Talk about a guy having a flair for the dramatic.
Derek Jeter, a player not known for being a home run hitter, achieves his historic 3,000th hit with a home run. Boy, if there was ever a guy born to play on the big stage in New York for the New York Yankees, it is Derek Jeter.
The look on the Yankee Captain’s face was priceless. First, he gave an emphatic clap of the hands rounding first base when he realized the ball was gone for a homer, passing by Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Casey Kotchman, who tipped his hat to the captain in a very classy gesture. As Jeter happily circled the bases, he flashed a huge, genuine smile when he got a hug from his best pal Jorge Posada, who looked like he was on Cloud 9 too.
To all the stat geeks and Jeter haters out there, it’s time to shut your mouths once and for all. I don’t want to hear anything about how Jeter is overrated or hyped up on intangibles. You like your numbers, here’s one for you: 3,000. Here’s another one for you: 28. As in Jeter is only the 28th player in baseball history to get 3,000 hits. When you reach that number in that limited company, you no longer have to justify your career to anyone.
I am unbelievably happy for Derek and proud. Derek has grown up with us and it almost feels like an incredible milestone that was achieved by a member of my family. All true Yankee fans feel a connection to Derek, knowing that he badly wanted to do this at home for all of us to watch and enjoy. He’s never let us down in any way and we knew he wouldn’t let us down now.
Congratulations, Derek! And here’s to many more hits!
No comments:
Post a Comment