NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - Whispers grew to murmurs, rose to grumbling and finally gave way to an hysterical clamor of doubt early in the Major League Baseball season about whether New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter was washed up.
The 2011 campaign, Jeter's 17th in the majors, was meant to be a triumphant march to become the first Yankee to reach the treasured 3,000-hit career mark that would draw an outpouring of affection and appreciation for the 11-time All-Star.
But with his 37th birthday looming next month, his bat slowing and hard grounders escaping his glove, fans and critics wondered aloud on sports radio, in newspapers and in the stands if Jeter was overrated instead a $17 million a year albatross.
Jeter, 40 hits away from 3,000 entering Tuesday's opening game of a series against the Kansas City Royals, may have won a respite from scrutiny with a break-out game Sunday in Texas.
The lanky shortstop went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three RBIs and a stolen base, yet the captain who has personified class and consistency during his career is still very much under a microscope.
The outburst raised Jeter's average 20 points to .276 and improved his RBI total by 50 percent.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman, preaching the baseball mantra of patience, said Jeter has been taking more than his share of the heat for New York's uneven offense.
"We've got about five guys in that lineup that are struggling," Cashman told reporters at a Yankees' charity golf tournament Monday in New Jersey. "Do I think he personally needs it? No. Do I think it changes the focus for a time, absolutely."
Despite not clicking on all cylinders, the Yankees have a 19-13 record this year and share first place in the American League East division with the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Jeter was never primarily a power hitter, the home run drought was striking. Before his blows against the Rangers, his last home run came in August, a span of 63 games and 259 at-bats.
The stoic Jeter told a TV interviewer that the 12-5 rout of Texas was a tonic for the whole team, before admitting: "I would be lying to you if I said I didn't feel good."
This year's early struggles came after his weakest season at the plate, in which the career .313 hitter batted .270.
Jeter worked before the season with batting coach Kevin Long to shorten his stride and try to get his bat around on inside pitches that had been tying him up.
Yet he had not seemed comfortable at the plate.
"I tried the no-stride thing and it didn't work out," Jeter said about the swing change.
"It's difficult to hit sitting around thinking about things. Now I just get to the point where I try to hit," he said, sounding like one of his Yankee heroes, Yogi Berra, who once offered that he could not hit and think at the same time.
Speedster Brett Gardner, considered an option in the leadoff spot should Jeter be moved down the lineup, said the captain had earned the right to straighten himself out.
"He's probably one of the best players to ever play the game," outfielder Gardner told the New York Daily News at a charity event on Monday. "And there's nothing but negative stuff being written about him."
The 2011 campaign, Jeter's 17th in the majors, was meant to be a triumphant march to become the first Yankee to reach the treasured 3,000-hit career mark that would draw an outpouring of affection and appreciation for the 11-time All-Star.
But with his 37th birthday looming next month, his bat slowing and hard grounders escaping his glove, fans and critics wondered aloud on sports radio, in newspapers and in the stands if Jeter was overrated instead a $17 million a year albatross.
Jeter, 40 hits away from 3,000 entering Tuesday's opening game of a series against the Kansas City Royals, may have won a respite from scrutiny with a break-out game Sunday in Texas.
The lanky shortstop went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three RBIs and a stolen base, yet the captain who has personified class and consistency during his career is still very much under a microscope.
The outburst raised Jeter's average 20 points to .276 and improved his RBI total by 50 percent.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman, preaching the baseball mantra of patience, said Jeter has been taking more than his share of the heat for New York's uneven offense.
"We've got about five guys in that lineup that are struggling," Cashman told reporters at a Yankees' charity golf tournament Monday in New Jersey. "Do I think he personally needs it? No. Do I think it changes the focus for a time, absolutely."
Despite not clicking on all cylinders, the Yankees have a 19-13 record this year and share first place in the American League East division with the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Jeter was never primarily a power hitter, the home run drought was striking. Before his blows against the Rangers, his last home run came in August, a span of 63 games and 259 at-bats.
The stoic Jeter told a TV interviewer that the 12-5 rout of Texas was a tonic for the whole team, before admitting: "I would be lying to you if I said I didn't feel good."
This year's early struggles came after his weakest season at the plate, in which the career .313 hitter batted .270.
Jeter worked before the season with batting coach Kevin Long to shorten his stride and try to get his bat around on inside pitches that had been tying him up.
Yet he had not seemed comfortable at the plate.
"I tried the no-stride thing and it didn't work out," Jeter said about the swing change.
"It's difficult to hit sitting around thinking about things. Now I just get to the point where I try to hit," he said, sounding like one of his Yankee heroes, Yogi Berra, who once offered that he could not hit and think at the same time.
Speedster Brett Gardner, considered an option in the leadoff spot should Jeter be moved down the lineup, said the captain had earned the right to straighten himself out.
"He's probably one of the best players to ever play the game," outfielder Gardner told the New York Daily News at a charity event on Monday. "And there's nothing but negative stuff being written about him."
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