POLL--ARod or Jeter: You get to choose

Well now that is interesting. I don't have an opinion at least.

I think comparing a SS to a SS who were both almost simultaneous contemporaries in terms of age and prime athletic period, it makes it pretty clean. Even with the PEDs thrown in. Bonds...dunno.

And I may add--I was able to watch Jeter and ARod play day to day, whether on TV or in person. Not so with Bonds.

There was never a doubt for me who was a baseball player who gauged his performance by whether his team won every day, and who was one of 9 guys tuned to how he performed.

One was always saying "We" after the game and seeking out fellow players before speaking with the media. One was usually saying "I" and seeking the media before fellow players. Like clockwork.

I wonder if the poll would have been different if it were: Who would you rather have as a teammate?
And if there is a divergence, then yet another logic twist.

Jeter. And it's not even close. He was a winner. A Rod was all about the stats. He was the guy who would hit a homerun in a 10-1 game. When he was with Texas I remember him putting up much bigger numbers when Texas was out of the race. That was my memory...and it was confirmed! Much bigger numbers in the last 2-3 months of the season.Texas won 72, 73 and 71 games when he was there. And 89 the year after he leaves! 71 the year before. A Rod puts up these huge numbers and doesn't affect Texas being able to win more games. Moreover, the year after A Rod left Seattle won 116 games (25 more than the year before!) That's not a misprint.

Jeter comes to the Yankees and they win a bunch of world series. That's not a coincidence. He excelled in the play-offs because he had that quick, short swing and could battle top pitchers until they made a mistake. (They had a number of professional hitters like Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Mariano Duncan, Girardi, and Boggs who could that in 1996). A Rod with that more upper-cut power swing had more trouble against higher-quality pitching in the play-offs.

A Rod wanted stats; Jeter wanted titles. That's the difference.

Jeter. And it's not even close. He was a winner. A Rod was all about the stats. He was the guy who would hit a homerun in a 10-1 game. When he was with Texas I remember him putting up much bigger numbers when Texas was out of the race. That was my memory...and it was confirmed! Much bigger numbers in the last 2-3 months of the season.Texas won 72, 73 and 71 games when he was there. And 89 the year after he leaves! 71 the year before. A Rod puts up these huge numbers and doesn't affect Texas being able to win more games. Moreover, the year after A Rod left Seattle won 116 games (25 more than the year before!) That's not a misprint.

Jeter comes to the Yankees and they win a bunch of world series. That's not a coincidence. He excelled in the play-offs because he had that quick, short swing and could battle top pitchers until they made a mistake. (They had a number of professional hitters like Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Mariano Duncan, Girardi, and Boggs who could that in 1996). A Rod with that more upper-cut power swing had more trouble against higher-quality pitching in the play-offs.

A Rod wanted stats; Jeter wanted titles. That's the difference.

I completely agree