A-Rod vs. Jeter

I find it interesting that last year at this time one of the most popular Spring Training topics was how Derek Jeter should make room for Alex Rodriguez at shortstop because A-Rod was the better fielder. You don't hear that argument this spring even though the defensive capabilities of A-Rod vs. Jeter remain the same. Why the change?

To me the big change is how A-Rod is precieved. Last year A-Rod was considered by many to maybe be the best short stop in history never mind in baseball today. These days A-Rod is percieved as a vastly talented egocentric prima donna. Even the baseball writers seems to be thinking "screw Slappy McMeFirst - Jeter's our guy."

You may still get a few stats guys arguing about the difference in range factor for the two players but for the most part Jeter is the guy people want at short. Even Red Sox fans prefer Jeter.