09/10: Reflecting on Derek Jeter's Pursuit of Lou Gehrig
Posted by: Patrick
I got goosebumps last night, watching a pair of Derek Jeter related video clips. The first was a replay of Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits in franchise history and the second was Tim Kurkjian, talking about Jeter's place in Yankees history and relaying a story told to him by Buck Showalter.
The funny thing about this is, when Buck Showalter told the equipment guy to give him a single digit, he really only had one option, outside of 0. Numbers 1, 3-5 and 7-9 have all been retired. Number 6 was being worn by veteran Tony Fernandez. So, 2 it was.
What's amazing to me about Jeter is not just his performance or his numbers, but how much he gets things right - on and off the field. Peter Abraham passed on a quote from Rays manager Joe Maddon that says it best: "I'm very happy for him. He carries himself in a manner that's worthy of passing Gehrig." That's a pretty high complement. It's also true.
This was never more evident than on Wednesday night when he reached the mark and fans were giving Jeter an ovation. But, he waited to acknowledge them because he didn't want to show up the Rays. It was only after the Rays acknowledged and applauded him that he tipped his cap to the home crowd. I wouldn't have faulted him if he hadn't waited for the Rays approval - after all, how many times do you tie Lou Gehrig to be the Yankees franchise leader in hits? - but, he did.
Many players around the game are being asked to weigh in on the accomplishment. I think my favorite quote so far comes from Howie Kendrick of the Angels, who relayed some encouragement that Jeter gave him.
"I remember facing Mike Mussina in New York," Kendrick told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "I stayed on a cutter and hit it to right field for a base hit. He said, 'Nice swing. Not a lot of hitters would have stayed that long on that one.' Coming from him, something like that means a lot to a guy."
"I can't tell you how much I admire Derek Jeter, everything about him. He's a symbol of everything that's right about the game, as far as I'm concerned. He's a great role model for other players. When I tell my kids or grandkids about the great players from my time, I'll be proud to say I was on the same field with Derek Jeter."
Of course, the remaining members of the "old guard" shared their thoughts, as well.
"He's going to be the only Yankee to ever hit 3,000 hits. That tells you right there what kind of player [he is]," Jorge Posada told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. "With all of the players that came through here, he's going to be the only one with 3,000 hits. He's a special guy - a really special guy."
"There's been an awful lot of ballplayers to come through this organization, and to think he's tied for the most hits, he's obviously going to break the record - it's just incredible," Andy Pettitte said to Ghiroli. "It couldn't happen to a better person. He's a great teammate, a great friend. He's done things the right way. He's a great leader on this team, so you can't say enough about Derek Jeter."
"We came up from the Minor Leagues [together] and have been here for all the good times and the bad times and the tough times, and now to reach that milestone is tremendous," Mariano Rivera told Ghiroli (do you see a trend?). "I can recall the first hit that he had and the first save I had. It's amazing. So if I have to say one thing, I guess, thank God for that. Thank God for making us Yankees."
Thank God, indeed.
The funny thing about this is, when Buck Showalter told the equipment guy to give him a single digit, he really only had one option, outside of 0. Numbers 1, 3-5 and 7-9 have all been retired. Number 6 was being worn by veteran Tony Fernandez. So, 2 it was.
What's amazing to me about Jeter is not just his performance or his numbers, but how much he gets things right - on and off the field. Peter Abraham passed on a quote from Rays manager Joe Maddon that says it best: "I'm very happy for him. He carries himself in a manner that's worthy of passing Gehrig." That's a pretty high complement. It's also true.
This was never more evident than on Wednesday night when he reached the mark and fans were giving Jeter an ovation. But, he waited to acknowledge them because he didn't want to show up the Rays. It was only after the Rays acknowledged and applauded him that he tipped his cap to the home crowd. I wouldn't have faulted him if he hadn't waited for the Rays approval - after all, how many times do you tie Lou Gehrig to be the Yankees franchise leader in hits? - but, he did.
Many players around the game are being asked to weigh in on the accomplishment. I think my favorite quote so far comes from Howie Kendrick of the Angels, who relayed some encouragement that Jeter gave him.
"I remember facing Mike Mussina in New York," Kendrick told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "I stayed on a cutter and hit it to right field for a base hit. He said, 'Nice swing. Not a lot of hitters would have stayed that long on that one.' Coming from him, something like that means a lot to a guy."
"I can't tell you how much I admire Derek Jeter, everything about him. He's a symbol of everything that's right about the game, as far as I'm concerned. He's a great role model for other players. When I tell my kids or grandkids about the great players from my time, I'll be proud to say I was on the same field with Derek Jeter."
Of course, the remaining members of the "old guard" shared their thoughts, as well.
"He's going to be the only Yankee to ever hit 3,000 hits. That tells you right there what kind of player [he is]," Jorge Posada told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. "With all of the players that came through here, he's going to be the only one with 3,000 hits. He's a special guy - a really special guy."
"There's been an awful lot of ballplayers to come through this organization, and to think he's tied for the most hits, he's obviously going to break the record - it's just incredible," Andy Pettitte said to Ghiroli. "It couldn't happen to a better person. He's a great teammate, a great friend. He's done things the right way. He's a great leader on this team, so you can't say enough about Derek Jeter."
"We came up from the Minor Leagues [together] and have been here for all the good times and the bad times and the tough times, and now to reach that milestone is tremendous," Mariano Rivera told Ghiroli (do you see a trend?). "I can recall the first hit that he had and the first save I had. It's amazing. So if I have to say one thing, I guess, thank God for that. Thank God for making us Yankees."
Thank God, indeed.
