UZR and like minded fielding statistics were almost mentioned by name on tonight’s Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry David got into a fight with a stonemason about whether or not Derek Jeter sucks. Here’s a transcript of the phone conversation:
Stonemason: “That guy [Derek Jeter] sucks.”
Larry David: “Who sucks?”
Stonemason: “Derek Jeter, he’s the most overrated player in baseball.”
Larry David: “What did you say?”
Stonemason: “I can’t stand Derek Jeter, you know he’s the worst defensive shortstop in baseball statistically?”
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Larry David: “Oh Bullshit! He’s a great clutch hitter, he’s a great clutch player!”
Stonemason: “There’s no way he deserves that kind of money he’s making.”
And then Larry David changes the subject.
Later in the episode, Larry David starts talking about the stonemason’s Jeter hating and says, “…starts telling me how Jeter’s overrated. What an ignorant moron. My God, please, give me a break. There’s not one person who has ever said that except this asshole, honestly.”
While the part about Jeter being one of the worst shortstops defensively is true, he has come pretty close to being worth what he’s paid, at least in a cumulative sense over the past 8 years.
In any case, it was fun to see fielding stats mentioned on Curb Your Enthusiasm, even if it wasn’t Larry David defending them.
Is this now like the CNN show where they fact checked an SNL skit about Obama?