There was a time when criticism of Derek Jeter was pretty much off-limits -- at least if you had any hopes of going into New York and making it out alive.
Those days, it seems, are over.
Jeter started off so slowly this season that he abandoned the changes that were supposed to help him rebound from a poor 2010 season, which included a career-worst .710 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Four hits on Sunday raised Jeter's batting average from .221 to .257 this year, but that pesky OPS still was languishing at .601 -- probably because the Captain has as many extra-base hits (two) as Twins catcher Drew Butera.
No offense to Butera. Or, we suppose, Jeter.
Jeter, who went 0-for-4 Monday in a 2-0 loss to the White Sox, will turn 37 this season, and most would concede we are witnessing the downhill slide of a brilliant career. As his performance has waned, New York writers have -- perhaps grudgingly, but not surprisingly -- held his bat and glove to the fire.
What we might not have predicted, though, is how Jeter is taking some direct hits off the field in his golden years as well.
An upcoming book by ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor, "The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter," details his strained relationship with Alex Rodriguez years ago, but more importantly with Yankees management, including General Manager Brian Cashman, this past offseason during contract negotiations. Per a story advancing the book:
"[The meeting] lasted four hours, but Jeter stayed for only the first 45 minutes, telling his employers -- especially Cashman -- how angry he was that they had made details of the negotiations public. ... The quote that would anger Jeter the most was the one Cashman gave to ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews, who quoted the GM saying that Jeter should test the market to 'see if there's something he would prefer other than this.'"
