Jeter

[Shoeless Moe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgS1lvqX8I

[clydepepper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgS1lvqX8I

I got goose-pimples...DAMN Yankees!

[Duluth Eskimo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgS1lvqX8I

That was an awesome commercial. I know this is going to blow up with Jeter haters, but that was well done by Gatorade.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Fantastic.

[usernamealreadytaken]

Gatorade paying a multi-millionaire to sell more Gatorade. Touching.

[Shoeless Moe]

they tried getting you, but you were unavailable.

[dabigyankeeman]

One of the best done sports commercials of all time. So classic, perfect background song, even Jeter admitted the words to the song were so perfect. Then the looks on the faces of the people meeting Jeter are so incredible, and just everything about this commercial was perfect. Brought tears to my eyes, really.

[Peter_Spaeth]

There but for his awful self should have gone Alex Rodriguez, a player infinitely more talented.

[icollectDCsports]

I'm not a Yankees fan, but Jeter is one of the great icons of the modern game representing the game's most prominent franchise. I enjoyed seeing the commercial and am glad he's being celebrated during the final days of his final season.

[HalChaseCollector]

Jeter is simply the best

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Even a die hard Red Sox fan has to tip his cap to Jeter and wish he had been a Sox. The guy is definition of class and a great representation of the game. Gatorade hit a home run with that commercial. instant classichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgS1lvqX8I

[Centauri]

I saw his first career homer on a cold afternoon in Cleveland. Of course the Yanks smacked down the Tribe.

[MikeGarcia]

...I like that guy singing in the background...good pipes...

[calvindog]

Wow. Some commercial. For all the criticism of Jeter, there was never a single whiff of a scandal with him in two decades.

[Eric72]

Great commercial. Great player. I am not a Yankees fan; however, always thought Jeter was good for baseball.

[EvilKing00]

Never liked him, but a good player. There have been alot if good players, very overrated imo.

[calvindog]

I'm not a Yankees fan either and after watching Roger Goodell's press conference today I have even greater respect for Jeter.

[Gobucsmagic74]

I feel like if I hate Jeter just for being a Yankee then, in turn, I'd have to hate Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and so on and so forth. Not willing to do that. Bottom line is I may dislike the Yankees, but all biases and cheaters aside, my generation witnessed three all-time players Ken Griffey Jr, Frank Thomas, and Derek Jeter.

[clydepepper]

I feel like if I hate Jeter just for being a Yankee then, in turn, I'd have to hate Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and so on and so forth. Not willing to do that. Bottom line is I may dislike the Yankees, but all biases and cheaters aside, my generation witnessed three all-time players Ken Griffey Jr, Frank Thomas, and Derek Jeter.

Truth be know, I don't really hate the Yankees. I sure hated that they beat the Braves in two World Series, but, a former Brave, Joe Torre, along with Jeter and Bernie Williams, etc. ushered in Class that had been missing for a while.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I feel like if I hate Jeter just for being a Yankee then, in turn, I'd have to hate Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and so on and so forth. Not willing to do that. Bottom line is I may dislike the Yankees, but all biases and cheaters aside, my generation witnessed three all-time players Ken Griffey Jr, Frank Thomas, and Derek Jeter.

Guerrero was very comparable to Griffey and Thomas on a 162 game average (his career stopped a bit early) and had a much better batting average. Playing his prime years in Montreal did not help him achieve fame, for sure.

[Gobucsmagic74]

Guerrero was very comparable to Griffey and Thomas on a 162 game average (his career stopped a bit early) and had a much better batting average. Playing his prime years in Montreal did not help him achieve fame, for sure.

Cool. Griffey, Thomas, and Jeter are first ballot HOF'ers though...same can't be said for Guerrero. Ivan Rodriguez was another great player of the era if we're just talking great players.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Cool. Griffey, Thomas, and Jeter are first ballot HOF'ers though...same can't be said for Guerrero.

We shall see.

[Gobucsmagic74]

We shall see.

Yes, we surely shall

[LincolnVT]

Griffey Jr...although plagued by an injury late in his carrer, was the best player of the late 80s and 90s. Jeter...carried himself well, played hard and deserves to be in the HOF.

Too bad all of there cards were so over printed....

Go Red Sox!

[EvilKing00]

Vlad, griffey and thomas all better than jeter

[chaddurbin]

Cool. Griffey, Thomas, and Jeter are first ballot HOF'ers though...same can't be said for Guerrero. Ivan Rodriguez was another great player of the era if we're just talking great players.

vlad, griffey, thomas, jeter...pudge. hmm one name is unlike the others. yea it's pudge.

[Gobucsmagic74]

As Spaeth said, I guess we'll see

[chaddurbin]

i like pudge, but with the ped rumor he's not getting in.

[gnaz01]

Great commercial

[Iron Horse]

Very well made & it almost brought a tear to my eye.
One of the great Yankees of all time. Class act all the way as was Gehrig #4

[frankbmd]

What About Bob?

[Peter_Spaeth]

...I like that guy singing in the background...good pipes...

Elvis sang it much better. :D

[WhenItWasAHobby]

There but for his awful self should have gone Alex Rodriguez, a player infinitely more talented.

My thoughts exactly. Staying with the same organization an entire career and not getting tied into the PEDs scandal carries a lot of weight in a player's popularity.

[Tobacco&Gum]

My thoughts exactly. Staying with the same organization an entire career and not getting tied into the PEDs scandal carries a lot of weight in a player's popularity.

5 Rings and over 3450 hits doesn't hurt either :D

[Exhibitman]

Brilliant short film, projects what every fan wishes their heroes were like--affable, approachable, courteous and nice. As a fantasy it is sheer genius.

As for Jeter, bravo to him. He deserves the accolades and the money and the models. It was great to follow him as a Yankees fan for all these years. Others may have had more talent or put up better records but he was about as good a role model as you can hope for in this era. No scandals, no PEDS, no nonsense on or off the field.

I still can't believe how fast time goes by. I remember that kid shortstop like it was yesterday but Jeter was a rookie the year I got married; my 16 year old drove me to work the other morning...

Too bad the cards from the era were/are overproduced. I've never had any motivation to collect them. I have only one Jeter card, pulled from a pack:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/dropins/Jeter.jpg

Definitely the best pack I ever opened.

[Peter_Spaeth]

There are about a zillion Jeter rookies. The only one that seems to have any value is the foil one.

[Butch7999]

Decent recap of the exits of prominent Yanks here:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/days-yankee-pinstripes-article-1.1946655

[bigfanNY]

Great Commercial. Jeter played in 158 postseason game and has 200 postseason hits both major league records. A model of consistency. And when he passed Wagner on the All Time Hits list it was tough not to be amazed at what he has accomplished. Wagner's lifetime batting average was 20 points higher than Jeter's in an era where hitting 400 was common. Era for Era player for player Jeter is clearly one of the all time greats and we were all very lucky to see him play these last 20 years. (any body else on the board going tomorrow or Tuesday or Wednesday His final game shoot me a pm and we can grab a hot dog)

[dabigyankeeman]

There are about a zillion Jeter rookies. The only one that seems to have any value is the foil one.

Also the Murphy Jeter, the one that came only in a tin shaped like Jack Murphy Stadium at the end of i think 1992, that one has value also. That one and the UD SP Foil Jeter are the two with value. I got them both, and a bunch of others too, i dont care if they are valuable or not, love Jeter, classy guy who is now on top of most Yankee career offensive lists.

[Brian]

I saw Jeter play on Saturday, the last time I will see him play at Yankee Stadium. He hit a double on his last at-bat. Nice lasting memory of an all-time great player.
Brian

[Peter_Spaeth]

Also the Murphy Jeter, the one that came only in a tin shaped like Jack Murphy Stadium at the end of i think 1992, that one has value also. That one and the UD SP Foil Jeter are the two with value. I got them both, and a bunch of others too, i dont care if they are valuable or not, love Jeter, classy guy who is now on top of most Yankee career offensive lists.

Yeah I remember those, I was buying modern too in those days, Stadium Club cards which came out initially in 1991 were really very glossy and high quality and had great photography. This Griffey is to my mind one of the coolest cards ever.

[dabigyankeeman]

With a little over a week to go in his career, Jeter, PLAYING SHORTSTOP HIS WHOLE CAREER, never shifting to first or third base like others have, has this incredible list of stats:

3459 Hits
542 Doubles
260 Home Runs
1304 RBI
1921 Runs
.310 BA
.377 OBP
.440 Slugging
.817 OPS

Plus of course all his awards and signature plays and he has helped his team get to 7 world series, winning 5 of them, while being The Captain, The Face of the Yankees, and probably the Face of Baseball for a long long time.

This guy is really something special.

[ullmandds]

Yeah I remember those, I was buying modern too in those days, Stadium Club cards which came out initially in 1991 were really very glossy and high quality and had great photography. This Griffey is to my mind one of the coolest cards ever.

I got back into buying packs and boxes in 91' while in college and I have a shit ton of those 91' stadium clubs! I'd venture to say that griffey is worth less now than it was in 91!

And all the Phil Plantiers, Scott Ericksons and Jeff Bagwells!!!!!

[Peter_Spaeth]

They may be worthless but they are really attractive cards.

[Tobacco&Gum]

A Dan Pasqua sighting. Sweet.

[darkhorse9]

Living in Jeter's hometown of Kalamazoo, needless to say this is getting a lot of attention around here.

There was a hometown cap tip tribute produced for Jeter. It's double cool for me because it shows the Little League where I was Vice President, his high school that I live across the street from, my street sign and Derek's boyhood home just a few houses down from mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-GODjyDYE0

[chaddurbin]

With a little over a week to go in his career, Jeter, PLAYING SHORTSTOP HIS WHOLE CAREER, never shifting to first or third base like others have, has this incredible list of stats:


this is nothing to be proud of. he hurt the yankees by continuing to play SS when better options were available...just like him continuing hitting 2nd this year putting up historically bad offensive number.

edit: the card companies tried to one-up each other in the late 80's early 90's. first you have the '89 upper deck hologram, then donruss came with the '90 leaf...and topps answered with the '91 topps stadium club. those were the golden years of pack rippings (that my allowance couldn't afford).

[yanks12025]

this is nothing to be proud of. he hurt the yankees by continuing to play SS when better options were available...just like him continuing hitting 2nd this year putting up historically bad offensive number.

edit: the card companies tried to one-up each other in the late 80's early 90's. first you have the '89 upper deck hologram, then donruss came with the '90 leaf...and topps answered with the '91 topps stadium club. those were the golden years of pack rippings (that my allowance couldn't afford).

Please tell me what other players would have been better this year at shortstop or to bat second. No one on the yankees hit well this season.

[MMarvelli]

Olberman has the straight scoop on the captain...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__UJ9VZB508

[the 'stache]

I have tremendous respect for Jeter. Great player, class act. He let his play do all his talking.

But I am Derek Jeter'd out right now. I will watch this in a week or so, but right now, it's media overload. He deserves the admiration, but the media has totally blown it way overboard.

[Clark7781]

I HATE the Yankees, but God Darn if this wasn't perfect for that man. A true good guy. It pains be to say it about a Yankee, but I have to.

[Batter67up]

People who have enjoyed watching Jeter over that last 18-20 years are excited to honor someone that they cherished as their Yankee captain. He projected himself with class, respect, and honor. What made him special was that he seemed to come through in the clutch in Octobef & November, a very important time in the baseball year. Whether it was a clutch hit or a great fielding play or a cutoff, he had the drive and instincts of a Winner. This was a kid that was raised to Respect the game and treat his competition with this same respect. ( not showing someone up) Today's players and society in general do not show that respect or class in their daily lives. This thread was written to honor him and there are a few of you that showed how classless you are. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it. Those of you that had negative posts should go hang out with Keith O and talk about how each of you have more talent and World Series rings then this loser of a shortstop named Jeter. I guess you are what they call Haters in today's world. You either have class or you don't and you don't. I read a lot of your ignorant posts on Net54 but don't say anything because I respect people's opinions but this was not the thread to rip someone but Honor what they have accomplished. Olberman is a lot like Jim Rome, they put down professional athletes yet they never reached the level of the person they are ripping. Wow Keith you have a T206 Wagner but you weren't even as skilled as Billy Ripken? Well at least you are a F___ F___ above and beyond him. Get a life and keep it positive and treat people like you would like to be treated.

[marvymelvin]

Steve Skibel, I just read the entire thread up to this point and I really don't see what you are complaining about. There is just a lot of praise. Who are you complaining about being negative??

[Section103]

I hope Steve doesnt venture over to the Adam Dunn thread. :eek:

[dprendergast]

For me, he will always be tainted by his association with Mariah Carey.

Just kidding. Great commercial. Never a big fan, but you have to appreciate a guy who puts together a career like that. A terrific ballplayer who represented the sport about as well as you can in the toughest market there is.

[dabigyankeeman]

this is nothing to be proud of. he hurt the yankees by continuing to play SS when better options were available...just like him continuing hitting 2nd this year putting up historically bad offensive number.

.

Yankees, no matter Jeter wanted, could have played him anywhere and could have batted him anywhere in the lineup. If you dont like where he played (who did they have that would be better this year?) and if you dont like him batting second, then talk to Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman, its their fault he didnt move out of either spot.

But look at the batting averages of most of the Yankees, and their horrible stats with RISP, almost the whole offensive team failed this year, not just Jeter, the old man.

[Rickyy]

I admired him for how he could tolerate and exist in the most crazy and high profile media scrutiny and performed consistently well for so many years..... I am going to miss not seeing him play anymore...

Ricky Y

[WhenItWasAHobby]

Olberman has the straight scoop on the captain...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__UJ9VZB508

Ouch! That's a pretty tough op ed piece, but Obermann makes some valid (and hilarious) points.

I agree with Bill Gregory, Obermann and some other sports writers who've spoken out on this point - it's been taken to an overkill level, if not a morbidly absurd spectacle. Besides the over saturation of media hype, the worst case as Obermann pointed out is putting the "#2" on the Yankee's caps while he's still alive, let alone still playing is disturbing. Just yesterday, I read about all these public farewell appearances Jeter's making for huge bucks. Nothing is sacred anymore as long as money can be made.

[kailes2872]

People who have enjoyed watching Jeter over that last 18-20 years are excited to honor someone that they cherished as their Yankee captain. He projected himself with class, respect, and honor. What made him special was that he seemed to come through in the clutch in Octobef & November, a very important time in the baseball year. Whether it was a clutch hit or a great fielding play or a cutoff, he had the drive and instincts of a Winner. This was a kid that was raised to Respect the game and treat his competition with this same respect. ( not showing someone up) Today's players and society in general do not show that respect or class in their daily lives. This thread was written to honor him and there are a few of you that showed how classless you are. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it. Those of you that had negative posts should go hang out with Keith O and talk about how each of you have more talent and World Series rings then this loser of a shortstop named Jeter. I guess you are what they call Haters in today's world. You either have class or you don't and you don't. I read a lot of your ignorant posts on Net54 but don't say anything because I respect people's opinions but this was not the thread to rip someone but Honor what they have accomplished. Olberman is a lot like Jim Rome, they put down professional athletes yet they never reached the level of the person they are ripping. Wow Keith you have a T206 Wagner but you weren't even as skilled as Billy Ripken? Well at least you are a F___ F___ above and beyond him. Get a life and keep it positive and treat people like you would like to be treated.

Just catching up on the thread. Please excuse any bad language, but Steve's response immediately made me think of this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc

No offense meant, I am the same way for Peyton Manning.

[Tabe]

Olberman is a lot like Jim Rome, they put down professional athletes yet they never reached the level of the person they are ripping. Wow Keith you have a T206 Wagner but you weren't even as skilled as Billy Ripken? Well at least you are a F___ F___ above and beyond him. Get a life and keep it positive and treat people like you would like to be treated.

Ah, the old "if you aren't an athlete/actor/director, you can't criticize the player/movie".

By the same token, do you have the many years of anchoring Sportscenter and a huge gig on MSNBC that it requires to be able to critique Keith Olbermann?

[Batter67up]

You can criticize anybody you want to and that is Freedom of Speech. The point I was making is that Derek Jeter does not talk himself up like a Ricky Henderson. it is Olberman's own Media friends that blow him up not Jeter himself. Guys like Mantle and Jeter respected their fellow players and never tried to show them up. Fans are trying to celebrate the career of a classy player and it is sad that people need to take cheap shots. Kinda like a guy that has a 52 Topps Mantle and all his friend is talking about is how off-center it is instead of being happy for his friend.One thing that has grown over the last 10-15 years is arrogance, narcissism and Jealousy. Take it how you want to. If your good, you don't need to talk about yourself, tell people how great you are or put people down. Jeter has never claimed to be the greatest Yankee or thinks he is. He was successful and can't stop the media from over exaggerating things. It is funny how Dan Patrick ripped his ex ESPN partner this morning on his radio show talking about the anger that was shown in his ex partners monologue. I'm just not a fan of Narcisism and Arrogance and people who display these characteristics are not people that I respect. Jealousy brings out the worst in people!

[Peter_Spaeth]

In this day and age of pampered, arrogant, me-only, a**hole athletes, it's just stupid to be putting down Jeter in any way.

[Section103]

I haven't seen many or even any criticize Jeter as a person. The notion that Jeter cannot be criticized as a ballplayer is, of course, laughable. I've criticized Cy Young. I've criticized Babe Ruth. Everyone has holes in their game. Everyone. Its unfathomable to me that people think Jeter or anyone else is simply beyond reproach as a player.

[Vintageclout]

In this day and age of pampered, arrogant, me-only, a**hole athletes, it's just stupid to be putting down Jeter in any way.

Well said Peter, and you forgot one other major issue with most great athletes..."use of performance enhancing substances". I heard an additional Jeter supporting fact the other day that blew my mind. In 20 years, Jeter was NEVER thrown out of a game for arguing a call!!! In an era of ridiculously pampered, spoiled and over-paid athletes, I found that truly amazing.

Joe

[VoodooChild]

This was just posted on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11548510/derek-jeter-career-baseball-cards

[Batter67up]

A Perfect Ending for a Yankee Great! It is Nice how the cream always rises to the top!

[Seattle799]

It's cool that he had a great last game at Yankee Stadium... but his OPS is .614... there are only 4 players worse than him this year....

[itjclarke]

but his OPS is .614... there are only 4 players worse than him this year....

Sorry if being blunt, but who cares?? He's a stud, and ending his amazing and ever clutch career with a game winning hit in his last AB at Yankee Stadium is pretty fitting. I'm happy for him and for the Yankee fans that got to see him exit in style.

As a kid I remember seeing Mike Schmidt (an All Star that year) go 0-fer and make two errors in SF, prompting him, in tears, to call it quits right after the game (my dad had taken me specifically to see Schmidt). Do I feel this is worth pointing out if/when his career comes into discussion?--- "But he barely hit.200 and booted two balls in his last game..."--- No, I do not because it happens to almost all the greats (Ruth, Mays, Aaron, etc). Guys age, their skills, play, and stats diminish over time. That's why they retire. It does not take away from the greatness of their careers, nor from the thrills/joy they gave fans over years, even decades of great play.

[bobbvc]

Wondering if he ever walked through the neighborhood chatting with fans when he wasn't on camera.

[Seattle799]

As a kid I remember seeing Mike Schmidt (an All Star that year) go 0-fer and make two errors in SF, prompting him, in tears, to call it quits right after the game

I don't think it's fair to compare Mike Schmidt and Derek Jeter... Schmidt won THREE MVP's. Jeter? zero. :)

Sorry, I'm from Minnesota.

[Batter67up]

http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark/post/_/id/952/ten-astounding-derek-jeter-numbers

[itjclarke]

I don't think it's fair to compare Mike Schmidt and Derek Jeter... Schmidt won THREE MVP's. Jeter? zero. :)

Sorry, I'm from Minnesota.

Schmidt only came to mind because I remember that game so well. Frankly, it's my only "in person: impression of the guy, but I take it with a grain of salt because I know he had been great for so many years prior to those last couple. I think Jeter's 2013-2014 stats fall into that "grain of salt" category.

I've never been a Jeter or Yankee lover, but not a hater either... and I do genuinely think he's a guy who will never be fully defined by his numbers and/or awards. It's becoming cliche, but I really think his intangibles--confidence/calmness/smarts/toughness, that he brought and maintained every day for 20 years equaled many many wins for the Yanks.. though of course this can never be measured or broken down by anything found on Baseball Reference. As a quick aside, though I love stats, I really hope they don't completely replace eyes, ears, gut feel when assessing baseball greatness/talent.

Jeter is the real deal.

[Tabe]

Living in Jeter's hometown of Kalamazoo, needless to say this is getting a lot of attention around here.

There was a hometown cap tip tribute produced for Jeter. It's double cool for me because it shows the Little League where I was Vice President, his high school that I live across the street from, my street sign and Derek's boyhood home just a few houses down from mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-GODjyDYE0

Awesome. I graduated from Western Michigan and Kalamazoo is one of my absolute favorite places. I am about 90% sure I had Jeter in class when I was student teaching at K-Central.

[iwantitiwinit]

There's got to be some reason 48,000 fans stay on their feet for an hour after the game is over. The guy is extraordinarily likable, I don't know why, why he always is the one put in the position to do something special, why more often than not he comes thru in those spots regardless of how his skills have diminished. The guy is just magical. I think a lot of it is how we/I seem to easily identify with him how easy it is to see/project ourselves in him. Somehow he makes you feel special, special just watching him play. A lot of improbable things had to happen last night to allow him to be put in that position to succeed. Asked after the game, "Derek what were you thinking your last time up?...Just don't cry". He might not have cried but I did. I also screamed, jumped up and down, gave my kids watching the game with me a high five and kissed my wife. I will miss him.

[Vintageclout]

There's got to be some reason 48,000 fans stay on their feet for an hour after the game is over. The guy is extraordinarily likable, I don't know why, why he always is the one put in the position to do something special, why more often than not he comes thru in those spots regardless of how his skills have diminished. The guy is just magical. I think a lot of it is how we/I seem to easily identify with him how easy it is to see/project ourselves in him. Somehow he makes you feel special, special just watching him play. A lot of improbable things had to happen last night to allow him to be put in that position to succeed. Asked after the game, "Derek what were you thinking your last time up?...Just don't cry". He might not have cried but I did. I also screamed, jumped up and down, gave my kids watching the game with me a high five and kissed my wife. I will miss him.

+1 - For all those people who refuse to place an ounce of faith in fate/destiny, I highly advise them to replay the 9th inning of the Yankee game last night! "Magical" is indeed the perfect word to describe Jeter's career that extends far beyond "black & white" statistics such as WAR, OPS, etc., for so many of Jeter's amazing feats Bill James could not even dream of compiling via a mathematical calculation. Watching Jeter for 20 years is sheer proof that the full measurement of a great baseball player cannot always be seen in a box score or league leader's category. While Jeter has certainly amassed some formidable statistics of his own (e.g., a .310 lifetime average for a shortstop that includes nearly 3,500 hits), I firmly believe his "intangibles" far outweigh the significance of statistical achievements. Box scores don't measure a ballplayer taking an extra base when necessary, laying down a critical bunt, making a near-impossible "flip-play" to the catcher to keep a season alive, sacrificing his body to catch a foul ball by diving head-first into the stands, playing every inning of every game as if its his last, and NEVER uttering one derogatory word towards either his teammates or any peers throughout his remarkable 20-year career. How else can you explain the seemingly infinite adoration of this man who could stop traffic with his presence, and has brought so much joy to the countless number of fans who truly appreciate his unbridled love for our National Pastime. Is he naturally gifted like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle...no....absolutely not. But, I think even those four iconic Yankees would roll over in their graves to tip their caps to Derek Jeter for everything he has meant not only to the Yankee organization, but even more significantly, to the game of baseball.

Joe T.

[kkkkandp]

Thanks to my wife (I don't even want to know what she paid) my son-in-law and I were there. It was awesome and surreal. I cannot lie...after Robertson blew Kuroda's save (AGAIN!) I told my son-in-law it was as if Girardi had gotten together with Showalter before the game and said "If we're winning in the top of 9th and Derek is due up in the bottom of the 9th, we'll blow the lead so he can win it." And he performed right on cue! If someone wrote up a script like that for a movie and that was the ending, no one would buy it!

[Ladder7]

Much needed. In general, professional athletes are such tools. Ok, NHL gets a pass. Good for the sport. Great for the kids. -I love NY too... It's the (modern) Yankees I hate :)

[Peter_Spaeth]

http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark/post/_/id/952/ten-astounding-derek-jeter-numbers

1 Finally, there’s this astounding number. According to Elias, it’s the number of games Jeter has played, in his entire career, in which his team, the mighty Yankees, was mathematically eliminated from some sort of race for some sort of trip to the postseason. One meaningless game in 20 seasons? Whoa. On one hand, it would be nuts to argue that was all Derek Jeter’s doing. On the other hand, what defines his career better than that? A man who lived for the big game -- and played nothing but big games. For 20 years. What better way to put a frame around the career of one of the greatest shortstops who ever turned a 4-6-3?

So last night made 2.

[cubsfan-budman]

I dont think this was posted.

what a great ending!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqKcTYxARJU

[JohnP0621]

I wiould take Jeter as my shortstop any day. Anyone who puts him down are just haters and dont really understand How Graet and Classy this Guy is. Not only is he the Captain and Face of the Yankees but he is also the Face of all MLB. Every Player,Manager ,Coach etc have nothing but Great Respecty for Jeter because he always gave respect to the Game .
Class Act in every way...

John P

[packs]

Incredible game. Would have still been a good way to go, driving in the go ahead run. But that error would have left a bad taste in my mouth.

Glad to see things play out the way they did. I even made my girlfriend get off her computer to watch his last at bat because I told her it was important. She wasn't disappointed either.

[MVSNYC]

Amazing ending.

[rjackson44]

I was at the game but I agree with bill omg :)

[68Hawk]

I only arrived in the United States in January of 2000, aged 32.
Had never before watched baseball, never collected US sportscards.

In the 4 months I travelled around the USA I watched endless sports, and in April of that year bought my first baseball card.

It was a 93 Pinnacle Jeter.
He just stood out, as champions do.
I have purchased thousands of cards since, and a foil version of Derek has replaced the Pinnacle in my collection, but 13 years later I still remember that card arriving and my falling in love with sportscards.

Thanks Derek Jeter. :)

[dabigyankeeman]

I have never been so happy that a Yankee reliever blew a save in my life. Talk about fate setting it up for Jeter!!!!

[byrone]

The Onion has a nice retrospective look at Jeter's last couple of seasons.:D

http://www.theonion.com/articles/derek-jeter-retires,35253/

edit to note some language may be offensive

[Runscott]

Waiting for the pitcher to say he laid one in for him on purpose.