JETER CELEBRATES CAP-PY BIRTHDAY
JETER CELEBRATES CAP-PY BIRTHDAY
kevin.kernan
June 27, 2006 -- THE YOUNG shortstop who helped carry the Yankees to four championships turned 32 yesterday.
"Can you tell everybody I'm 28?" Derek Jeter asked me, flashing his trademark smile.
"It's hard to believe it's been that long," Jeter said, reflecting on his incredible Yankee journey. "This is my 11th year, that's a long time.
"And in New York, it's like dog years."
Jeter is the lead dog and knows a lot is expected here. A lot has been delivered by No. 2, most importantly, those four rings. Jeter is the Yankees' glue and 100 years from now this will be known as the Jeter Era.
He is having another terrific season. He reached base and scored his first two times up last night, riding home on Jason Giambi's two home runs in the 5-2 win over the Braves. Randy Johnson, the Big Unit, looked big again against the small National League, throwing seven shutout innings, recording seven of his last eight outs via strikeouts. In the ninth, when things got tight, Mariano Rivera came on and did his thing.
You can make the case for Jeter being the AL MVP. He owns the third best average (.335) in the league. In so many different ways, he stirs the drink.
Reggie Jackson knows all about that.
"Derek's got real good vision of the trail that he leaves," Reggie said. "I look forward to the day he goes into the Hall of Fame. I look forward to sharing Old Timer's Days with him."
Bobby Cox was in the other dugout with the Braves in 1996 when the Yankees won their first title with Jeter at short.
"I remember talking to Gene Michael about him his first year," Cox recalled. "I was telling him what I saw, and he told me, 'Your eyes aren't lying. He's that good.' "
Summing up these 11 years, Cox said: "Put it this way. He's about as good as there is - or ever was."
Still, there are 5-year-olds walking around New York who have never seen a Yankees championship.
When will Jeter and the Yankees win another ring?
The challenge grows tougher each day. Injuries have devastated the lineup, but Jeter remains confident.
"We've been playing pretty good of late," he said. "We've been pitching well and overall, the intensity level has been there. The games that we've lost, we've forced the other team to beat us. We could be in a whole lot worse shape."
The Yankees are three games back of the Red Sox in the loss column. They must win the AL East, because the way the AL Central is going, it looks like the wild card is going to be won by the Tigers or White Sox.
Jeter loves challenges and this is a great one. Yankees third base coach Larry Bowa knows what it takes to play shortstop.
"Jeter could have played in my era, any era," Bowa said. "He could have played with Babe Ruth."
No one is more competitive than Bowa and that's the trait he loves most about Jeter.
"He takes it to another level," Bowa said. "He deals with failure, but he doesn't accept it."
As long as the Yankees have Jeter at short and Rivera closing, they have a chance, no matter how many injured players there are in the Yankee clubhouse.
Joe Torre recalled it was August of '96 when teammates really started looking to the young Jeter for leadership. They haven't stopped.
"I'm proud to have the honor to be in this position to watch him play for the past 11 years," Torre said sincerely.
Added GM Brian Cashman: "Jeter was hatched out of the egg as a veteran. He really was. He was mature beyond his years."
The great lesson Jeter has taught so many teammates is this, Cashman said: "When the game is on the line, you have to slow the game down. You can never let the game speed up. I think anybody in any sport can learn from a comment like that. Don't let your emotions get the better of you."
Not even on your birthday.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com
kevin.kernan
June 27, 2006 -- THE YOUNG shortstop who helped carry the Yankees to four championships turned 32 yesterday.
"Can you tell everybody I'm 28?" Derek Jeter asked me, flashing his trademark smile.
"It's hard to believe it's been that long," Jeter said, reflecting on his incredible Yankee journey. "This is my 11th year, that's a long time.
"And in New York, it's like dog years."
Jeter is the lead dog and knows a lot is expected here. A lot has been delivered by No. 2, most importantly, those four rings. Jeter is the Yankees' glue and 100 years from now this will be known as the Jeter Era.
He is having another terrific season. He reached base and scored his first two times up last night, riding home on Jason Giambi's two home runs in the 5-2 win over the Braves. Randy Johnson, the Big Unit, looked big again against the small National League, throwing seven shutout innings, recording seven of his last eight outs via strikeouts. In the ninth, when things got tight, Mariano Rivera came on and did his thing.
You can make the case for Jeter being the AL MVP. He owns the third best average (.335) in the league. In so many different ways, he stirs the drink.
Reggie Jackson knows all about that.
"Derek's got real good vision of the trail that he leaves," Reggie said. "I look forward to the day he goes into the Hall of Fame. I look forward to sharing Old Timer's Days with him."
Bobby Cox was in the other dugout with the Braves in 1996 when the Yankees won their first title with Jeter at short.
"I remember talking to Gene Michael about him his first year," Cox recalled. "I was telling him what I saw, and he told me, 'Your eyes aren't lying. He's that good.' "
Summing up these 11 years, Cox said: "Put it this way. He's about as good as there is - or ever was."
Still, there are 5-year-olds walking around New York who have never seen a Yankees championship.
When will Jeter and the Yankees win another ring?
The challenge grows tougher each day. Injuries have devastated the lineup, but Jeter remains confident.
"We've been playing pretty good of late," he said. "We've been pitching well and overall, the intensity level has been there. The games that we've lost, we've forced the other team to beat us. We could be in a whole lot worse shape."
The Yankees are three games back of the Red Sox in the loss column. They must win the AL East, because the way the AL Central is going, it looks like the wild card is going to be won by the Tigers or White Sox.
Jeter loves challenges and this is a great one. Yankees third base coach Larry Bowa knows what it takes to play shortstop.
"Jeter could have played in my era, any era," Bowa said. "He could have played with Babe Ruth."
No one is more competitive than Bowa and that's the trait he loves most about Jeter.
"He takes it to another level," Bowa said. "He deals with failure, but he doesn't accept it."
As long as the Yankees have Jeter at short and Rivera closing, they have a chance, no matter how many injured players there are in the Yankee clubhouse.
Joe Torre recalled it was August of '96 when teammates really started looking to the young Jeter for leadership. They haven't stopped.
"I'm proud to have the honor to be in this position to watch him play for the past 11 years," Torre said sincerely.
Added GM Brian Cashman: "Jeter was hatched out of the egg as a veteran. He really was. He was mature beyond his years."
The great lesson Jeter has taught so many teammates is this, Cashman said: "When the game is on the line, you have to slow the game down. You can never let the game speed up. I think anybody in any sport can learn from a comment like that. Don't let your emotions get the better of you."
Not even on your birthday.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com
posted by Walking Contradiction at 4:02 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home