Regard:
Five big league teams passed on the opportunity to draft a lanky high school infielder from Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1992, allowing him to fall to New York with the sixth pick. In fact, Astros scout Hal Newhouser was so furious that Houston took Phil Nevin instead, the former big league pitcher quit his job. And so it was destined that Jeter would go on to wear pinstripes, not face them.
Does this drive you crazy? It drives me crazy. Miguel Tejada. Adam Everett. Julio Lugo. Tim Bogar. Ricky Gutierrez. Orlando Miller.
Those are the shortstops the Houston Astros have fielded since Derek Jeter started at short for the Yankees. Love him or hate him, the guy's a .316 hitter and is a part of the English language, from Michael Kay's "Jeterian play." Puke (encore).
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
