And, in the case of Jeter, who represented the tying run in a taut game, it allows a player to pretend that a pitch hit him when it did not. 
 
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 Fans from just about everywhere weighed in on Jeter’s performance Thursday, some applauding his cleverness, others condemning him as a fraud and not the role model he is supposed to be. 
 
 Those who make their living in baseball just shrugged. 
 
 “I cannot understand what the commotion is,” said the Fox baseball broadcaster Tim McCarver, a former major league catcher, as he took stock of the uproar. 
 
 “Why question that?” he said of Jeter’s actions. “I can’t believe anyone would say that’s cheating.” 
 
 Minnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team has lost repeatedly to Jeter’s Yankees in the postseason, agreed. 
 
 “You have to be an actor in this game, you have to be,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of the game. Jeter, you could see him staring over there in the video, sly as a cat. It’s just the way it is. Call it what you want to call it, it happens. It’s happened forever.” 
 
 The play in question occurred in the top of the seventh, with one out and the Yankees trailing, Tampa Bay, 2-1, with first place on the line in the American League East. 
 
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 The first pitch from Chad Qualls came in on Jeter’s hands — where he often does get hit — and smacked the knob of his bat as he spun away. He tossed his bat, clutched his elbow and hopped toward the Yankees’ dugout. 
 
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 Having been awarded first base by the plate umpire, Lance Barksdale, Jeter continued to pretend he was in discomfort. Manager Joe Girardi raced out, as did the Yankees trainer, Gene Monahan, who examined Jeter’s arm. 
 
 “Geno acted more than I did, I guess,” Jeter said afterward. 
 
 Some of those who criticized Jeter on blog posts pointed to the elaborate way he feigned being hurt, saying his actions crossed over into outright dishonesty. They asked: Why not just jog to first right away? 
 
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 But Jeter probably had good cause to lather it on. After the ball hit his bat (and apparently grazed his uniform), it bounced into fair territory. The Rays even threw the ball to first, so Jeter knew that if the umpires reversed the initial call, he might be called out. 
 
 Rays Manager Joe Maddon was barking, the umpires were getting ready to huddle, a game was on the line. An Emmy performance was called for, and Jeter does have acting experience. And sure enough, after Jeter took first, Curtis Granderson homered to give the Yankees a temporary lead. 
 
 McCarver lauded Jeter’s awareness of what was at stake — that the umpires might change their minds, that they might need some extra convincing. 
 
 “What upset some people, perhaps, is that he was so demonstrative when it hit the bat, but to think that quickly is remarkable,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘No, the ball didn’t hit me.’ You’re trying to get on base; you’re trying to win the game.” 
 
 “It’s gamesmanship,” Bob Costas, another veteran baseball commentator, said approvingly of Jeter’s actions. “This is completely different from steroids or stealing signs with a pair of binoculars.” 
 
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 In his decade and a half in baseball, Jeter has built up respect as the captain of the Yankees and the winner of five championships. 
 
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 He is held in such high esteem that peers use him as a counterpoint to comment on others’ transgressions. In chiding Jeter’s teammate, Alex Rodriguez, for running across the pitcher’s mound earlier this season, Oakland’s Dallas Braden suggested that he “watch his captain a little more often.” 
 
 Curt Schilling slammed Rodriguez for his infamous slap play against the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 A.L. Championship Series with a barb that cut to Rodriguez’s insecurities and Jeter’s aura: “Would Derek Jeter ever do that?” he asked. “No chance.” 
 
 Rodriguez has a way of operating outside those unwritten rules. He was mocked for the slap play and called out by the umpires, a key moment in Boston’s historic comeback in that series. In 2007, he was belittled when he yelled “Ha!” as he ran past a Toronto infielder settling under a pop-up. The ball fell for a hit, and a brawl nearly ensued. 
 
 Had it been Rodriguez who feigned being hit by a pitch, he would have been called a clown — or worse. Jeter? No one is about to call him that. Instead, on Thursday, some in baseball were ready to smile along with him. 
 
 Hisanori Takahashi, the Japanese left-hander for the Mets, recalled a catcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp who would pretend he was hit by a pitch by pinching the back of his hand and leaving a red mark. 
 
 And Keith Hernandez, the Mets broadcaster and former first baseman, said he would have “no issue whatsoever” if he had been manning first and someone reached base on a phantom hit-by-pitch. 
 
 Would he say anything to the player? “I would call him Laurence Olivier and say, ‘Good one,’ ” Hernandez said. 

 Jeter a cheater? Act strikes a nerve 
 
 Derek Jeter … cheater? 
 
 Well, there's a new one. 
 
 Jeter, the New York Yankees' Hall of Fame-bound shortstop, was honored last year as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. When the World Series champion Yankees visited the White House in April, President Barack Obama singled out Jeter and lauded him for — you guessed it — a career of superior sportsmanship. 
 
 Now this. 
 
 Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, Jeter was awarded first base with his Oscar-worthy performance on a phantom hit-by-pitch sequence. He feigned injury, flinging the bat away, doubling over and grimacing as trainer Gene Monaghan rushed to home plate. TV replays indicated the inside pitch by Tampa Bay's Chad Qualls actually struck the knob of Jeter's bat, not his arm, making a clearly audible whack. Umpires bought Jeter's act. 
 
 It immediately set up a two-run homer by Curtis Granderson, temporarily giving New York a one-run lead. But the Rays rallied to win 4-3 and reclaim first place in the American League East, diffusing much of the play's impact. 
 
 Still, the controversy won't die. 
 
 Clearwater's Robert Reader, a retired insurance man, felt his anger growing while watching Jeter fake the injury. Then he thought of something else. 
 
 "My 12-year-old grandson might be seeing this," Reader said Thursday. "Is this really the proper behavior for a guy who is a role model for millions of kids?" 
 
 "I'm just kind of sad," said Tampa's Mary Ann Newsome. "My son plays ball. He looks up to a guy like Derek Jeter, who, I always thought, was the best one out there. I really don't want kids to think it's OK to do this." 
 
 Public debate met uncomfortably at the confluence of mainstream ethics and baseball tradition, where practices such as stealing signs and doctoring balls are not only accepted, they are often celebrated. 
 
 "Baseball seems to be the only sport where cheating is looked upon with some degree of fondness," said Tampa lawyer Marquis Heilig, who writes a Tampa Bay Rays blog (TheRayArea.com) that is part of ESPN.com's "Sweet Spot" network. "If you're looking for your kids to learn life lessons, I guess you should put them in golf, not baseball." 
 
 Part of the game? 
 
 It's commonplace for professional golfers to call rules violations on themselves. At the PGA Championships, Dustin Johnson was penalized for grounding his club in a bunker after finishing the 18th hole in an apparent three-way tie. 
 
 It seemed harsh to casual golf fans, but officials and the golf establishment had a simple justification: Rules are rules. 
 
 "That has been the gentleman's game for years and years," said Pop Cuesta, the baseball coach at Jefferson High School since 1973. "That's not a good comparison. Baseball has its own way and what happened with Derek Jeter is part of the game." 
 
 Part of the game. You hear that a lot from baseball people. 
 
 Cuesta remembers learning something from a cousin who played professional baseball. If the ball comes in on you, the cousin said, pinch yourself on the arm. Leave a red mark. If the umpire sees it, you might get awarded first base. 
 
 "That stuff has been going on a long time," Cuesta said. 
 
 King High School coach Jim Macaluso said it's OK to steal signs from the dugout by picking up the pattern of an opposing coach. It's not OK for a baserunner to reach second, watch the catcher's signals, then tip off the batter on a curveball or inside pitch. 
 
 "You see pitches that just nick a puffed-out jersey, a guy turns into it, sells it, the umpire thinks he got hit," Macaluso said. "It is part of the game. It's the batter's job to get to first base. That was Derek Jeter's job. You're not going to refuse to go to first base. It's the umpire's job to get the call right." 
 
 The baseball philosophy runs counter to a popular sportsmanship television commercial, produced by the Foundation for a Better Life. In a tight high school basketball game, possession is awarded to the home team. But one player speaks up, saying he actually knocked the ball out of bounds. 
 
 "I touched it, Coach. It's their ball," the player says before apologizing to his disgusted teammates, realizing his honesty might decide the championship. 
 
 The coach, initially downcast, suddenly waves the player back: "Good call." 
 
 Idealistic? Probably. Unrealistic in the world of professional sports? Absolutely. 
 
 "Trust me, I'm not one to condone cheating, but there are different forms of cheating," said Jim Rome, host of a nationally syndicated sports radio program. "If you want to say to me, 'Well, I thought Jeter was different. … No, he's not. Not in that regard. 
 
 "Personally, I don't have a problem with this. And I don't think he let down our nation's youth. … Have you watched a lot of major league baseball? If you do, you know it happens all the time. How is this a news flash to anybody?" 
 
 Detractors and defenders 
 
 The news flash might be that America's sports fans, for the first time ever, are questioning the character of Jeter, a Tampa resident who does considerable local charitable work with his Turn 2 Foundation. 
 
 "I've heard this talk, but look, it's a baseball game," University of South Florida baseball coach Lelo Prado said. "Every parent should want their kid to be like Derek Jeter. He's one of the classiest people to ever play this game." 
 
 The Rays agree with that. 
 
 "I admire Derek a lot," Rays pitcher James Shields said. "He stands for everything that's right with this game." 
 
 Rays manager Joe Maddon was incredulous at the call, particularly because the ball caromed back into fair territory. 
 
 "I thought it was going to be a line drive to right field," Maddon said. 
 
 At the same time, Maddon added, "If one of our guys had done it, I would've applauded, too. It was a great performance." 
 
 Jeter admitted the same afterward. 
 
 He said his dramatic reaction was due to the bat's "vibration." 
 
 Pause. 
 
 "And acting." 
 
 "I've been hit before and they said it hit the bat," Jeter said. "So it goes both ways. Fortunately for us, it paid off at the time. But surely, it would have been a bigger story had we won the game." 
 
 Monday, on the first day of this week's Rays-Yankees three-game series, a reporter asked Jeter about his sterling reputation. 
 
 "It's not like I never make mistakes in my life," Jeter said. "I try to carry myself in the best manner possible." 
 
 Fair or not, a lot of people viewed Jeter in a different light Wednesday night. 
 
 "I know he does a lot of good for a lot of people," said Newsome, the mother of a Little League player. "Maybe I'm naïve. I guess I just expected better." 
 
 Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353. 
 
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 The critics agree! It's the role of a lifetime! We laughed, we cried! 
 
 (Quite a few cursed, too, but we'll get to that in a minute.) 
 
 And now, the Oscar for the best performance by a .262 hitter in a starring role goes to ... 
 
 Derek Jeter, of course. It's a landslide for 2010. He was even better than Robert Duvall in Get Low. 
 
 As the debate still howls, let's first make sure due notice is given to the presence of mind and stage talent this required. A pitch caroms off the end of Jeter's bat Wednesday night with a crack loud enough to carry to the cheap seats at Tropicana Field and, without rehearsal, Jeter immediately wins over the home-plate umpire by shaking his arm as if he had just been winged by John Wayne. Talk about your Night at the Improv. 
 
 "A heady play," Joe Maddon called it, and he manages for the other team, the Tampa Bay Rays. 
 
 So why is everyone throwing a hissy fit? 
 
 Because he's Jeter, and the captain is supposed to be Mr. Clean, above such unsavory behavior as trying to dupe the umpire? Lots of people just noticed his last name rhymes with cheater. 
 
 Because it's the Yankees, and since they already get all of the money and attention, why should they get all of the calls? 
 
 Because it's right there on television, and if we couldn't watch the Brink's robbery in slow motion, at least we can watch this? 
 
 Probably yes to all of the above. Here's a guess. Jarrod Dyson led off for the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, the same as Jeter did for the Yankees. Had Dyson pulled this thespian act, would there have been a peep of moral outrage? Doubtful. 
 
 But the talk shows have boiled ever since Jeter turned into Leonardo DiCaprio in a Yankees cap. Some are charging a crime against the propriety of baseball (a sport where they steal signs with glee). 
 
 So what should we do, make him give the base back, like it was Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy? 
 
 Jeter is what makes this so fascinating. You wonder if that .262 average has him desperate to find new ways to get on base. You try to decide if there is something unsettling in watching a Bronx god indulge in human chicanery. 
 
 Perhaps. But there is really no more reason for condemnation here than there is for the receiver who holds the football high in the air with two hands after trapping a pass, trying to convince the side judge a catch was made. 
 
 Or the shortstop who holds up his glove, trying to win an out call on a tag he missed. 
 
 Or the basketball forward who collapses like a soufflé, hoping to draw a charge. Some notoriously flop, but nearly everyone at least ... emphasizes. 
 
 The word is "gamesmanship," and this is the way it is in professional sport, where not only glory but also livelihoods are at stake. More accurately, it is trying to make use of the power of suggestion. Feel free to throw this matter onto the pile of reasons for the use of more replay in baseball. The camera is immune to the power of suggestion. 
 
 If one could quibble with anything about Jeter's performance, it'd be his postgame script. He needed to be, ah, fuzzier in his memory of the event. 
 
 That way, he would not have stated so plainly that home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale was the proud new owner of the Brooklyn Bridge. Of all the nouns that umpires are called, "sucker" is probably among their least favorite. 
 
 How many stars for the Jeter Show? Four, for creativity? None, for lousy sportsmanship? Some of you have asked what the children will think. Not a trivial concern, but there are so many other flaws in our games and those who play them that send terrible messages, this is way down the list. Does it really deserve so much noise? 
 
 Still, it could have been worse. 
 
 Imagine the storm had Alex Rodriguez pulled this.
– He's a shoe-in for baseball's Hall of Fame, he's this years' reigning Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, and his Yankees are battling to stay atop the American League East standings. On Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter admittedly feigned an injury from a pitch that ricocheted off the end of his bat and was awarded first base for being hit by a pitch, which he was not. Minutes later he crossed home plate off a Curtis Granderson home run, giving the Yanks a short-lived lead. The Rays eventually won 4-3 and moved into first place alone following the game. Baseball insiders have mostly yawned or applauded Jeter and indicated it's just part of the game. While the controversy continues, people generally do seem to agree on one thing—it certainly was good acting. For more details and acting reviews, see the Tampa Tribune, New York Times, and USA Today. For previous Jeter coverage, click here.