Cheat!

Darren Woodson on Derek Jeter: "It happens in every sport; we all cheat."

This didn't seem like as big a story when it happened, but nothing else must have happened in sports yesterday, because all ESPN is discussing is Derek Jeter. During an at bat yesterday, a pitch inside hit the knob of Jeter's bat for a foul ball. Jeter acted as if the ball hit his hand and was awarded first base. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was infuriated and thus ejected from the game.

What is the big deal? Jeter just made use of the the fact that baseball lacks replay. Video replay would have kept Jeter off first base, and Maddon in the dugout. It was clear that Jeter was not hit by the pitch and more clamor is being heard for replay. Expanded replay is definitely necessary and could have been used on that play, as it was late in the game with the Yankees down one run.

To call Jeter a cheater, while fun to say given the rhyme, is just wrong to say. Trying to get on base, down a run, with a couple innings left in the game, versus the team fighting you for first base is most certainly not bush league. As Woodson said, every player cheats. Jeter had to do whatever he could to get on first, and this was not the first time a player used their acting skills. Basketball, soccer, and even football players flop, why can't baseball players do the same?

This is only a story because of who flopped. Jeter is the model of everything that is right in baseball, so to see him do something "morally wrong" surprised many. When players like A-Rod take steroids, Jeter donates to charity. So when Jeter acts his way to first base, people are startled. Jeter really did nothing wrong though. Maddon admitted later that he would expect his own team to act such as Jeter did if given the opportunity. This is not as interesting a story as ESPN would like us to believe it is. They just don't have Favre or LeBron to fawn over, so they'll settle for this.