Matthews top five Derek Jeter moments, number one: The Flip. Another moment set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, and another perfect illustration of Jeters excellent baseball instincts, not to mention his sheer will to win. This ball was hit up the right field line and rolled all the way to the wall. Once it was fielded, a throw was uncorked from right that completely sailed over the heads of not one, but two cutoff men, one of whom was meant to field it, and relay it to the plate for an attempt at an out. What wasnt supposed to happen was exactly what wound up happening. This isnt a shortstops play to make. Though Jeet is humble about it, as usual, and claims that this play is something that they had drawn up and practiced, any number of baseball heads, myself included, will assert that Jeter had no business even being on that side of the field the way that this ball was hit, and Im telling you right now that no other shortstop in baseball makes this play, either then or now. Yes, Jeremy Giambi ran like he was not only carrying a piano, but playing it, and yes, had Jeremy slid into home hed have been safe, and yes, Posada had to make a bang-bang play in order to catch the flip toss from Jeter and tag Giambi out, but you know what? Jeter read that throw perfectly, even though both of the players meant to catch the relay did not. Giambi didnt slide, because nobody in that ballpark and nobody watching on TV had any expectation that Jeter would swoop in out of nowhere to make this play. This is what people are talking about when they talk about intangibles. These are the kinds of things that cannot be taught, and this is, I think, the best example of what made Derek Jeter such an amazing baseball player.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 21:30:15 +0000
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