The Perfect Season
Why 1998 Was Baseball's Greatest Year
August 29, September 2, and September 19
Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, and Alex Rodriguez
Talk about star power. A few years after the advent of the Three Tenors, The Three Shortstops made their first big splash. Just as Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carerras had done much to popularize opera with the masses, the equally dynamic trio of New York's Derek Jeter, Boston's Nomar Garciaparra and Seattle's Alex Rodriguez would rekindle America's interest in baseball in the post-strike years. They were able to have such impact on a disgruntled public by injecting the sport with an exciting blend of youth, talent, and undeniable class.
The three young superstars are always talked about in the same breath, for obvious reasons. First of all, they became instant-impact players at early ages and at virtually the same time--Jeter at 22 and Rodriguez at 21 first played extensively in 1996, Garciaparra at 24 debuted in 1997. Second, they have other similar credentials: Jeter and Garciaparra were Rookies of the Yea ...
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