Say it ain’t so! C’mon Jeter! Really? I get what he’s saying, but at the same time I don’t! Lol.
When asked about the possible scenario of leaving the Yankees for another team, Jeter says he realizes the game is a business.
As part of a 15-minute powwow last Friday before the Rays series, Reilly asked: “Peyton Manning changed teams this season after 14 seasons with one team. Could you see yourself doing that?”
“Well, if I wanted to keep playing, yes,” Jeter replied. “It’s a business. People forget that.”
It is indeed a business and good for Jeter for understanding that even at a time when his team is striving to avoid the embarrassment of blowing the 10-game lead they held in July. The boardroom stuff is separate from the field and no one would dare suggest that Jeter’s self-awareness that he’s a businessman who plays a game for a living means that he’s not producing between the foul lines.
If any fan is outraged by the idea that Jeter could see himself in another uniform, well, get over it. Spending your career in one uniform is rare. Jeter didn’t tell Reilly that he’s eager to shop his services or that he liked Marlins’ teal or used to draw pictures of himself in a Red Sox jersey.
He’s a businessman who wears pinstripes and is paid well for it. He doubtless is better thought of as a player and pitchman because he’s been a Yankee all these years, but he’s been a pretty good player and ambassador for the Yankees, too.
After the contentious negotiations, he signed a three-year, $51-million deal through the 2013 season. It includes an $8 million option for 2014 that could go up another $3.5 million with a top-6 MVP finish and a Silver Slugger award this season, distinct possibilities considering his .322 average and eighth 200-hit season.
Yankee GM Brian Cashman would not comment on the Jeter-Reilly interview Thursday night, saying in an email to the Daily News, “No comment necessary.”
But Cashman clearly understands the business side of it.
WRITTEN BY ANTHONY MCCARRON / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS & FULL STORY HERE
