Derek Jeter: The Owner

When people hear the name Derek Jeter, they think of Jeter as a hall of fame player. What Jeter could do on the diamond made the stuff of a legend. He could hit, throw, field, run, basically Jeter could do everything on the Diamond. He could do it all well, which is what is going to help get his proper place in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. There's no denying the fact that Derek Jeter knows baseball. But the question is, does he know the game well enough to make it as an owner? That's the big question for Jeter as he is part of the new ownership group of the Miami Marlins.

A group headlined by Derek Jeter and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have reached an agreement in principle to buy the team from Jeffrey Loria, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The deal is supposedly worth about $1.3 billion. The deal is pending approval from Major League Baseball and finalization of other details, which could take months to complete.

Should things stay pat, Jeter joins a long list of ex-athletes who have become owners of teams. Some of the biggest names that have taken ownership of teams after their playing careers ended includes Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky, just to name a few. As far as this situation goes, Jeter will be a minority owner in the team, while the majority of the ownership is going to be handled by Jeb Bush, Here are some of the details, according to reports:

Bush plans to be the Marlins' "control person," the individual who would have ultimate control over franchise decisions, according to the source. Jeter, the former All-Star player who lives in Tampa, plans to play an active role in the franchise. Bush's group includes at least five investors, and the identity of those investors and their connections to South Florida are unknown. All of Bush and Jeter's partners would need to be vetted and approved by Major League Baseball.

From the vibe I'm getting from some of the reports I've read and listened to, I think the role Jeter is going to play in ownership is that more of the face of the ownership rather then a decision maker. He's a lot more like what Magic Johnson is doing with the Dodgers, in that he's more there for a recognizable face and adding star power rather then really running the team. There's no denying that Jeter knows a lot more about baseball then Magic does, and Jeter did express an interest in owning a team before the end of his playing days.

Derek can also possibly add a lot of playing knowledge to the owners box as well. So whatever baseball insight Jeter has that can be put to good use should be taken full advantage of if your the Marlins, Bush will be the one calling the shots, but Jeter will be the face of the ownership group and will, I'm sure, be providing some tips on how to put a winning team on the field.