Therein lies part of the problem. It's not a duty. If it were, it would be mandatory, which it isn't. I understand people believe he should feel obligated, but he isn't, and even the commissioner (douchebag that he is) agreed. And for a guy who has always conducted himself as a professional and carried himself with class no matter how much shit has been thrown at him, it really seems like a lot of anti-Yankee hatred fueling the Jeter-didn't-go argument rather than a legitimate argument. I didn't focus on any single person because everyone has their own nuance to the argument. For so many, (and I stress not just on this site) the end result is that home field doesn't make a significant difference, when players will say it does. I'll take the word of players before I take it from some dude sitting behind a keyboard. Personally, I think home field is valuable enough to go for it if you're close enough. That's simply opinion though, and not worth the time to argue over.
I don't know how to phrase it. It's something that should be done because the game is for the fans. I can promise you that there were guys who did attend the All Star Game who did it for the reason I'm trying to say, and not because it was their favorite thing to be doing this week. It's a legitimate argument but sure, some of it has to do with anti-Yankee hatred. It goes both ways. On this board the prevailing opinion is that there's no problem with what Jeter did, and that's pro-Yankee support for a Yankee legend. If it were a non-Yankee, it'd get less attention and you also probably wouldn't see Yankee fans defending the decision. All I can talk about is the argument I did see, and that was a protracted one between you and Cappy. I think it was last season, but it could've been 2009. What I was trying to say is that generally, people wouldn't argue home field is worthless. They just put less weight on it than you do.
No it isn't. You're distorting the debate into that. My argument is that he's sucked balls the entire first half, didn't deserve a spot on the team, is aging and coming off a recent DL stint, and the time off can only benefit him and the Yankees in the second half. Your argument is that a legion of Yankee fans voted him in [undeservedly] and he has a responsibility to them to make an appearance. Well, that very same legion of Yankee fans will be appreciative if he starts the second half with new-found momentum. I want what's best for the New York Yankees, not a bunch of homer fans. Jeter's mentality is the same, and it's correct.
This boils down to one simple thing: I don't think it's big deal to make an appearance and you evidently do. Time off could only benefit every player in the All Star Game. You think it's better for Roy Halladay to pitch two innings in the All Star Game or to take the week off? He's 34. And I'm not even asking Jeter to play (let alone pitch, which is obviously more taxing) his position. I'm just saying he could show up and acknowledge it.
The aforementioned factors make it too sensible for him to not be there. I don't think it's a big deal to make an appearance. I think it's less of a big deal that he skipped the game given the context of his season.
If the team with 90 wins plays in the NL West and the team with 86 plays in the AL East it doesn't really mean much. Overall record isn't a good solution either because teams play such vastly different schedules.
For the record, Yisman is correct. It's not that HFA is meaningless. It's just not particularly valuable when compared to other factors that have far more impact on the games. Taking the opinions of ballplayers as they talk to the media as fact as opposed to checking the results of countless games seems... well... It seems an odd place to put one's trust. Would it be nice to have the small advantage conferred by HFA? Of course. I just always thought other things were more important, like having your rotation lined up and your older players rested.
I'm not saying factors such as rest or that the rotation shouldn't be lined up are less important. I also said it wasn't specifically here I was talking about with people who count home field as meaningless. But there are people who think home field is meaningless, and it isn't.
Well, it's meaningless enough for a seven game series that I don't care one way or the other about the ASG.
That's a meaningless stat without knowing the relative strengths of the teams involved, or how often the teams won the games at home.
OR.... he realizes that a bunch of homer fans voted him in and that he shouldn't actually be on the team. That, coupled with the previously mentioned reasons for him to stay home, and you have an educated decision to not appear. Yankee haters will hate on the Yankees for anything.
Deserve's got nothing to do with it. If the All Star Game was at Yankee Stadium, Jeter would have gone. So there is that. Yeah.
Every WS game 7 in the past 25 years has been won by the home team. (7 WS) 2003 and 1992 are only series that went 6 and the road team won. (2 out of 6) 2008 and 2006 are only series that went 5 and the non-HFA won at home. (2 out of 5) 1999 was the only year, the non-HFA team swept the WS (7 WS)
You have a pretty serious sample size issue in those examples. And you didn't address the points I raised. In fact, you just gave more examples (and less reliable examples) that have the same problem. I mean, the five game series you reference? That would require the HFA team to play two at home and three on the road. What was the breakdown of home/away wins? The supposed advantage of HFA is one extra home game, with the idea being that you're more likely to win at home all other things being equal. Which they're usually not. The home team, on average, wins about 55% of the time. That's probably due to any number of reasons including last ups, not having to travel, crowd support or what have you. Now in order for that series advantage to be of any import, a game seven would need to be played, and that HFA would need to be realized because of one if the reasons listed above and not, say, because you have a severe imbalance in the pitching matchup. And all of that is hard to suss out from a handful of seven game series. I'm on my iPhone right now, but maybe when I get home tomorrow I'll run the numbers on the individual games to show you what I'm talking about.
The reason you gave would be a reason not to play, if he actually felt that way. That's not a reason not to appear.
What does he owe baseball fans in Arizona? They just would've boo'ed him back to the dugout. Your Yankee hatred runs so deep you do it subliminally.
