Where does Jeter rank in 10 greatest Yankees?

The forum has changed through the years. The corner bar has given way to social media and TV and radio debates, but the argument remains the same. This is the same argument your father had with his father.

The argument that your son or daughter will have with you.

Try to pick the 10 Greatest Yankees in order and you might as well pick a baseball fight.

That’s OK. The level of greatness lies in the eyes of the beholder. It is the passion, the beauty, the numbers and the history of the game that is important.

Now that Derek Jeter has announced he is retiring at the end of the 2014 season, a panel of 10 Post baseball experts assembled their lists of the 10 Greatest Yankees.

This is not just the end of Jeter’s career, for a generation of fans, this is the end a chapter of Yankee greatness. This generation now understands how it once felt to a previous generation when Mickey Mantle limped away from the the game or when Joe DiMaggio walked away from all those cheers.

So where does Jeter belong in the list of 10 Greatest Yankees? Babe Ruth undoubtedly is at the top of the list, with Lou Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle not far behind. To me, Jeter belongs one notch below Ruth because of where he stands on the all-time lists and the way he played in pinstripes.

The final Post tally has him finishing sixth.

Where No. 2 truly belongs is open to debate, and will be to your children’s children.

Here are the New York Post’s 10 Greatest Yankees of All-Time, based on a poll of the paper’s baseball writers and editors, nine of whom vote for the Hall of Fame:

1. Babe Ruth – The Bambino’s 714 homers stood as a record from 1935-74. Still regarded by most as baseball’s all-time greatest player.

2. Lou Gehrig – The Iron Horse’s 2,130 consecutive games streak was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. and his Yankees hit record eclipsed by Jeter.

3. Joe DiMaggio – Joltin’ Joe had a record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 … and in 1954 married Marilyn Monroe!

4. Mickey Mantle – The Mick won the Triple Crown in 1956 and had 536 homers in an injury-wracked career.

5. Yogi Berra – The most quotable Yankee won 10 rings as a  player, bagged three AL MVPs and made the All-Star team 18 times.

6. Derek Jeter – The Captain since 2003, Jeter is the all-time Yankees hit leader with 3,316 and counting, with five rings on his fingers including 2000 World Series MVP. Also was AL Rookie of the Year in 1996 and a 13-time All-Star.

7. Mariano Rivera – Mo is baseball’s all-time saves leader with 653.

8. Whitey Ford – The Chairman of the Board is the Yanks’ all-time wins leader with 236.

9. Bill Dickey – Career Yankee catcher won eight rings as a player.

10. Don Mattingly – Donnie Baseball hit .307 with 1,099 RBIs in an injury-shortened career, won one MVP but is a rare Yankee star with no World Series titles.