In the opening of his EPSN2 show Tuesday night, Keith Olbermann went on an epic rant about Derek Jeter and his farewell tour.
"We begin with a correction," Olbermann says. "He did not invent baseball, he did not discover electricity, he is not the greatest shortstop who ever lived. And among all the terrific players in the history of the New York Yankees he is not by any measure number one."
While ranting that Jeter is not the best Yankee to play America's favorite pastime, clips were shown of Jeter receiving retirement gifts that included a surfboard, a golden bat, a bench made out of bats, golf clubs, wine and boots. George W. Bush, a known nemesis of Olbermann, is seen giving the shortstop a frame picture that resembles the typical collectable baseball memorabilia.
Jeter is retiring after 20 seasons at bat, after winning five World Series with the Yankees. He batted .321 in seven World Series, and in 16 postseasons, had 200 hits, 20 home runs and 61 RBIs, with a batting average of .308.
However, Olbermann disses the Yankee captain for ranking 12th to 14th in many major offensive categories among 19 players with 12,000 appearances. Jeter, he points out, also struck out the most among these players.
Olbermann points out in the almost seven-minute rant that Jeter ranks low on the list of Yankee greats, like Red Ruffing, who played in the 1930s and 40s as a Yankee for 15 seasons.
The ESPN2 talk show host anticipates his views on Jeter will stir controversy among Yankee fans and says he anticipates pitchforks.
Olbermann believes that according to this season's performance, the Yankees may have made the playoffs if Jeter didn't bat second. Jeter will play his last game with the Yankees Sunday at Fenway Park.
