Rice calls out Jeter, others
Yankees and Red Sox have never been too friendly, and on Friday, Jim Rice chose to take on … Derek Jeter?
Addressing a group of youngsters before the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., the new Hall of Famer and former Boston outfielder advised them to avoid the individualism and stat-seeking that current players exhibit.
Among the players Rice targeted? Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez – and, most surprisingly, Jeter.
“You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see Jeter. Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare,” Rice said.
Rice did not stop there, however, as he skewered the way current players dress and carry themselves compared to the professionalism embodied by his contemporaries. He said today’s major leaguers fraternize with each other too much on the field and that although today’s ballplayers may be in better shape than the ones of Rice’s generation, they get injured more frequently.
“We didn’t have the baggy uniforms. We didn’t have the dreadlocks,” he said. “It was a clean game, and now they’re setting a bad example for the young guys.”
It was baffling that Rice would pick on Jeter. Of all of baseball’s stars, Jeter is regarded as the unselfish, consummate captain, a throwback of sorts to baseball’s past.
“I didn’t know I was like that,” Jeter playfully responded.
Clearing the bases
Tyler Matzek, the top-rated left-hander in the draft, said a gut feeling prompted him to forgo an education at the University of Oregon and sign with the Colorado Rockies for a club-record $3.9 million. Matzek said he decided just 10 minutes before Monday night’s deadline to sign with the Rockies. … Media conglomerate Tribune Co. announced a definitive agreement to sell all but a 5 percent stake in the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field to the billionaire Ricketts family. Tribune valued the transaction at about $845 million. … Justin Duchscherer’s agent said the Oakland right-hander won’t pitch this season so he can concentrate on his treatment for clinical depression. … Gary Sheffield is staying with the New York Mets. General manager Omar Minaya pulled Sheffield back off waivers rather than let him go or work out a trade.