Jeter challenged on his approach to ownership

Derek Jeter was repeatedly challenged about his approach as Marlins owner in a lively

interview scheduled to air tonight at 10 on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

Jeter refused to accept a few assertions by Gumbel,

including Gumbel’s claim that Jeter’s decision to attend a Dolphins-Patriots “Monday Night Football” game in December

instead of baseball’s winter meetings was a mistake.

“You are, or were, in the process of getting rid of the best players on this team, and isn’t it your job, as the face of the franchise to be at those winter meetings and explain what’s going on?” Gumbel said.

Responded Jeter: “No, not necessarily. There’s more to a football game. It wasn’t just going to watch a football game. There were meetings that were taking place at a football game.”

Here was one interesting exchange, as provided by HBO:

GUMBEL: “If you were tanking, would you tell me?”

JETER: “Tanking? What is — no — tanking?”

GUMBEL: “Tanking is — not trying your hardest to win ball

games in — every day.” JETER: “We’re trying to win

ball games every day.” GUMBEL: “If you trade your best players in exchange for prospects, it’s unlikely you’re going to win more games in the immediate future …” JETER: “When you take the

fifield, you have an opportunity to win each and every day. Each and every day. You never tell your team that they’re expected to lose. Never.”

GUMBEL: “Not in so …” JETER: “Now, you can think — now — now, I can’t tell you how you think. Like, I see your mind. I see that’s how you think. I don’t think like that. That’s your mind working like that.”

GUMBEL: “No, I get that. But I guess not in so many words …”

JETER: “But you don’t. But you don’t get it.”

GUMBEL: “I do.”

JETER: “You don’t. We have two difffffffffffferent (minds) — I can’t wait to get you on the golf course, man. We got — I mean, I can’t wait for this one.” GUMBEL: “No, I mean …” JETER: “You’re mentally weak.”

GUMBEL: “No, I just — I’m — I’m realistic. You really expect this team …”

JETER: “I expect this team to …”

GUMBEL: “… as presently configured to contend …”

JETER: “… compete, to compete. To compete.”

GUMBEL: “Compete is one thing …”

JETER: “Every (thing) …”

GUMBEL: “Watch my lips. Not compete.”

JETER: “I see your …” GUMBEL: “Contend.” JETER: “I see your lips. I see. I’ve been seeing ’em this whole interview. I see your lips moving constantly. You’d never tell your players that you are expected to lose. You

don’t do that. You should take that as a slap in the face as a player. You should take that as a slap in the face.”

GUMBEL: “You expect them to contend?”

JETER: “I do. I do. If I don’t believe with the — in the players that we have on the fifield, who’s goi ng to bel i eve in

them?”

GUMBEL: “But as an executive, it looks like you’re delusional if you believe otherwise.”

JETER: “Well, call me delusional.”

Asked by Gumbel if being Marlins CEO is a job he wants forever, Jeter said: “Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I’m enjoying what I’m doing. Like I said, there’s still a lot to learn, all right?”

The segment on Jeter also includes an interview with his father.