It was business as usual on February 12th as I sat in my office, doing work and occasionally checking out my Twitter feed. All was well in the world as baseball was right around the corner with pitchers and catchers getting ready to report to Spring Training. Hope was in the air for the 2014 Yankees team after signing big-name free agents Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. There was ringing endorsements for a pitching staff that looked ready to take on the league, and a revamped lineup to set take the team back to the playoffs. And then IT happened. Twitter exploded as the last stitch of the Yankees from my childhood decided this was the end.
Our captain. Our savior. Our Derek Jeter announced that 2014 would be his 20th, and final season playing Short Stop for the New York Yankees.
Just like that, the day stopped and time stood still. Could it really be the end? We knew the time was coming, but we weren’t ready, I know I wasn’t. He told us he had done everything in his career and there was nothing left to accomplish. He told us that he was ready to step aside and take on the next chapter of his life. As this announcement posted on his Facebook page, social media blew up with everyone mentioning their favorite “Jeterian” moment. From his first hit, to his dive into the stands, the flip and becoming Mr. November- the memories are endless, but not countless.
For all the amazing memories Jeter has given us, they have all contributed to five World Series Championships that he was driven to win for the franchise, and more importantly the fans. From the moment Jeter took the field, he was a winner, a fighter and a champion. He made plays that you couldn’t make with just pure skill. His intelligence and instinct for the game was unparalleled by his peers. This allowed him to be in position to dive into the stands, and to fly towards the first base line to flip the throw from the outfield to home plate. Jeter’s passion for the game and ability to stay calm and produce in the most pressure packed moments were what makes him one of the most revered players to play the game.
As we now are hours away from his last game in Yankee Stadium, a day that we knew was coming, but in no way could prepare for, we look back at 20 years of pure class. As I sit here typing, and thinking of all the greatness Jeter has given us Yankee fans, it is hard not to feel the emotional connection I (and all other fans) have had with Jeter’s Yankees. This is the end. This is the final string to the “Core Four”, to the old Yankee Stadium, to all the success and winning ways we became accustomed to. As tough as it is to say goodbye, it is more important to say, thank you.
I know the chances of Derek Jeter reading this post are slim to none, but I just want to take this small space in the digital world to say thank you Derek. Thank you for some of the greatest sports memories of my life. Thank you for showing how to play the game of baseball with grace, honor, humility and most of all respect. I modeled my baseball game after you, all the way down to the way you take an inside pitch. I learned to play every play like it was your last, to hustle down the first baseline every time and I learned to give everything I had to the game from watching you play. The respect you had for the game, your teammates, your opposition and the fans were second to none.
As Jeter steps off the field at Yankee Stadium for the final time tonight we, as Yankee fans, and baseball fans, are saluting a man who has given everything to the game. There is no doubt that when Jeter tips his cap for the last time before ducking into the clubhouse, I will be misty eyed and overcome with emotion. I will be sad, I will be confused, but most of all I will be happy. Happy to remember everything that Jeter gave me as a fan.
Seeing Jeter play is something I will talk to my children and grandchildren about one day. Luckily I have the advantage that my father and grandfathers didn’t have. I will be able to show all of the amazing YouTube highlights Jeter has given us over the years. There are an endless amount of highlights to show from his career, the hard part will be deciding which one to show first.
It has often been said by his peers that Jeter’s career has been a fairy tale, or only something scripted in Hollywood. With one game left in the Bronx tonight, I have a feeling that his finale may be the best act yet.
“O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done”
