Jeter Pissed

Jeter is upset how his negotiations with the Yankees went.

The conundrum is this: the value of one's labor is inconsistent with one's value as a person. It is in many ways, fundamentally dehumanizing. This why men in their mid 50s get laid off from their corporate VP jobs - they are getting paid too much and don't provide enough value to their companies. So what do they do? They can't go out and get other jobs - they have too much pride, too much experience, too much money to make it worth their while to do jobs they are qualified for. These are men with families. Men put stock and value in what they do for a living and whether they are able to provide. You take that away - and whether it ought to or not - it can crush a soul.

Now any reasonable person would be stupid to feel sorry for Jeter. The man just got a deal that will pay him more than most any normal person will make in his/her life. He's banged more hot chicks than me and all my friends COMBINED. He's marrying Lyla Garrity for chrissake. But his pride is hurting because his value to the Yankees now is not consistent with how he views himself. Look at his stats last year:

Jeter had a .270 batting average with 10 homers this past season, down from a .334 average and 18 homers the previous season. Although his RBIs increased by one to 67, his on-base percentage fell from .406 to .340, and his slugging average dropped from .465 to .370.

And he's 38 years old. If this guy was on my team, I'd tell him to take a hike. I can pay a promising triple A player to get those kind of stats the league minimum or hire a journeyman veteran like Mark Ellis for $3-5 mil a year, I bet. But who wants to face such things? Not even Jeter. To see yourself the way the market sees you - that'll crush a man - eventually.