One of His Numbers Carried a High Value

Derek Jeter, who last week broke Phil Rizzuto’s club record by playing his 1,648th game at shortstop for the New York Yankees, is bidding to become the first Yankees shortstop to win the American League most-valuable-player award since Rizzuto in 1950.

Jeter lacks the power numbers of Boston’s David Ortiz and Chicago’s Jermaine Dye, but a shortstop’s value to his team can’t be quantified in statistics alone. In 1950, Rizzuto batted .324 with seven home runs and 66 runs batted in, yet finished ahead of the likes of Yogi Berra, George Kell, Bob Lemon and Joe DiMaggio in that season’s AL MVP voting.

How valuable was Rizzuto?

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News revisited the story of how in September 1950, Rizzuto received a death threat. A letter warned Rizzuto that he would be shot if he showed up in uniform against Boston. Rizzuto turned the letter over to the FBI and notified his manager, Casey Stengel.

“You know what Casey did?” Rizzuto later told Sport magazine. “He gave me a different number and gave mine to Billy Martin. Can you imagine that?”

Trivia time: What is Jeter’s best showing in the AL MVP balloting?

Blueberries are actually purple: If you think sports wagering is out of control here, consider this recent item from Scotland: Scott Campbell, a 20-year student at Edinburgh, has taken a dare to eat only foods colored green and white -- the colors of his favorite soccer team, Celtic -- for the next six months.

“In the morning, I’ll have just apples and I’m also allowed bananas, because the inside of them is white, and a glass of milk,” Campbell told the UK’s Press Assn. “For lunch, I just have a salad and at night I’ll have a fish or chicken dish.”

Memo to fans of English Premier League teams Chelsea, Birmingham City and Manchester City: Do not try this at home. Your teams share the same nickname, the Blues, and you’ll remember George Carlin’s famous bit about, “Why is there no blue food? I can’t find blue food.... Where is the blue food?”

The fiber is good for you: Maybe John Kruk could learn a thing or two from Campbell. Kruk looks as if he supports the English soccer club Everton -- nickname: the Toffees -- and recently told Playboy magazine, “Dieting is like getting a fancy present and eating the box.”

Non-appreciation day: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays decided to give away bobblehead dolls of the team’s TV broadcasters DeWayne Staats and Joe Magrane to the first 15,000 fans who attended a recent home game against Seattle. According to bobblehead expert David Hallstrom, only 14,503 attended the game, meaning 497 bobbleheads were turned away at the gate.

Trivia answer: In 1998, Jeter finished third behind Juan Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra.

And finally: John Baldwin, the last surviving charter member of Keller Golf Club in St. Paul, Minn., turns 100 on Sept. 16. Marking the occasion, the St. Paul Pioneer Press asked Baldwin for the secret to his long life.

“Moderation in everything,” Baldwin replied. “I quit smoking when I was 82.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com