Derek Jeter received exactly what he decribed as a "stupid letter."

New York Yankees star Derek Jeter received a threatening letter that reportedly warned he'd be "shot or set on fire" if he didn't stop dating white women.

It was detailed that the letter came from the Cleveland area from back in April.

"It wasn't like, 'I'm going to do this to you. I'm going to do that to you,'" Jeter said. "It was just a stupid letter. I've gotten stupid letters before. That's basically it. Now, for some reason, it's on the front page and it's some big, huge story."

I'm glad this story made it out. For one it makes everyone realize that there are crazy lunatics out there who write death threats for the most stupid things.

Second, baseball players are human too with real emotions. While they are on the field we can enjoy them for what they do on the field. We can see every action, and yes, we as Yankee fans can cheer and boo with the best of them of their onfield actions. But their lives off the field are private. And sadly, in New York, this is hardly ever the case. In the history of the Yankees many of the player's off field actions have made the front page. Some for the good and some for the bad.

Jeter is the measuring bar for class. He is our Captain. It wouldn't take a mountain of stupid letters to diminish what he has accomplished and will continue to for him, for us, and for baseball.