Jeter The Next Robinson??!!

Jeter the Next Jackie Robinson? Has ESPN.com Lost Its Mind?

In the 37 years I have resided on Planet Earth, I have acquired two heroes�two idols�two icons.

James Marshall Hendrix and Jack Roosevelt Robinson.

My devotion to the stellar works of the former is most likely better given to a different website than this one, but the memory and life of the latter has been unspeakably trivialized � by someone who calls himself a professional sportswriter � and I won�t stand for it.

Today, on the front page of ESPN.com, there resides a story entitled, "Jeter closest we have to modern-day Jackie". I will not paste excerpts of the article, because said article is an ESPN Insider story (that�s right, you have to PAY to read this�), but I will summarize. And then I will tell you why this is the single most disturbing piece of sports "journalism" I have ever read.

The article, written by Gary Gillette, author of ESPN�s Baseball Encyclopedia (more�s the pity�) puts forth the proposition that the statistical and intangible similarities between Robinson and Jeter make the Yankee shortstop the modern-day Jackie. And although Gillette gives a brief conciliatory lip service to the withering obstacles that Robinson faced when he broke baseball�s color barrier in 1947, he�s far more concerned with elevating Jeter to a status he simply does not deserve.

And while Jeter deification is practically a cottage industry in and of itself (see: McCarver, Tim), this really isn�t on Jeter. The truth is that there is NO modern player comparable to Jackie Robinson�and that�s a good thing.

Robinson�s ascent to the majors was the brainchild of Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey � that much we all know. What is given relatively little acknowledgment in the grand scheme of things is that whatever Jackie Robinson did or did not do on the diamond has to be severely mitigated by the fact that not only was he subject to horrific ostracism and cruelty, but he was forced to keep quiet about it for his first two years on the major leagues. Rickey believed (rightly so) that if Robinson answered every curse with a curse�every fight with a fight�that the prejudice against black players would be validated. Rickey asked Jackie Robinson if he had the courage NOT to fight back�and he had selected the right man.

But the price Jackie Robinson paid was unbelievable.

What Gillette never brought up in his article is that Derek Jeter has NEVER had to deal with other players turning their backs on him � in fact, signing a petition that they would not play on the same field as he did. Several Dodgers did so in the spring of 1947, only to be told by Rickey and manager Leo Durocher that if those players did not wish to play with Robinson�well, they could get their releases right away.

Derek Jeter has NEVER had to deal with having his leg gashed open at first base with the spikes of an opponent, as Jackie did by Enos "Country" Slaughter. Derek Jeter has NEVER had to deal with nine innings of contemptuous and obscene racial slurs hurled at him from opposing players and managers. Derek Jeter has NEVER come close to a nervous breakdown because he had to take the lashes alone without retort.

Jackie Robinson did all these things, in part, so that Derek Jeter would never have to.

It is an insult of infinite proportions to compare any modern player to Robinson. It is a locked door to the past and the lessons we have all learned because there were men like Jackie who were courageous enough to elevate America itself, even if he was nearly crushed in the process.

When Gillette actually suggests that Jeter should be allowed � nay, encouraged � to wear Robinson�s retired #42 on the back of his own jersey, he commits the unforgivable sin of shoving aside a priceless legacy in favor of a quick pen and a likely directive to again spin Derek Jeter onto a level he wouldn�t have the slightest idea how to handle.

When you look at Robinson�s career numbers, you must consider the mitigating factors. You cannot throw those intangibles away.

Simply put, Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest athletes in American history � excelling in baseball, football, basketball and track � and had he enjoyed the advantages of a level playing field, there�s little doubt his numbers would have been far better.

But the numbers don�t really matter. Jackie Robinson had to be good enough to back up his mission, and he was. That�s all I care about. I don�t care what his career average was. I don�t care how many bases he stole. When an athlete so obviously transcends simple numbers, he has earned the right to be judged with a larger view by those who analyze such things.

Unless your name is Gary Gillette, and you�re more interested in mortgaging the past in favor of good placement on the world�s most popular website�

...and the confirmation that you have absolutely no idea what Jackie Robinson did for America, Derek Jeter, and all of us.