Thank You, Captain

I never thought I would be writing a blog about a NY Yankee. I’m a lifelong Mets fan, the daughter of a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and we never rooted for the Yankees. But here I am, swept up in the retirement of Yankee captain, Derek Jeter, and I am absolutely moved.

Lately, I’ve viewed professional athletes as overpaid and over-glorified and many are just plain cheaters. Derek Jeter, however, is exceptional. He is the embodiment of a star athlete. He also happens to be a soft-spoken, well-spoken, humble guy and a true gentleman. You can’t help but love him. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a very handsome fella.

Last Thursday, the night of Derek Jeter’s last game at Yankee stadium, my husband and I were upstate where our younger son was visiting a prospective college. We had dinner at a restaurant where the game was playing and then we returned to the B&B where we were staying to watch the last two innings. To our horror, the TV in our room did not have the game! We had to rely on my dearest friend Diane’s texting of the play-by-play. Even if we couldn’t watch it live, it was a storybook ending to a storybook career. Thankfully, my son had set the DVR so the next day we watched the game at home. There I sat, a Mets fan between my husband and son, two Yankee fans, and I was the one bawling my eyes out.

On Saturday, I finally got to see what all the buzz was about with the Gatorade commercial. In the words of another great Yankee, Holy Cow! You could feel the excitement of the “average Joes” as they encountered a superstar who was also a completely down-to-earth guy. Once again, I started tearing up.

Yesterday, we watched Derek Jeter’s final game of his baseball playing career at Fenway Park, home of the Yankee’s arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Boston really pulled out all the stops with their sendoff, including the Boston fans giving a standing ovation and chanting “Derek Jeter.” What an incredible display of good sportsmanship!! I was blown away. One last time, we got to see the Captain get a base hit and, all of sudden, it was over. And one more time, I felt like crying.

I cannot imagine the overwhelming pride of Derek Jeter’s mom and dad, to have raised such a fine son who has lived his dream and become a role model for an entire generation. They must have done a great job teaching him about respect because it has earned him a world of respect in return. I can’t wait to see the next chapter in Derek Jeter’s life which I hope will include another role in baseball. In the meantime, I wish him all the best. Even a humble Mets fan has to say “thank you, Captain.”