Alex Futterman, Staff Writer
Last month, Derek Jeter might not have left the game with a home run, but he did perform once thought impossible. He brought the Red Sox and Yankees fans together.
EARLY LIFE
Derek Sanderson Jeter has 1 younger sister, a mother and a father. He was born on June 26,1974, in Pequannock NJ. At age 4 he moved Kalamazoo MI. He has played baseball his whole life. He played varsity baseball as a freshman in high school. Soon after he was offered a full ride to Michigan University but declined and was drafted 6th by the Yankees in the ‘92 draft. His starting salary was $700,000 and a college education. (He played four years in the minors.) Jeter made his major league debut early on the 1995 season when Fernández and infielder Pat Kelly were injured.
DEBUT
After playing for a short time after Pat Kelly was injured. Jeter was ready to play the opening game of the ‘96 season. This debut would change his life. He was the first starter rookie shortstop to play for the Yankees since the since Tom Tresh in 1962. He was voted unanimously (28 votes) for the American League rookie of the year for only the 5th time in baseball’s history. For most of the ‘96 season Jeter batted 9th in the order but as he exceeded expectations and by the postseason he was first in the order. That was the first time the ‘Yanks had won a world series in 18 years.
THE THREE-PETE
Jeter went on to win 3 straight world series in the 1998, 1999, and 2000 seasons. While having a batting average of 0.337 for all 3 regular seasons. When Jeter completed the three-peat, it was his best season to date. In 2000 Jeter batted a team-best, .339 in the regular season. In the 2000 post-season Jeter hit .409 including the World Series against the New York Mets. By doing so he increased World Series hitting streak to 14 games. The Yankees defeated the Mets in five games for their third consecutive title and fourth in Jeter's first five.
MR. NOVEMBER
After Jeter won his fourth World Series (third consecutive), he was a super-star. On September 11, heading into the 2001 World Series, tragedy struck New York when two planes crashed into the twin towers. The attacks drew the World Series out until November. This was the first year the World Series would ever be held in November, and that's how Jeter got one of his many nicknames.
As the World Series crawled into November, Derek Jeter became Mr. November with a ‘walk-off’ home run to end Game 4, to tie the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. Although the Yankees lost this World Series three games to four. This World Series gave New York State something to believe in after the tragic 9/11 attacks.
THE STAND ALONE WORLD SERIES, 2009
To kick off the 2009 season, Yankees manager Joe Girardi switched Jeter and Johnny Damon in the batting order, with Damon moving to second and Jeter to the leadoff role. Defensively, Jeter put up his best numbers of his career. He committed a career-low eight errors, and a .986 fielding percentage. 2009 was also the year he attained two career hit milestones. On August 16, 2009, Jeter hit his 2,675th hit as a shortstop, breaking Luis Aparicio's previous major league record. Twenty-six days later Jeter made history again on September 11, 2009, becoming the all-time hits leader as a member of the Yankees (2,722), passing Lou Gehrig. To top off the year he won the World Series, was named Sportsman of the Year for 2009 by Sports Illustrated, won the Roberto Clemente Award, and also won the Hank Aaron Award.
LAST SEASON: RE2PECT
Jeter announced on his Facebook page on February 12, 2014. That the 2014 season would be his last. While making his last rounds each opposing team honored Jeter with a gift which included donations to Jeter’s charity Turn 2 Foundation. On July 10, 2014 Jeter recorded his 1,000th career multi-hit game, becoming the fourth player to do so. In July, Jeter broke Omar Vizquel's MLB career record of 2,609 games started at shortstop, and Gehrig's franchise career record of 534 doubles. Jeter also passed Carl Yastrzemski for seventh place on MLB's all-time career hit list on July 28, and on August 11, he passed Honus Wagner, climbing to sixth on the all-time hits list. During Jeter's final series at Yankee Stadium, Louisville Slugger announced they would retire their "P72" model baseball bat, which was the bat Jeter used. However, it w
ill now be sold under the name "DJ2", in Jeter's honor.
TURN 2 FOUNDATION
Jeter’s Foundation; ‘TURN 2’ was established to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction, to reward those who show high academic achievement and adopt healthier lifestyles. The mission statement of the Turn 2 Foundation is "To create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and 'TURN 2' healthy lifestyles.” Over the past sixteen years ‘Turn 2’ raised over $17 million in grants to programs located in New York City, the Western Michigan area, and Tampa, Florida.
PEOPLES PERCEPTION OF THE LEGEND
Many people have unique opinions about Jeter. Good and bad the HAWKEYE staff investigated them all;
1.) Jeremy O’Connell, a Physical Education teacher at Newtown High School, stated his praise about Jeter. “Jeter represents everything that is right” O’Connell said. 2.) Gregg Simon the athletic director here at NHS agrees with O’Connell saying “In a day and age when many athletes continue to make bad choices and do bad things, that dominate the headlines, it’s nice to see an athlete who for 20 years under the New York microscope , under the spotlight that New York is for any athlete he has always done things the right way.” Simon stated. 3.) After all Jeter says, “Obviously, you're known for what you do. But you still want to be known as a good person. You're a person a lot longer before and after you're a professional athlete.” -Derek Jeter said to menshealth.com.
Now not all opinions of him are praise. NHS Guidance counselor Jeff Tolson is a ‘die-hard- anyone-who-beats-the-Yankees-fan’. “It will be nice to see him retire and see another team get into the playoffs,” Tolson said. Yankees fans by saying “Jump off the ship while you can [Yankees fans].” Tolson isn’t an ignorant person, he still recognizes the iconic man as a baseball figure “Better than any player I can think of he has managed to stay out of trouble,[and] stay out of the negative limelight.” Tolson explained.
Regardless of Jeter’s stats, popular vote agrees he is an excellent role model and without a doubt has great character. As Jeter always says, ”Your image isn't your character. Character is what you are as a person.” -Derek Jeter said to menshealth.com
Player Profile
has won 4% of the of the World Series ever (109 world series total)
Has been in 6% of World ever
Total
Games played: 2747 games
RBI: 1311
HR: 260
At Bats: 11,195
Batting avg. 0.310
Hits: 3,465
never been ejected from a game
Went to school on senior skip day
has a home in Marlboro Township NJ, Greenwood lake NY, and Davis Island (near Tampa, FL)
has the best selling jersey of all time
Captain form ‘03-‘14: 11 years
in the 3,000 hit club
Net worth: 189 million dollars more than his massive contract (one of the few)
For his entire career Bob Sheppard has announced Derek Jeter’s name as he stepped up to the plate. Even after he died on July 11, 2010. New York kept the tape of Bob Sheppard saying his name and up until his last home game. No one but Bob Sheppard has announced Jeter’s name in Yankee Stadium.
Awards
14 time AL All Star
5 time Golden Glove Winner
5 time Silver Slugger Winner
2 time Hank Aaron Award Winner
World Series MVP 2000
All Star MVP in 2000
Photo Credit; highsnobiety.com
