Major League Baseball

As Jeter exits, the last link to sports dynasties leaves with him

Published Sep. 26, 2014 10:01 a.m. ET

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People laughed when Derek Jeter's socks went on sale. For $409.99, fans could buy one game-worn piece of hosiery.

It seemed a bit steep, especially since the sock had been washed. If it still had Jeter's DNA, a mad scientist might at least have been able to try to clone another dynasty.

Unfortunately for fans of sustained domination, it will take more than a sock to replicate what Jeter symbolized. The Yankees captain was the last link to the last American sports empire.

That's a stretch, since the Yankees won only one World Series in the past 14 seasons. But they took four of six in Jeter's early years, which more than qualifies as dynastic.

There is no standard measure, but four world championships in a short span is a good minimum. Either that, or ruling 22 percent of world's land mass.

That's what the British Empire encompassed to be the all-time career leader in dynasty size. The Ming Dynasty ruled much of Asia for 250 years. Napoleon had a nice dynasty going until Waterloo. Imagine what one of his game-worn socks would be worth today.

But what do the Brits, the Mings,  the Boston Celtics, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the old-time Yankees have in common? They happened long ago. These days nobody, not even George Steinbrenner, can rule the world for long.

The reasons are the same in any major sport. Free agency has turned rosters into roulette wheels. When the Yankees won 10 World Series in 16 seasons in the 1940s and '50s, they used two centerfielders – Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

Now they go through centerfielders like Jeter goes through supermodel girlfriends. He was the modern-sports rarity, a superstar who spent his entire career with the same team.

"You guys have all watched me grow up over the last 20 years," he told fans at one of his going-away events at Yankee Stadium. "I've watched you, too. Some of you guys are getting old, too."

Old enough to remember when only four teams made the playoffs. Until 1969, it was just two. All a team had to do was win the National or American league title, and it went straight to the World Series.

Now with wild-card expansion, a team might face four different opponents and need as many 13 wins to secure a World Series crown.

Football and basketball have also made the road to a title much more winding and treacherous. Expansion, free agency and parity explain why no team will ever come close to winning 11 titles in 13 years, like Red Auerbach's Celtics.

We may also never see a preeminent player not only stay with the same team for 20 years, but also play the same position. Jeter became the Yankees shortstop at 20 and never left.

It wasn't just the longevity that made him special. It was all the hits, Gold Gloves, clutch plays and class. Jeter floated above the scandals and tabloid headlines that claimed so many stars of his generation. That's why his retirement turned into a national love fest.

Fans could choose from 29 different Jeter baseball caps at the MLB store. He could have quite a garage sale with the gifts team gave him on his farewell tour.

Among other things, he got personalized cowboy boots, a pinstriped electric guitar, golf clubs, Stan Musial cufflinks, a paddleboard, a basket of crabs and a $6,000 kayak. It all led up to the final hurrahs at Yankee Stadium, which opened the gates an hour early so fans could watch Jeter take batting practice.

They wanted a final look at the last member of the Steinbrenner Empire. Jorge Posada, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams and Joe Torre were long gone. Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera had left the year before.

"You always keep memories and hold onto those great years, but you can close the book on that team," O'Neill told reporters. "As soon as Derek Jeter hangs up those spikes, those teams are done."

He was talking about the modern Yankees title machine, but he might as well have meant an era in American sports. As Jeter kayaks into the sunset, he is taking the last great dynasty with him.

No wonder people were paying $410 for one of his socks.

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