Written by Kenny Ducey at FoxSports.com
Derek Jeter never blew you away with any single talent during his career. Instead, he just did everything. He didn’t have blazing speed, his pop would come and go, and his glove in the field was known more for its steadiness than its flashiness. There was one quality that simply rose above the rest, though–the way he carried himself.
His demeanor was on display throughout his illustrious 20-year career, during which he produced timely play after timely play. It was written about 100 times over in the final season of his career. And it was what shone through during his jersey retirement on Sunday night.
After four former teammates–Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Tino Martinez–and his former manager, Joe Torre, were done raving about his value to the clubhouse and his composure under pressure, Jeter went out and reminded us exactly who he is. He joked around with his family as a six-minute tribute video played for a packed house at Yankee Stadium, then handled a swift on-field ceremony like a round of golf.
Surrounded by his peers and fellow Monument Park honorees, Jeter casually strutted toward a podium located near the Yankees dugout, then pushed aside the attached microphone–too formal. Instead, he grabbed a wireless microphone from underneath, stood, and delivered a four-minute speech that was completely unrehearsed. He spoke as if he were facing a room of 15.
“I was asked recently if I could trade places with one person, who would it be,” Jeter said in his address. “There isn’t a person or player I would trade places with that’s playing now or ever. And the reason why I say that is because I got a chance to play for a first-class organization and in front of the greatest fans in the history of sports.”
Jeter’s ability to craft such a line out of thin air shouldn’t have been surprising given, you know, his entire body of work in front of large crowds, yet it still felt somewhat impressive. Out of the spotlight since his playing days, he stepped right back in without missing a beat. When the vast majority of people in his position would feel overcome with emotion–and perhaps even cry–Jeter stood all-too-lax. To him, it was just another fastball on the outside corner to take into rightfield for a single.
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