MORE GREATNESS ON DECK
Owners predict Jeter’s golden touch will boost Marlins as it did Yanks
Derek Jeter was not at the Major League Baseball owners meetings, instead at home with his pregnant wife, but in many ways, he was present.
Stroll into the lobby, and no matter if the conversation starts with the playoff races or even politics, the conversation always turns to Jeter.
Once Jeter and Bruce Sherman are approved as the new owners of the Miami Marlins — which should be finalized by the first week of October, Marlins President David Samson says — baseball’s ownership circle will have star power.
“Derek Jeter is iconic,” Samson says. “I think there’s a lot of people around the country who view him as a hero, but they view him as a hero at shortstop. His goal has always been to be viewed as a hero as an executive, in addition.
“I met a lot of athletes in my time, he’s a remarkable guy. He’s incredibly focused and equipped to do this. ... He exhibited that through the negotiations of the deal.”
We’re talking about one of the greatest players in the history of the game, a player who should be a unanimous Hall of Famer
in three years, with an image as impeccable as anyone who ever put on a baseball uniform.
“This is so great for baseball, to have a player like this, who’s so respected in the game, wanting to join our ownership circle,” Kansas City Royals owner David Glass said.
The Marlins need him more than ever. This is a franchise that’s at least $ 400 million in debt and is expected to lose $ 90 million this year, according to several owners. Their attendance stinks. They have the worst TV contract.
The Marlins have not produced a winning season since 2010, haven’t reached the postseason since 2003 and have $ 300 million alone tied up in Giancarlo Stanton.
Still, there was not a soul at the owners meetings Wednesday or an executive in the MLB offices who has a doubt that Jeter will bring success to this downtrodden franchise.
“He’s not the kind of guy who’s just going to add his name and say, ‘ Yeah, I’m the owner of the team,’ ” says Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, who has known Jeter for 21 years. “He’s going to roll up his sleeves. I know he didn’t want to be just a token owner. It’s more than somebody investing money. It’s somebody who’s in it for the long haul.”
Says Samson: “I wouldn’t doubt Derek Jeter. The focus he has, the desire he has, the skill he has, I don’t see him failing. He doesn’t permit failure.’’
The strangest part will be seeing Jeter, 43, with an organization other than the Yankees, the only club he has known.
“It’ll be surreal,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said. “It’s going to be a surreal experience in not a totally positive way to see him in different colors. I think my dad ( George) would feel the same way.”
But make no mistake about it, Steinbrenner says, times are about to change. The Marlins won’t be losers for long, Steinbrenner predicts. They will win. It’s all that Jeter knows, having won five World Series titles.
“That’s all he’s done in his career,” Steinbrenner says. “That organization has some challenges, but he’s been through a lot. As far as baseball operations, I think he’ll get the job done.”
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