NEW YORK — Only Derek Jeter aced the assignment. The five-time Yankees champion stood atop the mound before Game 3 of the World Series on Monday and fired a strike with his ceremonial first pitch.
A generation ago, before a different Game 3 at a different Yankee Stadium, Jeter had instructed George W. Bush to do the same thing. The President of the United States took the advice of the Yankees shortstop, and the home team went on to sweep three games in the Bronx after losing twice on the road.
Everybody knows how that 2001 World Series ended.