On Derek Jeter's Tremendous Day, And Christian Lopez's Short-Sighted Decision

Yesterday was Squawker Jon's birthday. Before we went out to dinner to celebrate his big day, we were yakking on the phone watching Derek Jeter go for No. 3000. When Jeter hit a homer off David Price on a 3-2 pitch, I literally screamed, I was so stunned and amazed!

Last week, two gambling sites sent me information about the odds that the captain would hit a single, double, triple, or home run for No. 3000. The odds were 1-4 (as in overwhelming!) that it would be a single, and 10-1 that it would be a homer. So seeing Jeter hit a homer, when he hasn't hit one in Yankee Stadium for a year, was pretty remarkable and exciting. The rest of his game wasn't too shabby -- 5 for 5, including a game-winning hit. All in all, it was one of the best days Derek has ever had, although I groaned when Michael Kay opined, "Fairy tales can come true, it has happened to 2." Congrats, Derek! What a day!

Anyhow, not long after Jeter hit the homer, I asked friends on Facebook what would be the price they would want if they had caught the ball. I said money, while others had a variety of suggestions, including season tickets, memorabilia, and, yes, money. Some said that they would just be happy to meet Jeter.

Of course, we now know the rest of the story -- 23-year-old Christian Lopez, a Verizon Wireless cell phone salesman from Highland Mills, NY, caught the ball, and asked for nothing in return in exchange for giving back the ball to Jeter:

"Mr. Jeter deserved it. I'm not gonna take it away from him," Christian Lopez said. "Money's cool and all, but I'm 23 years old, I've got a lot of time to make that. It was never about the money, it was about the milestone."

I know some fans thought this was great, but personally, the word running through my mind about this fan was "sap." The fact that the Yankees were so willing to give him four Championship Suite seats for the rest of the season including the playoffs and World Series, worth somewhere around $50,000 or so should have been the clue as to how much the ball is really worth. It's definitely worth six figures, and some have said it could be even worth more than the $752K paid for Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball.

Here's why Lopez should have asked for money:

* He could be facing a huge tax liability. Last year, the Houston Astros gave a fan 315 gift certificates for Shipley's Donuts, entitling him to a free donut and coffee with each one.  In addition, he also got a "reward" from the Internal Revenue Service, when they sent him a 1099 form showing the contest winnings as income. I won't be the least bit surprised if the IRS (and for that matter, the state of New York) gives Lopez a tax bill on these tickets.

* The Yankees, MLB, Steiner Sports, and Derek Jeter are all going to make a lot of money on the 3000th hit event known as DJ3K. Jeter himself wore the new DJ3K shirt and hat featuring a logo of himself in the postgame presser. I got emails within 20 minutes of his hit, extolling how I could buy, among other things, a Jeter autographed ball commemorating the event for "just" $699. So why can't the fan who caught the ball actually make a little something off this?

I heard people say that Christian Lopez showed he was a true fan for giving the ball back. Well, he may be a true fan, but I think it also showed he was pretty naive. The Yankees don't give out free tickets to fans down on their luck. Why should a fan have to act like a billion-dollar franchise is some charity case, and offer to give the ball back for free? As much I love the Yankees, I realize baseball is a business, but that should go both ways. Getting some memorabilia and autographs for giving back a journeyman player's home run ball is one thing. But the Yankees and Jeter himself are treating DJ3K as big business -- they're not exactly giving away the t-shirts and hats and game-used dirt, after all. What's wrong with a fan getting some cash for the ball, a very valuable commodity?

* Some said that it was worth it for Lopez to return the ball, as his name will go down in history for what he did, like Sal Durante returning the 61st home run ball to Roger Maris. But there's more to the story than that:

...Sam Gordon, a restaurant owner in Sacramento, Calif., offered Durante $5,000 for the ball. Durante accepted and Gordon returned the ball to Maris, who had told Durante to try to make some money off the ball. 

Gordon had made the offer of $5000 before the game, and used photos of him returning the ball to Maris to promote his business. I had heard the story for years about how the selfless Durante returned the ball, but it turns out he did make some real money off it (five grand was the average salary in 1961), and that was in a time when people didn't go memorabilia-crazy, like they do now. Good for him.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jeter's 3000th Hit Takes Precedence Over the Team

I have been biting my tongue all week over Jeterpalooza, where the fact that the Yankees have gone 1-3 since Derek Jeter came back to the team is completely overlooked because the Captain is about to get his 3000th hit. I find it more than a little ironic that the player who is supposed to be all about team, and not individual achievements, has a reality show, a bracelet, sneakers, and a slew of endorsements lines up, all about his personal numbers. It is his right to do all that, but it's a little jarring, not to mention counter to his team-first image.

Not to mention his whining about the "negativity" surrounding the achievement. Oh, boo bleeding hoo. Some reporters dared to mention his current numbers, and that's "negativity"? Puh-lease.

Don't get me wrong, Jeter being the first Yankee to reach 3000 is a big deal and a great achievement. But it shouldn't take precedence over the fact that the team has looked terrible this week, after going 14-4 when the captain was on the DL. And, as I always say, switch the player in this scenario from Jeter to A-Rod, and tell me what the reaction would be.


I finally reached my limit this morning, when I read all the hysteria about the big, bad Tampa Bay Rays refusing to play a day-night doubleheader Saturday, and the Yankees not scheduling a regular doubleheader, which means that Jeter only has two games, not three, before the All-Star Break   And all the sob stories about fans with tickets to Friday's game, who will miss out on seeing history. Guess what? As John Sterling says, you can't predict baseball. Even if the game was played, Jeter could have gone 0-5. Would those fans demand their money back?


As for the Rays, they did what is best for their team, not Derek Jeter. What the heck is wrong with that? As Evan Longoria said, "It's not like he's not going to get another hit."

Even Joe Girardi has appeared to lose perspective. He said, "I don't know if I've ever been a part of something this big." Oh, please. I think hitting a game-winning triple to win the clinching game in the 1996 World Series was a little bigger. Or catching a perfect game. Or being part of the 1998 Yankees. Or leading the Yankees to victory in the 2009 World Series. What is Joe thinking? Whatever happened to the team being more important than the individual? Good grief.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Always Great to Get the Best of the Great Mariano Rivera

Two years ago, Mariano Rivera closed out the Subway Series by walking with the bases loaded and getting his 500th save. I enjoyed Sunday's game a lot more. It was only the fourth time Mariano has failed to come through against the Mets.

In 2006, Mariano took the loss when David Wright got the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth in a game in which the Mets had trailed Randy Johnson, 4-0.

In 2001, the Mets beat Mariano with three runs in the top of the tenth to break a scoreless tie. Mike Piazza, Timo Perez and Todd Zeile had consecutive run-scoring singles. As with Sunday's game, the Mets rallied with two out and nobody on.

In 1999, Mariano was charged with both a loss and a blown save when Matt Franco, pinch-hitting for Melvin Mora, singled home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the ninth.

And now, in 2011, with two out and none on, the Mets rallied behind the unlikely combination of Jason Bay (walk), Lucas Duda (single) and pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino, who singled home the tying run.

Before the rally, it had been a pretty depressing day. The 52-run, four-game outburst earlier in the week looked more and more like a complete fluke, as the Mets were punchless for the fourth game in a row, and three of those were without anyone close to Justin Verlander on the mound.

Jose Reyes had his MRI in the morning, but the Mets kept putting off announcing the results. One would think if it were good news, they'd want people to know. What were they hiding?

R. A. Dickey did not allow a hit in the first four innings, with Squawker Lisa frequently mentioning he had a no-hitter in an attempt to jinx him. In the fifth, Dickey lost his no-hitter, his shutout, the lead, and soon was out of the game because of tightness in his buttocks (Squawker Lisa, insert Met joke here).

I sometimes forget that Dickey is going to be 37 in October. This is his second injury scare in a few weeks.

So as the storm clouds gathered over Citi Field, they seemed to be gathering over the Mets as well. I would not have predicted at the time that the Mets would rally against Mariano, win the game in extra innings, and both Jose and R.A. would appear to have minor injuries.

Five days after hitting the Mets' first grand slam in almost two years, Jason Bay was the hero. Great to see a Met getting a pie in the face for a change.

The Mets also got good news on the All-Star front, with Jose being named a starter and Carlos Beltran also making the team. Reyes obviously deserved to start, and while Beltran did not merit a starting slot, he is a worthy runner-up.

Squawker Lisa, here in the National League, we like to elect All-Stars who are having All-Star seasons. Albert Pujols is a perennial All-Star, the dominant player of the last decade, but even before he got hurt he wasn't having a year up to his usual standards. So he'll be staying home.

Granted, the American League did deny perennial All-Star Ichiro a spot on the team. But Josh Hamilton somehow ended up in the starting lineup. (At least the game is being played at night, since Hamilton claims to have trouble seeing during the day because his eyes are blue.)

But then there's the situation at shortstop. Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera is having an All-Star year. But Derek Jeter has five rings, while Asdrubal is one of five Cabreras in the majors - and he's only the second-best. (Lisa, I'm referring to Detroit's Miguel, not Kansas City's Melky.)

Otherwise Asdrubal leads Derek by substantial margins in batting average (.294-.260), homers (14-2), RBI (49-20), runs (53-39) and steals (12-7). Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci puts Asdrubal eighth on his top ten list for first-half AL MVP.

Jeter returns to action Monday night against Asdrubal's Indians, so we'll get to see the elected AL All-Star shortstop square off against the deserving AL All-Star shortstop.

The only good thing about Jeter making the All-Star team is that he's likely to get a taste of batting at the bottom of the order. The middle of the lineup (3-7) figures to be something like Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Bautista, Josh Hamilton, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. That leaves Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Alex Avila and Derek Jeter.

With his 14 steals, Granderson should lead off. And Cano should bat second. That leaves Avila and Jeter for the bottom of the order.

Joe Girardi's probably glad he's not managing the All-Stars this year. Imagine having to tell Cano he's batting eighth so Jeter can keep his rightful spot at the top of the lineup.

***

After Sunday's game, Mariano has a higher career ERA against the Mets (3.28) than every other team except the Angels (3.36).

On Keith Hernandez, Jose Reyes, A-Rod, and the Citi Field Fences

I'm exhausted from doing the Snoopy Dance over the Yankees beating the Mets. But I do have a few comments on the game last night.

* I thought that ball Alex Rodriguez hit last night was one of the hardest-hit he had had all season long. Yet, in Citi Field, what should have been a homer became a double, thanks to that 16-feet fence in left field. No wonder David Wright and Jason Bay don't hit the home runs they once did. Cifi Field really needs to change the dimensions.

* As Squawker Jon noted when he was on the radio this morning, Jose Reyes' game is perfectly suited for Citi Field. A-Rod said that Reyes was the "world's greatest player," something that caused a little bit of controversy. But I noted to Squawker Jon that it's too bad Fred Wilpon doesn't share Alex's sentiments!

* I hope Ivan Nova gets to stay in the Yankees' rotation, even with Bartolo Colon and Phil Hughes coming back. He's earned the spot, and has really grown as a pitcher this year.

* I know Keith Hernandez is the Mets' Derek Jeter, the untouchable hero, but I was really ticked off over his offensive "where's the purse?" comment last night? It's 2011. Can Hernandez find a way to make a point without ultimately denigrating women? Of, course, he'll get away with it, because he's Keith Hernandez, but it's still annoying.

Squawker Appearance on South Florida Radio With The Amigo

Last weekend, Squawker Lisa appeared on South Florida radio's "New York Sports Report." On Saturday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m., it's my turn.

"New York Sports Report" is hosted by Larry Milian - aka The Amigo - and Phil Dizz Domanic. It airs Saturday mornings. During the week, Larry co-hosts the very popular morning drive time radio show "Armando and The Amigo" on WFTL Sports 640 AM.

Both Squawkers first appeared on one of Larry's shows back in 2007. Lisa has appeared with Larry numerous times since, and I have also put in a few appearances around Subway Series time.

You can listen live online here at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and follow the guys on Twitter here.

As for the game, it's frustrating that the Mets were outhitting top American League teams on the road during the week, but stumble at home and lose at what is supposed to be their own style of play. I can't complain about Jose Reyes trying to take the extra base in the seventh inning and getting thrown out - Jose's aggressive baserunning helps the Mets a lot more often than it hurts them. But it would be nice if Jon Niese could lay down a bunt, especially when the Yankee pitchers from the DH league are able to do so.

Squawker Jon's Critique of Squawker Lisa's All-Star Ballot

Lisa, at least you didn't vote for Derek Jeter, who is closing in on the "honorary All-Star captain" phase of his career. And you acknowledged that, while Russell may have muscle, as John Sterling likes to say, he also has a .230 batting average. But you've got to give the Red Sox their due.

Mark Teixeira beats Adrian Gonzalez in homers, 25-16, but that's it. And Teixeira hit 16 of them at homer-happy Yankee Stadium. Otherwise, Gonzalez is hitting .352 with 71 RBI, while Teixeira is hitting just .243 with with 63 RBI.

Travis Hafner may be hitting .336, but he missed a month of the season and has just seven homers. Meanwhile, David Ortiz, everyone else's All-Star DH, is hitting .305 with 17 homers.

We agree on Alex Avila, Robinson Cano, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson. But your last outfielder is Nelson Cruz, who has 18 homers, but is hitting just .237. I voted instead for Jacoby Ellsbury, who could end up with a 20-50 year - he has nine homers and 25 steals to go along with a .300 batting average.

In the National League, we agree on seven of the eight picks. We both voted for Brian McCann, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks (though I nearly split my ballot with Brandon Phillips), Jose Jose Jose, Aramis Ramirez (thanks to his hitting five homers in the last week, he does have the best stats in this weak category), Matt Kemp and Ryan Braun.

Oddly enough, the only place we disagree is that you voted for Carlos Beltran and I didn't. Don't get me wrong - Beltran's been so valuable to the Mets that I don't want him to be traded even though it's in the best long-term interests of the team. But hitting .281 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in the first half might get you comeback player of the year, but there's another NL outfielder with 20 homers , 58 RBI and a .296 batting average. So my choice was Lance Berkman. The fact that the Yankees let him go at the end of last season is just icing on the cake.

Other NL outfielders who have put up stats equal to or better than Beltran, particularly because he doesn't run much anymore, are Carlos Gonzalez and Andrew McCutcheon. (There's also some guy named Shane that I refuse to include - I have my own biases. I will vote for Phillies, just not Victorino.)

So while I'd like to see Beltran named to the team, I don't hold out much hope (Hunter Pence is another good candidate, and he could end up being the Astros' representative). At one point, Dillon Gee and Francisco Rodriguez looked like possibilities, but now it appears that the only Met at the All-Star Game will be Reyes, making it that crazier for the Mets to allow their one All-Star to leave.

My All-Star Picks -- Or, Why I Voted for Four Yankees, Two Mets, and Zero Red Sox

So, I did my 25 All-Star votes online last night, just before the deadline. Here's who I voted for:

American League:

1B - Teixeira, Mark

2B - Cano, Robinson
SS - Cabrera, Asdrubal
3B - Rodriguez, Alex
C - Avila, Alex
DH - Young, Michael and Hafner, Travis (I voted some votes for each)
OF - Bautista, Jose
OF - Cruz, Nelson
OF - Granderson, Curtis

I got some grief on Facebook last night from Boston fans for choosing Mark Teixeira over Adrian Gonzalez. Sorry, I am not going to vote for Red Sox. Yes, I am biased that way. Same with David Ortiz -- he will not get my vote. I will root for the Sox as part of the All-Star Game that night, but that's as far as it goes!

Note that I voted for Alex Avila over Russell Martin for catcher. As much as I like Russell -- he's one of my favorite players this year, and I dig that one of his middle names is "Coltrane"! -- this was an easy choice, as Avila beats him in almost every category.

And no, I did not vote for Derek Jeter. Sorry, there is no justification for picking him for the All-Star team this year. After 2010 was the worst season of his career, he is having an even worse 2011. The flip play, and Mr. November, and the rings, and the dive into the stands should have nothing to do with making an All-Star ballot pick for this year.

National League:

1B - Fielder, Prince
2B - Weeks, Rickie
SS - Reyes, Jose
3B - Ramirez, Aramis
C - McCann, Brian
OF - Beltran, Carlos
OF - Braun, Ryan
OF - Kemp, Matt

On the other hand, Reyes highly deserves an All-Star starting slot. I gave Carlos Beltran my vote, too, something even Met fan Squawker Jon did not do!

I could have voted for Lance Berkman, but I didn't. It ticks me off that he didn't get into shape until it was time for a new contract. No wonder some people in Houston are peeved.

And please note that this is the first All-Star Game since 2007 that I did not vote for Yadier Molina for catcher. Four years of giving Squawker Jon the what-for on that was enough!

Who did you vote for in the All-Star Game? Tell us about it!