Derek Jeter Wins SI's Sportsman Of The Year

According to SI.com (obviously), New York Yankees SS Derek Jeter has won the coveted Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award. Jeter becomes the first Yankee to ever win the award and the first baseball player to win the award since the Boston Red Sox won it at as a team in 2004.

I have no problem with Jeter receiving the honor, but he should receive it for the right reasons, not one of the reasons that Sports Illustrated Group Director Terry McDonell gave.

“This verifies my idea that he is on the level of Ruth and Gehrig,” McDonell said. “He’s the greatest shortstop in the history of the game.”

What???

He sounds like a junior high school kid. You give someone this honor because they deserve it and they dominated the sports world for that particular year, not because this gives credibility to a preposterous idea you have that Jeter is just as good as Ruth and Gehrig.

I could just see this guy talking to his friends and saying "You know what? I really think Jeter is as good as Ruth or Gehrig and just to verify this thought, I am going to make him Sportsman of the Year."

Now to his credit, McDonell did give one logical reason as to why they picked Jeter for 2009.

“Derek Jeter has always presented himself with class; he does numerous good works for the community with his Turn 2 Foundation, which is one of the most efficient, effective foundations of its kind; and he’s extremely generous with not just his money but with his time, which in many cases is more valuable. He also had another signature year on the field.”