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Who is the better shortstop Nomar, A-Rod, Jeter, or Tejada?

Remember when this was the topic of discussion on every sports page and fantasy column. Every day those 4 shortstops battled it out by filling out the stats sheet while reinventing the shortstop position. Looking back I always had Jeter, still do, on all my fantasy teams. I never had a chance at the other 3 and I was always in search of finding ways to trade for them but it never happened.

Who was the better shortstop, it was a debate that seemed to burn on and on.

Now that the great equalizer (time) has played it's hand I think the winner has finally emerged. Out of the 4 players, we have two steroid users, a DL magnet, and one of the most popular players of all time. Derek Jeter in my opinion is the best shortstop out of the 4. He played in the biggest market with the New York media all over him, he won titles, he stayed clean, and most importantly he acted like a true professional through thick and thin.

I would consider Nomar in this conversation but injuries have hobbled him since he left Boston. Since the trade in 2004, he's been a shell of what he was in Boston. He showed a promising return in 2006 but that was only him teasing us with a reminder of how great he once was. I usually don't bother with the speculation that a player is on steroids unless a test proves otherwise but did steroids play a role in him going from a hall of famer to a "only if he stayed healthy" guy? If it is true, which I hope it isn't, Nomar was just another baseball player who fell into the steroid trap. Nothing has come out with a positive test so I will assume he is clean.

I really have been spoiled in sports to see such great athletes play and I hope it continues into the future. Without these great battles between who is the greatest, sports would just be another filler in our lives.

Closing this post, I just have to say, time seems to stand for no one.