FROM JOEL SHERMAN

Why when Alex Rodriguez hit his first-inning grand slam on Sunday was one of the immediate thoughts: “Sure, now he does that. Where was he when the Yankees needed him? This is just stat padding.” Yet when Derek Jeter surges at this time of year it is symbolic that “The captain hasn’t quit.” Look, this is no attempt to soil the historic accomplishments of Jeter. Let’s put it out right here: Jeter is an easy Hall of Famer and producing as many hits as Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium demonstrates his incredible consistency at being able to accumulate hits during his career.

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