Reactions

What is your favorite Derek Jeter moment?

SI.com's Top 10 list of Derek Jeter's clutch moments drew plenty of reaction -- positive and negative. Here are some of your responses:

Aside from "The Flip," I have to say my favorite Jeter moment is that immediately after diving face-first into the stands on July 1, he insisted upon playing against the Mets the next day. Most any other player in the majors would have been planted in the dugout after such a spill. They probably wouldn't have been able to hang onto the ball like he had, either.
 -- Missy Stolfi, East Amherst, N.Y.

All these moments are great but dumping Mariah Carey makes my top 10!
 -- Edgard, Miami

It hasn't happened yet. It's called retirement.
 -- Micah Sachs, Boston

0-34.
 -- Brendan Connelly, Wayne, N.J.

Please stop the myth-making. The last time I checked, baseball cards had stats on the back, not clutch moments. When is someone going to explain to me why his stats are so far below other shortstops such as Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada, Carlos Guillen, etc. Please, just stop.
 -- Brad, New York

No. 4 on your list, the Dive Part II. Not because it just happened and it was against the Red Sox, but because it took place during a regular-season game with the Yankees leading the Sox by 7 1/2 games. A star player performing at a higher level during the postseason, when every game matters, should be expected. But playing every regular-season game like it was Game 7 of the World Series is truly special.
 -- Mike Frate, Haverstraw, N.Y.

I am not a Yankee fan, but when I saw Jeter dive head first into the stands I found new respect for Jeter. (But not any of the other Yankees.) Jeter is a good, hard-nosed player.
 -- Scott Hammond, Atlanta

You do realize that there are teams that play in the major leagues that are not named Yankees? Don't you?
 -- Josh Kessler, Minneapolis

The biggest has to be the 2001 play vs. Oakland in the ALDS. Lots of guys get clutch hits, lots of guys are willing to dive into the stands for a ball, but NOBODY makes that flip play. Few would even make that kind of effort on that play, let alone actually execute it. In my mind, it is no contest.
 -- Brian Isherwood, Warren, N.J.

Slide, Jeremy, slide! Seems like such a simple play but at the same time I know for a fact I will never see that happen again as long as I live.
 -- Gerardo Valero, Mexico City, Mexico

No.2 -- A moment that bought that bought the house down. You could hear the cheering from 9,000 miles away. Just unbelievable!
 -- Ian Shackelford, Auckland, New Zealand

With Jeter's exception, I hate the Yanks with a passion. But I did see them play the A's one day, and Jeter grounded to short three times -- and ran all three out as if he had a chance on every one. I don't think there's another pro baseballer who would have done that on three routine grounders.
 -- Adam Cederblom, Santa Barbara, Calif.

That tag that Jeter made on Jeremy Giambi in the 2001 ALDS was the most heartbreaking moment as a diehard A's fan I have EVER experienced. Jeter had no business being over there. Simply amazing.
 -- Anwar Burton, Hayward, Calif.

My favorite Jeter moment is yet to come. It will be when he retires and I can stop hearing about the most overrated player in the game.
 -- Mike Kasper, Vancouver, B.C.

My favorite Jeter moment? That's easy. The day Mr. Steinbrenner and the Yankees signed him!
 -- Dave Lappin, Charlotte, N.C. (ex. of Long Island, N.Y.)

Every time the guy hits it the other way with a runner on second. Seems to always do it.
 -- Marc Beltran, Puerto Aventuras, Mexico

The Saturday Night Live show with him as the host. I have to agree that the "Baseball Wives" skit was good, but "Derek Jeter's Taco Hole" was my favorite. It was great seeing him trying to sing and the phrases in the skit make that one of the funniest moments.
 -- Laura, Dallas Fort-Worth, Texas

A-Rod is considered the best player in baseball. Barry Bonds might be thrown into the argument from an offensive standpoint. But has there ever been a player who has made as many timely plays a Jeter?
 -- David, Lakeland, Fla.

My favorite moments have been in successive Octobers in 2001, 2002 and 2003 when Jeter's omnipresent smirk was turned into a frown by the Yankees' failure to win the World Series.
 -- Wendy Rosen, Astoria, N.Y.

Gotta be the Game 4 World Series home run v. the Mets. He's made a a bunch of huge hits and defensive plays but that home run sucked the life out of the Mets in the Fall Classic.
 -- Frank Lakat, Brooklyn, N.Y.

1996, Opening Day in Cleveland. Jeter makes a Willie Mays-type catch at shortstop and tops that by hitting a home run in his first Opening Day.
 -- Matt Monteverde, Long Valley, N.J.

There are so many clutch plays by Jeter that listing only 10 is like Wilt listing his top 10 dates. It is moments like these that Yankee-haters don't consider when they say Jeter is overrated.
 -- Rich Wade, Shelton, Conn.

When Jeter came back to his hometown for Derek Jeter Day in Kalamazoo, Mich., after winning his first (of many) World Series. Kalamazoo packed his old gym at Kalamazoo Central High School, and it was an awesome day with his sister and parents there and a few thousand of his biggest fans welcoming back their hometown hero.
 -- Rand Arwady, Kalamazoo, Mich.

I took my son for his birthday to a Greensboro Bats game. There was a rain delay. Derek and another player came out to check out the weather. I asked Derek if he could get a used ball and autograph it for my sons birthday. He told me to wait two minutes and he would be right back. I waited and waited and waited. Ten minutes later I was about to give up hope about my request. Then Derek appeared with a new ball with signatures from the entire team!! He was about to hand me the ball when I spotted my son running up. I told Derek to hand it to the Birthday Boy, my eyes swelling with tears of joy from his reaction of getting an autographed ball. Derek was a class act then and still is! Derek, Thank you very much for a lifetime memory.
 -- Michael Kopiec, Greensboro, N.C.

My favorite Jeter play was when he had the presence of mind to cut off a throw to home and gun down Timo Perez during the 2000 Subway Series.
 -- Shant Michaelian, Dix Hills, N.Y.