Thursday 1 November 2001

Mariah will help Yankees overcome adversity

Hours after filing divorce papers that ended her five-year marriage to Sony Music head Tommy Mottola, Mariah Carey arrived at Yankees Spring Training in Tampa. Carey watched then-boyfriend Derek Jeter take fungoes, and then the two went out to a local restaurant for a very public dinner, followed by a very public canoodle. It was March 1998, and after a rumor-filled year, the gossip-hungry New York press finally had something to write about.

After a rough to start to the 1998 season, the rumors made it to no less than Yankee boss George Stienbrenner, who reportedly weighed in with Ms. Carey, concerned that she might have had something to do with his budding star's early season lackluster performance. Mariah wasn't pleased. "I'm just a singer, not some magical baseball genie who can make or break someone's game. If I forget a lyric onstage, my fans don't turn to him and say, 'What are you doing to her?'"

We'll never know if Mariah's a baseball genie, or just a singer, as she claimed years ago. Shoot, we'll never know exactly why Mariah's always so exhausted. What we do know is that their romance ended in early June of '98, and Derek rebounded with what is now viewed as his breakthrough season. Jeter had then-career numbers in eight offensive categories, and went on to lead the Yanks to their second World Series title in four years. Where other high profile breakups have stunted some of the most promising athletes of our time (ask Brian Shaw about Madonna, or Alexander Daigle about Pamela Anderson), Jeter catapulted off of the carcass of a failed relationship to greatness.

Clearly, as the leader of the Yankees, Derek Jeter knows a bit about dealing with, and overcoming, adversity. And we're not talking about being down love-2 to the Braves in the '96 World Series. We're talking about true hardship. Just ask fellow Yankee David Justice. Justice was married to high-profile diva/actress Halle Berry for three years. Their 1996 divorce was spectacularly perverse, with both parties doing their best to cause the other the most public humiliation possible. For her part, Berry accused Justice of threatening her, as well as making undo hay out of her past relationships with Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes. She ultimately slapped him with a restraining order.

If that wasn't enough, Justice's 1996 season ended shortly after it began - with a season-ending shoulder injury. From sports call-in shows to Hollywood gossip mavens, the word was out: that Justice is guy who is finished. However, like Jeter, Justice proved that intestinal fortitude is more than just a catch phrase used by wrestling announcers. He led his new club, the Cleveland Indians, to the playoffs, batting .329 while smacking 31 homers and driving in 101 runs. He signed a $28 million contract extension, and surely enjoyed himself silly watching his ex-wife's career plunge to new depths, as she starred in what can safely be remembered as one of the worst films of the decade, "B.A.P.S." (Poor Martin Landau - to this day I'm not quite sure what he was thinking).

So should we have any doubt that Jeter and Justice will take the lessons they've learned from their personal relationships and import them to the diamond this autumn? Well, thus far, the two DJs have been a major disappointment, batting a combined 1 for 16. Justice is 0-for-5, an 0-for almost as disturbing as Craig Counsell's pumpkin-like head. Jeter performed up to the task in the field, but I'd just assume sit through 104 minutes of Ms. Carey's breakout Hollywood smash "Glitter" than watch the replay of Justice's crucial Game 1 third-inning fielding gaffe again.

For many fans around New York, there is suddenly concern. The once invincible Yankees look beatable, and the two players, once loved and adored by two of the world's sexiest superstars, aren't even playing well enough to earn a complimentary lap dance at Scores. For the first time in many years, there is serious October doubt in the Bronx. Many lesser teams would crumble, down 2-1 in a championship series. It would be a major problem, say, if the tables were turned, and it was the D-Backs who were down 2-1. The greatest challenge the boys in purple have faced this season has been trying to describe to friends and family exactly what "dry heat" is, and if you think that's going to be enough to close out the Yankees, well, you could stand to splash a little water on those hot rocks yourself.

In their personal relationships, Derek Jeter and David Justice have faced more adversity than the entire Arizona 25-man roster, more late night romantic quarrels than even the most social of Arizona retirement communities. The DJs have been through diva and high water to get to where they are now, and you can bet the Yankees turned to their two leaders on their plane trip back home for guidance. With such stellar leadership and courage under fire, it would be hard to pick against the Bombers. This author's prediction? Carey to Zoloft, Berry to Lifetime, Yanks in Six.

(Fox Sports)

Many thanks to Mariah Crybaby.



COMMENTS
There are not yet comments to this article.

Only registrated members can post a comment.
© MCArchives 1998-2024 (26 years!)
NEWS
MESSAGEBOARD