[Seven]

On the subject of popularity, I would agree, it's a lot of right place, right time sort of scenario's. Jeter was popular because he was apparently humble, carried himself with a certain sort of air, while playing for the Yankees. He gave a lot of cookie cutter answers whenever he was interviewed, played hard and dated beautiful celebrities in the limelight of New York. People viewed him through the lens of a player from years past. He was emotional when it called for it, but carried himself with grace most of the time.

I compare Jeter to DiMaggio in a few ways. Humble beginnings, thrust into the spotlight of NY, and lived up to every single one of the expectations people gave them. Neither were the best players of their respective generation, but their presence overshadowed the guys who were better than them. Jeter is a bit nicer than Joe D apparently was though.

Cabrera was a great ballplayer. He never played in a big market, was never the face of a World Series winning team, and while he connected with the people of Detroit, I don't think he's really done much with other fan bases. I don't think there's anything wrong with that though. Baseball fans appreciate what he brought to the dish, not every player needs to be world renowned.