Derek Jeter And The Art Of Saying Nothing

On Wednesday I learned that John Breen had died.

Many people do not know who Breen was, but for anyone who studied journalism at UConn the man is a legend.

Professor, advisor, mentor and friend, Breen molded generations of journalists, teaching them to go about their profession with grit and dogged curiosity.

Breen's passing naturally had me thinking back to my days at UConn in the early 1990s and all that I learned. One of the first and most basic lessons I learned was that when a journalist covers a meeting or a press conference, the news is not that there was a meeting or press conference. Rather, the news is what is said or done at that event.

Pity the poor journalists who have to cover Derek Jeter.

Jeter is the master of speaking without saying anything of substance.

USA TODAY

Wednesday, a week after announcing on Facebook that 2014 is going to be his final season, the New York Yankees shortstop met the media for the first time.

And said absolutely nothing of substance.

The Top Five Red Sox Players to Wear Number 3

The '3' was worn last year by David Ross last year. Which means it will likely be given out again someday. Nevertheless, the old '3' has a storied pedigree, including a Rookie of the Year, a player who should have been ROY, a two-time batting champion and one of the greatest players of all-time.

5. David Wells (2005) - It's weird putting an ex-Yankee in this spot. And it's kind of cheating because Wells changed his number during the season from 3 to 16. But you cannot deny that Wells had a good season for the Sox in 2005. And we need someone for the fifth slot, so just go with it.

Signed as a free agent in the off-season, Wells posted a 15-7 record in 2005. His ERA was league-average (4.45, 102 ERA+) and his WHIP was a little high (1.31). But he helped stabilize a pitching roster where Tim Wakefield was the #1 pitcher and helped Boston into the post-season. His WAR was solid (3.2) and he was second in the AL in walks per nine innings (1.027). But that was his last good year; in 2006 off-season knee surgery diminished his ability and the Sox traded him to the Padres so he could fulfill his desire to finish his career on the West Coast.

4. Jody Reed (1988-92) - If Jody was anything, he was a doubles machine. In his five+ seasons with the Sox he was top 5 in the AL for doubles three times (1989-91) and led the AL in doubles in 1990 with 45. He came in 3rd for Rookie of the Year in 1988 (trailing Walt Weiss and Bryan Harvey) even though he had a better batting average and OPS than Weiss and Harvey was a pedestrian 7-5 that year for the Angels. No, I'm not bitter. Reed also finished Top 30 for the MVP in 1990 (18th).

3. Walt Dropo (1949-52) - The Moose!* A personal favorite from my alma mater (UConn) and arguably the best Serbian-American to ever play the sport**. Walt spent the first 3 1/2 seasons of his 13-year career with the Sox. While manning first base he not only went to the 1950 All-Star Game but won the AL Rookie of the Year. That season he hit a blistering .322 with a .961 OPS, 34 homers and 144 RBIs. Walt also led the AL in total bases and RBIs, and placed top 10 in six other categories. Those are impressive numbers even in the current era. He would also finish in the Top 30 for MVP voting twice; 6th in 1950 and 26th in 1952.

What held Dropo back from a bigger career was the wrist fracture he suffered in 1951. Unable to recapture the form he showed in 1950, he was traded to the Tigers in 1952 in the deal that sent Johnny Pesky to Detroit as well. Walt retired after the 1961 season and sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of 87. He is still recognized as one of the greatest athletes to come out of the University of Connecticut.

New UConn Site

As many of you know, Dave and I are UConn alumni and from time to time we'll touch on UConn sports (though after the football team lost 12-10 to No. 19 North Carolina on a hold in the end zone with less that 2 minutes left on Saturday, that's the last thing on my mind).

Well, there is a new website that was launched in the last two weeks devoted to UConn sports.

HuskyPedia.com has a great offerings for UConn fans, packed with information, opinions and links to UConn and Big East news from sites all over the web. It's well worth checking out.