A Jeter By Any Other Name?
Posted by Steve L. on October 6th, 2006 · Comments (2)
Der-ick Gee-ter…..
“Derek Jeter,” as a name, has that sweet symmetrical syllable thing going for it – like “Mick-key Man-tell” worked for “Mickey Mantle.”
This makes me wonder: What if Derek Jeter was not named “Derek Jeter”? Suppose that the guy raised in Kalamazoo, who later went on to wear # 2 for the Yankees, and be a baseball star was named “Horatio Lipschitz” or “Dewey Zuverinkster”? Would that take away from his mystique?
I suppose, in such a case, people could have called him “H-Lip” or “Dew-Zoov” or something. But, it’s just not the same as Der-ick Gee-ter…..
It’s the whole 4 syllable thing really:
Joh-nny Day-mon
An-dee Pet-it
But at the same time:
Bu-bba Cros-bee
Kel-lee Sti-net
It’s luck of the draw really. If Horatio Lipschitz or Dewey Zuverinkster played like Derek, the fans would find a way to chant his name.
I wish his name was Horatio Lipschitz. That would be one of the oddest baseball names ever. And it would play well in New York, where most of our citizens have funky names that come from when this city used to be the melting pot.