not coming through in "clutch" situations) and "E-Rod" (for his penchant for making lots of errors). Some say that because he doesn't come through in "clutch" situations, A-Rod is not a "true Yankee". Derek Jeter, because he has come through in these situations, and for being part of four World Series champions, is a "true Yankee". I used the Yankees as an example here but this got me wondering if this type of discussion goes on with fans of other sports teams. Are there debates on what makes a player a "true Royal" or a "true Lion"?

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True Yankkkees

Only the Yankees have "true" players, because only the Yankees have the "aura" and "mystique" that makes that franchise so special. The Yankees (and Michael Kay) will be the first to tell you that they've won more world championships than any sports team in history. Who knew?

From Fire Joe Morgan:

True Yankee

A leader. A guy who's full of intangible qualities that help him triumph - with class. Derek Jeter. A guy who has a certain look in his eye, like he knows what it means to don the pinstripes with some motherfletching pride. Bernie. Mantle. Joe D. Jeter. A guy who you want in the trenches with you. Mattingly. Joe Girardi. Derek. Jim Leyritz. Posada. Derek Jeter. A guy who stares adversity in the face and says, "I play for the Yankees, and that means something, and I am going to hit a HR off BK Kim in this World Series Game because I am a New York Yankee." Scott Brosius. Tino. Dave Justice. Derek Jeter. A winner. Derek Jeter.
Here are some people who are not True Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Alfonso Soriano, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, and every other New York Yankee who has never been on a Yankees' World Series winning team.
If you ever - ever - hear someone use the phrase "True Yankee," for any reason, I want you to find the nearest exit, form an orderly line, and leave the premises quickly and calmly. Seek shelter. Cover head. Report the incident to your nearest FJM representative immediately. You are in great danger, because the person you are talking to is an idiot.

by kingcritical on Aug 12, 2006 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

Ah, Jeter vs. A-Rod

This debate rages on within Yankee circles, but I have to defend A-Rod even though I detest the guy.

Despite A-Rod having the worst season of his career and Jeter having perhaps his best, they're still around the same in terms of OPS.

As for the postseason, A-Rod was great in the division series against the Twins in 2004. The Yankees probably don't win that series without his clutch hitting in game 2. Then in the loss to Boston in the ALCS, A-Rod smashed 2 HRs and drove in 5. I don't know why A-Rod's detractors ignore how good he was in the 2004 postseason.

Also, nobody bothers to remember when Jeter doesn't come through. Nobody blames him for the loss in the 2004 ALCS, even though he hit 2000 with 1 extra-base hit. Nobody blames him for the game 6 loss to Florida in 2003, despite striking out twice and committing a critical error that led to one of Florida's 2 runs.

As for the term "True Yankee", kingcritical gets it right. Nobody talks about "True Royals" like Mike Sweeney or "True Pirates" like Jason Bay because it's a ridiculous term invented by moronic sportswriters like Skip Bayless or Mike Celizic who seem to think that baseball is played exclusively in Boston and The Bronx.

Keep Maine in the rotation!

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 12, 2006 12:20 PM EDT reply actions

d'oh!

I meant "hit .200 with extra-base hit" above.

Keep Maine in the rotation!

by Greenpoint Ian on Aug 12, 2006 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

exactly

There's very little I can add to this except to say that "true Yankee-ness," like "scrappiness" and "intangibles," is generally ascribed to players as a way of promoting their value far beyond their actual contribution to winning ballgames. The paradigmatic case, as has already been mentioned, is Derek "Captain Intangibles" "True Yankee" "Scrappy Shortstop" "That Was A Brainy Play" Jeter, who is a far-below-average defensive shortstop and, granted, a pretty good hitter but not a great one. In any other market he'd be happy to be making Rafael Furcal money. But there are plenty of other good examples, as listed in the FJM definition: Scott Brosius, Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill all are grotesquely overvalued by Yankee fans relative to their actual objective contributions.

by anonymous on Aug 12, 2006 1:27 PM EDT reply actions