I have to disagree.  Sure, Captain is not a contractual position, but it does carry weight in the clubhouse.  The guy who earnes the title is supposed to be the team leader.  He is the “go to” guy when there are issues. He’s the guy that should step in to take care of small problems before they become big problems.  The guy who says something to the rookie when he’s hotdogging. The guy who deflects some media attention when it gets in the way of the team’s best interests.  The guy who, above all, should not treat one player differently than another.  John, you’re right… there are more big contracts today, and even more big egos, many of which won’t respond to words of wisdom from the Captain or even the Manager.  Even so, if Jeter didn’t want the responsibility, he should not have acccepted the title.