Jeter's Average Down, But Not His Confidence
The Hartford Courant, May 11, 2000
By Dom Amore
NEW YORK - Each time he steps to the plate, Derek Jeter stares at his shrinking batting average. And what does he think?
How it will eventually reinflate.
``Every player, no matter who you are, goes through things like this,'' said Jeter, who has gone 0- for-12, dropping his average to .268. ``But when it happens at the start, you look up at the scoreboard and it's what you've done so far. You don't have a foundation [in batting average] you have later in the season. This early in the season, you have two or three good games and it's back up to .300 or something and everybody forgets about it.''
Jeter, who has five hits in his past 32 at-bats, is hitless in three consecutive games for the first time since 1997. But the ever-optimistic shortstop is a player his manager rarely worries about.
``He's the same person,'' Joe Torre said. ``He makes fun of himself. Sure, he may get frustrated, but his mood isn't dark about it. . . . He has never been an excuse-maker.''
In his last at-bat Tuesday night against the Devil Rays, Jeter was walked intentionally, loading the bases. That was followed by the game-ending walk to Paul O'Neill.
``I don't care if he's 0-for-whatever,'' Torre said. ``He's still the guy you want up there in that situation, and he wants to be up there. He had that look in his eyes.''