The world was a really different place in 1995: Bill Clinton was president; Seinfeld is still making its first appearances on television; few people own cell phones (and they’re quite large); we just got used to e-mail and the Internet; and the Twin Towers still stand strong in lower Manhattan.
In the following years, fast change became the norm, terrorism came to our doorsteps on September 11, and smartphones and social media came to redefine modern communications. Amid it all, fewer and fewer aspects of life remained constant, but throughout it all, Derek Jeter played shortstop for the New York Yankees.
Jeter’s arrival on the scene comes as baseball is still suffering from the effects of the longest outage in its history that canceled the World Series in 1994. Sportswriters try to foretell what will save the sport and rebuild the fan base. In 1998, they thought they had found safety as the first baseman for St. Louis. Louis Cardinals, Mark McGwire and Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa battled hard to beat Roger Maris’ long-standing single-season home run record of 61. Every televised sports report or print newspaper coverage featured the regular home run count of the two sluggers and at the end of the season, Maris’ record was broken as McGwire finished with 70 over Sosa’s 66.
For a brief time, interest in baseball soared, but racing home runs opened the door to accusations of steroids and the use of performance-enhancing drugs by McGwire, Sosa and several other Major League players, plunging the sport into the darkness of scandal for several years. It seems that nobody is immune from the investigations that followed, the resulting testimonies and convictions, and the tarnished reputations of the players involved. Are there any “good guys” left in baseball, or have competition and greed replaced honor and work ethic?
While it seems that sports headlines are dominated by player mistakes, Derek Jeter is starting to emerge as a player doing something right. Not only has his on-field and on-field skills become more and more impressive, his character, work ethic and leadership skills have also started to shine. In a sport full of “bad guys,” Jeter quickly became known as the “good guy.”
Baseball, like most professional sports, has become a spectacle of ego exaggerations. Not only are there examples to be found in large-scale scandals like the PED era in Baseball or the current domestic violence fiasco in the NFL, minutiae like infidelity, insensitive remarks, and arrogant or self-glorifying post-game interviews also demonstrate courage. modern professional athlete.
Therein lies the greatness of Derek Jeter. Sure, he was selected to the All-Star team 14 times in 20 seasons. Yes, he won five World Series with the Yankees together with five Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. 309, he racked up 3,461 hits, hit 260 home runs, and had 1,307 runs batted (including a game win, walk from an RBI in his last game at Yankee Stadium). . These numbers would have absolutely landed him in Cooperstown, but it is his character that has endeared him to sports fans around the globe, even to those who hate the Yankees (fans of the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets particularly).
Under the watchful eye of the New York media, nothing controversial has stuck with him amidst the PED scandals around him and his behavior off the court has never overshadowed his professional accomplishments. Indeed, although he took great steps to keep his personal life private, had he behaved badly, not even he would have been given a free pass by the New York press. If there’s dirt on someone, they find it and report it.
In post-match interviews, he tended to credit any great play or key hit simply for “doing the job”, and was quick to draw attention to the contributions of his teammates and manager. His work ethic is clear not only in what he does on the court, but also in how he approaches the game he loves. It was his job, and as such, he did it to the better of his ability, avoiding behavior that would negatively impact his performance or distract from it.
As his career draws to a close, baseball fans will continue to debate the numbers considering the players who came before him. Is he the greatest player the game has ever seen? Possible; possibly not. But aside from baseball, character stands out above all else. With that size, the greatness of Derek Jeter can’t be doubted.
Great job, Captain, and thank you.
