Well, yeah, but who else are you taking?

FJM has tons of fun with the OUTRAGE over the statistical analysis that shows how bad a fielder Jeter is.

Now, I'm a true-blue fan of the Yanks, have been since I was 5 or so. But I can also admit that his numbers, no matter how you slice them, are horrendous.

I still can't think of anyone I'd rather have on my team, at SS.

The better fielders are crap hitters (e.g. Adam Everett, the best SS glove out there, but has no stick), and the better hitters are OK, and not worth what he's worth. Yes, I know, I'm pulling an intangible here.

I'm not getting into numbers right now, I'll save the true geekery until March. Also, it's 10:30 and I'm drunk. I don't have an hour to put together the reasoning to at least soften my admitted bias.

If any Yankee fan wants to disagree with the facts, I'll just offer this, for now. You know that pivot-jump-throw that sends Michael Kay into paroxysms of joy? That's only necessary because Jeter doesn't get to the ball in time in the first place!! Everett would have fielded the ball, set his feet, and made just another ho-hum out. I watch 160+ Yankee games a year, and don't miss Baseball Tonight. I see almost every play. It's fucking undeniable. You know why his fielding average is good? Because errors only get marked when you touch the ball and fail. So, he takes two steps, waves weakly, and the ball is fielded by Gojira or Melky. No error. Also, no range factor.

Seriously, read The Fielding Bible. It'll do you some good.