The Florida sun was scorching the baseball fields of Tampa, even more than the glares of owner George Steinbrenner. Derek Jeter would call his mother and father 1, miles away in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in tears. He hit. He was 6-foot-3 and pounds, all arms and legs. Fellow Yankees prospects, including Andy Pettitte, were asking themselves: This is our first-round pick? Buddie was a pitcher out of Wake Forest.
It seemed the harder he worked, the more errors he made. Sometimes, his throws from shortstop landed eight rows into the seats behind first base. Then something happened that would become the essence of Jeter, who will be inducted Sept. The numbers from his major league career — the. He also has the most hits 3, in the history of the Yankees. In , he established the Turn 2 Foundation to encourage young people to be healthy and academically successful, to become leaders, and to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
The foundation supports and creates programs to achieve these goals. In October , Jeter proposed to his girlfriend Hannah Davis. The couple tied the knot in July Their first child, daughter Bella Raine Jeter, was born on August 17, We strive for accuracy and fairness.
If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Yogi Berra is best known as a Yankees player who was widely considered one of the best catchers of all-time. Later in life, he managed the team, becoming only one of six managers to lead both National and American League teams to the World Series.
Derek Hough spent a decade as a pro dancer on 'Dancing With the Stars' before becoming a judge on 'World of Dance'; he's also appeared in movies, stage shows and TV productions.
Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees in the s and s, setting the mark for consecutive games played. He died of ALS in A trailblazing player in the Negro Leagues, baseball pitcher Satchel Paige also became the oldest rookie in Major League history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Baseball icon Babe Ruth set numerous records as a pitcher and slugging outfielder.
He was among the first five players inducted into the sport's Hall of Fame. Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio set a record with his game hitting streak in and won nine World Series titles during his 13 years with the New York Yankees. One of the greatest baseball players in history, Willie Mays thrilled fans over a year big league career with his powerful bat and astonishing defensive skills.
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick's promising career was tainted by off-the-field activities, including involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. On the morning of the eve of the World Series, Jeter was flummoxed when he could not find his leased Mercury that he had parked the night before in front of his apartment building on Second Avenue.
I know I parked it here. And sure enough, they towed it. Parking tickets. Lots of parking tickets, man. So they towed my car. I had never seen the Braves. The only time I saw the Braves was on television when I was younger. These are the world champions.
That stands out. Derek Jeter batted. Jeter played the biggest games with a preternatural calm. There was a consistency about him derived from the disciplined way he was raised by his parents, Dorothy and Charles, who met in in Frankfurt, Germany, while both were stationed there with the U. When Jeter was 10 years old, he decided he would be the shortstop for the New York Yankees.
Wallace , Orioles Jeffrey Hammonds and Reds Chad Mottola all passed on using one of the top five picks of the draft on the skinny shortstop from Kalamazoo Central High. He had played exclusively with a metal bat as an amateur. Jeter stood before a huge bin of wood bats. One by one he picked out bats, holding them in his hands like a finicky shopper in the produce section, searching for the one that most resembled his high school bat in size, weight and taper. Jeter would go on to take 15, appearances as a professional, including his record in the postseason and 2, in the minors.
For every one of them he used the P In he moved to a inch, ounce P The model dated to , when it was created for Leslie Wayne Pinkham, a minor league catcher.
Most players, to escape the clutches of a slump, to co-opt the karma of a hot-hitting teammate or simply to pursue the chance of something better, occasionally switch bat models. That Jeter used one model for 22 years spoke to his consistency of purpose, which especially served him well in his first postseason.
I struck out before. You know, what is it? You strike out? My mind always went to being successful and it went back to times when I had success. I was just never afraid of it. For me it was just another game. I liked the attention, the spotlight, that was on postseason games. No, no, no. I just approached it like any other game. How do you follow such a season, especially when companies begin lining up to secure Jeter as an endorser and the fan mail comes in boxloads?
Two months into the following season, Torre called Jeter into his office while the team was playing in Toronto. You think about all those things, and I just wanted to make sure his priorities were right.
I told him how important it was to stay focused. I never had to worry about him. His life was baseball. Nobody had to remind him. I still marvel that here was a guy that never disappointed you. Twenty-five years have passed since the Jeter Era began. The phenom from turned 47 years old on June He and his wife, Hannah, have two daughters. His parents kept a scrapbook in Jeter has a few signed team baseballs from that year, a glove and a World Series trophy.
Someday, he says, he will build a memorabilia room for all the keepsakes of his career. What, he is asked, is the most enduring memory he has from The Charmed Season? Late after a game. And I saw for the first time somebody wearing a T-shirt with my name and number on it—outside of the ballpark.
But that was the first time I saw it outside the park. This is what you dream of. And you always appreciate someone wearing your jersey, still to this day. You still appreciate it.
But you never forget your first time. More years have passed since for Jeter than the years that brought him to that launch party of a season. He seemed so ready-made for stardom that it is hard to imagine Jeter, with his accumulated wisdom now, would have any advice if given the chance to talk to his younger self. And yet, he says, there is something.
Every day. Could be one sentence, two sentences. Could be about anything. How I was feeling. Derek Jeter tips his cap to the crowd in his final game at Yankee Stadium on Sept.
Because there are so many things you forget. So many things. I played a long time.
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