As might be apparent from my recent what-if on the 1994 Yankees and how we might think of them in a universe without a work stoppage, the current lockout has engaged the “what if” part of my brain. While thinking about the accolades and relative greatness of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter recently, another hypothetical came to mind. Let’s go to another parallel universe, one where Jeets never broke his ankle in the 2012 ALCS.
As Andrew pointed out to me when I pitched this idea, by the end of 2012, it really was more of a “when” Jeter would break down rather than an “if.