Before this season began, there was speculation about Derek Jeter, the fixture at shortstop for the Yankees since the mid-1990s. With his contract complete and at the advanced age of 37, fans and sports pundits opined about his future with the team specifically and the game in general. Perhaps that's why DEREK JETER: FROM THE PAGES OF THE NEW YORK TIMES came out this spring.

This is the type of book --- oversized, full of great photos, story reprints, statistics, and anecdotes --- that's usually reserved for the end of a long and productive career, or Hall of Fame induction, or, at times, even death. So, as much as it is appreciated, the timing has to make you wonder.

While the coffee table volume is certainly a worthy tribute, the composition is a bit disjunctive. It does not follow a standard chronological or even thematic formula; it almost seems slapdash in its editorial construct, although this probably will not lessen the enjoyment for any of Jeter's legion of fans.