Courtesy: CBS Local New York
Yes you read that correctly people. After watching the 80th MLB All-Star Game and the performance he displayed, there is no doubt in my mind about “Captain Clutch’s” place in history. The consummate professional both on and off the field. A role model for everyone and not just for the millions of kids who look up to the Yankee slugger.
He inspires other players to ascend what most consider to be the norm. Arriving to the ballpark early and taking his responsibility very seriously. There’s no tricked out Bentleys or Rolls Royce Phantoms entering the Bronx with an entourage spilling out of them. There’s no illegitimate children from multiple women. His name has never been mentioned during the so called “steroid” era. There’s no gaudy jewelry to attract extra attention to himself.
Jeter has always let his extraordinary skills on the baseball field do the talking for him. His hard work and positive attitude have always been a bright spot for the Bronx Bombers. After all, those are the values that Dorothy and Sanderson Jeter instilled in Derek while he was growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Although Jeter had always been in the spotlight for the beautiful women he associated with, he never let that deter him from his ultimate goal of winning, winning, and more winning.
Jeter approached the game of baseball like the job that it was and he took his job seriously. He understood that baseball was just a platform that could help him create opportunities for others. His Turn 2 Foundation has helped countless youths in the Tampa Florida area. It consists of the same support system that has surrounded Derek since day one. There are no yes men or “business” partners. Just Dorothy, Sanderson, Sharlee, and Derek Jeter.
You see, if you want to talk stats then Jeter has those. You want to talk championships then Jeter has those. In the words of LeBron James, “not one, not two, not three, but FIVE rings!” You want to talk about impacting an entire generation then Jeter has done it better than anyone. You want to talk about carrying an entire franchise on his back in the biggest market in sports, all while competing with another team in the same city, again that’s Derek Jeter.
The Greatest Of All Time isn’t just an athlete. He’s an Icon, a Philanthropist, a consummate professional. He is Derek Sanderson Jeter and we thank him for twenty great years. In the words of Shawn Corey Carter aka Jay-Z, “what more can I say?”
