Between the Olympics and being on the road, I haven't been able to keep up with my blogging lately. And this was a bad week for that to happen. Because there was a lot of stuff that happened this week that's worth talking about. So, that also means I'm going to break one of my general blogging rules and blog about something non-Olympic during the Olympics.
So, which non-Olympic topic is it I'm going to talk about? The Jonathan Martin report? Michael Sam? Nope and nope. There's one subject that I haven't addressed yet that needs to be discussed before any of those others. I'm, of course, talking about Derek Jeter's announcement of his pending retirement at the end of the season.
I can't say I'm entirely surprised about his decision. Jeter has always said that he'd hang it up when baseball became a job. And baseball has certainly become a job. He's going to turn 40 during the season and barely played last year after a myriad of injuries suffered while trying to rehab from the broken ankle he suffered in the 2012 ALCS. Everyone, including Derek Jeter, knows that he's not going to be able to play shortstop everyday anymore. But everyone also knew that he wasn't going out like that. Like Mariano Rivera, he was going to go out the right way and on his own terms.
You also knew Derek Jeter was never going to wear another uniform, so when he signed a one-year deal and got a $3 million raise, you kind of had a feeling that the writing was on the wall. Honestly, I'm not surprised. Derek Jeter was going to be the Yankees' shortstop as long as he wanted to be. But everyone, including Jeter, knew that window was closing. Especially after last year when he couldn't even stay on the field. So Derek decided to do what was best for the team. He's going to let them move on with someone younger. It's what a good captain does.
There's no way to express what he's meant to the franchise. Everyone knows that. Jeter has earned his place in the Yankees pantheon. You could even make a compelling argument that he should be included on the Yankees' Mount Rushmore (although, you'd probably have to add a fifth place alongside Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle). Throughout his career, Derek Jeter knew what it meant to be a New York Yankee and the responsibility he carried as team captain. He embraced that role, and us fans embraced him in return.
Derek Jeter has earned everything he's achieved over the past 20 years. Sure his best days are behind him, but does anyone care? There was just something missing with the Yankees for most of last season. Jeter simply being there is a calming presence. Regardless of how well he was playing or if he even was able to play. He inherited the torch from Don Mattingly and carried it proudly for 20 years. Now it's time for Derek to pass it on.
By announcing his retirement now, Derek eliminated the "Will he or won't he?" speculation that you know would've followed him all season long. It's also clear that he's at peace with this decision. He was there for Mariano Rivera's Farewell Tour last season. Now he'll have one of his own. If there's any two players in baseball who deserve one, it's Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. Likewise, if there are any two players in baseball who deserve to go out on their own terms, it's Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.
He's the last link to that Yankees dynasty. The last of the "Core Four" to retire. We might never see another one like Derek Jeter. If we're going to, we haven't seen him yet. He's not just the face of the Yankees. He's the face of baseball. A guy who played the game with class and grace while playing his entire career with one of the game's marquee franchises. Much like Rivera, you don't have to like him, but it's very difficult not to respect him.
When I was at Yankee Stadium for the hockey game, Monument Park was open. We went down and I noticed something very interesting. Mariano Rivera's No. 42 had taken up the last available spot on the wall. But there's now a spot to Rivera's right, and all the plaques were missing. They obviously moved them all over to make room for Joe Torre's No. 6, which is going on the wall at some point this season. Well, they're going to have to move them all again. Because we all know what's happening with No. 2 at the end of the season.
It's almost hard to picture the Yankees without Derek Jeter, but at least we get one more season to enjoy watching him. And knowing Derek Jeter, he's going to have a monster season. He's always shined when the lights were the brightest. Like the walk-off homer in the 2001 World Series. Or the homer for his 3,000th hit. Or the speech when they closed the Old Stadium. You know Derek Jeter's got one last special memory in store for us. And you know there ain't gonna be a dry eye in the house on September 25.
He was the one that told Mariano, "It's time to go," when he and Andy Pettitte took Rivera out of the game for the last time. Now it's Derek's time to go. And we're going to miss him just as much, if not more.
Book your hotel rooms in Cooperstown now. Because that place is going to be overrun by Yankees fans in back-to-back summers of 2019 and 2020.
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