Class act. One of the best to ever play the position. A legend in Yankee lore. Mr. November. The Captain
The number of phrases used to characterize Derek Jeter seem to have no limits. The man known as “The Captain” is stepping away from the game of baseball after two decades as the starting shortstop of the most storied franchise in Major League Baseball: the New York Yankees. It will definitely be an odd sight when the Yankees take the field next season without No.2. But for a player who has given the Yankees, the MLB and the game of baseball everything, this end is a well deserved one.
The MLB, not the Yankees, will miss his presence the most. During Jeter’s 20 year career, the league faced arguably its biggest battle: the Steroid Era. Most of the league’s most prolific power hitters and pitchers, including Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, either faced allegations or were confirmed to be using performance enhancing drugs. In addition to Clemens, another superstar teammate of Jeter’s, Alex Rodriguez, also faced multiple accusations and confirmations of steroid use. It was rather fitting that A-Rod didn’t play a single game with “The Captain” during Jeter’s historic final campaign.
Jeter gave the MLB a clean face when it needed him the most. There is a reason why he is widely regarded as a class act. Even fans of the Yankees’ most hated rival, the Red Sox, begrudgingly respect him. Just take a look at how Red Sox Nation treated him during his last series at Fenway this past weekend. Chants of “Der-ek Je-ter!” filled the Boston air as the crowd roared when he gave them the final curtain call of his legendary career after being removed following an RBI infield single in the third inning of Sunday’s season finale.
This season has been a swan song filled with highlights for the Yankee captain. From his climb up the latter of the all-time hits list (he finished with 3,465, good enough for sixth) to his fine performance in his ninth and final All-Star Game (where he went 2-for-2 and was voted a starter by the fans), Jeter gave his fans a final season to remember. But his finale at new Yankee Stadium, which is already being dubbed by some of the Bronx faithful as “The House That Jeter Built,” was the storybook ending that many of us expected from him.
The Yankees were up against the division-winning Orioles, a team that had caused a lot of great battles early in the Captain’s career. Bottom of the ninth inning, and the game was tied 5-5. Teammate and friend Ichiro Suzuki was on second base, and Jeter came up to the plate. The crowd fell silent as Jeter came up and worked the count to 1-2. But when he ripped an Evan Meek pitch into right field, the stadium erupted with a noise so loud that it definitely registered on the Richter scale. A walk-off RBI single gave the Yankees the win, and Jeter’s fellow Bronx Bombers mobbed him on the field as the atmosphere was filled with cries of jubilation.
It was an ending straight out of a fairy tale, and a moment that just had to happen. For all of Jeter’s struggles this season (including his 0-for-24 streak at the plate that he snapped against the Rays on September 17), that moment made all of the rough stretches worth it. It is a moment that will not only be etched in Yankee legend, but in the history books of Major League Baseball as well. Try as they might, the Yankees will never be able to truly replace Jeter. He was a transcendent talent at one of the hardest defensive positions (shortstop) in baseball. But he was also much more than that.
Jeter’s style of play and leadership have spread throughout the world of sports. Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald talked to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King about one of the highlights in the Captain’s career, and the lesson learned afterward.
“My favorite Derek Jeter moment happened July 2004 in the 12th inning of a tie game versus the rival Red Sox. Jeter tracks a fly off the bat of Trot Nixon, makes a sensational catch and dives head-first into the stands. The Yankees won the game in 13 innings. Jeter’s postgame comments were classic: ‘I always play hard and lead by example. That’s my job.’ That moment stuck with me as I headed into my first NFL training camp,” Fitzgerald said.
Legendary players inspire other great talents to follow their lead. Jeter is basically a lock as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Based on his career trajectory, it looks like Fitzgerald has a solid chance to join him, albeit in the NFL. Of course, playing with a collection of superstars and eclectic personalities has forged Jeter into the charismatic leader he has become. From Mariano Rivera to A-Rod, Jeter has led these men by his tireless, winning attitude on the field, and mostly quiet life off of it.
So now that Derek Jeter is leaving baseball behind, where does the sport turn to replace him? Much like the Yankees above, the league simply cannot. The Captain’s hard nosed style of play, pearly white smile, ability to lead by example, and be a global face for the MLB is something that cannot be replaced by one type of player. He is the last true icon for arguably the world’s most recognizable sports franchise.
All we can do is follow his example. Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said it best: “I can’t tell you how much I love him. A couple of years ago, in spring training, I had a chance to spend 30 minutes with him. I wanted to talk to him about leadership, and about empowering some of our players to be leaders. He told me something I knew all along, but coming from him, it just meant more. It was words to the effect of, Leadership is more about what I do, not what I say. You don’t tell people you’ve got to run out every ground ball. You just run out every ground ball. I always liked what John Madden said about him the most: ‘Derek Jeter’s one of those guys you pick first. Then you decide what sport you’re playing,’” Garrett told King.
Thus ends the career of the Captain. Even though Jeter will no longer be playing the game that made him who he is today, his impact will always be felt for generations to come.
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com