Derek Jeter

Derek Sanderson Jeter (/ˈdʒiːtər/ JEE-tər) (born June 26, 1974) is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, current businessman and baseball executive who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and part owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a shortstop, Jeter spent his entire 20-year MLB playing career with the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter is regarded as a central figure of the Yankees' success of the late 1990s and early 2000s for his hitting, baserunning, fielding, and leadership. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,465), doubles (544), games played (2,747), stolen bases (358), times on base (4,716), plate appearances (12,602) and at bats (11,195). His accolades include 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and a Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter was the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits and finished his career ranked sixth in MLB history in career hits and first among shortstops. In 2017, the Yankees retired his uniform number 2.

I only wanted to play baseball.

Quotes

2000s

2004

• I'd boo myself, too. The fans expect us to do well, and that's good. I wouldn't want to play for a team where the fans didn't care. They boo, but they want to cheer.
  • Reported in Bob Herzog, "No Shortage of Boos for Jeter", Newsday (April 26, 2004), pp. 60, 61.

2009

• It's the same game, I don't care where you are playing, Minnesota, Kansas City or New York, it's the same game.
  • Reported in Tom Verducci, "Derek Jeter: In his own words", Sports Illustrated (November 30, 2009).

• You're playing a game, whether it's Little League or Game 7 of the World Series. It's impossible to do well unless you're having a good time. People talk about pressure. Yeah, there's pressure. But I just look at it as fun.
  • Reported in Tom Verducci, "Derek Jeter: In his own words", Sports Illustrated (November 30, 2009).

• I only wanted to play baseball. I only wanted to play shortstop. I only wanted to play for the Yankees. My whole life. It wasn't like I wanted to play for another team and ended up in New York. It wasn't like I wanted to play another position and ended up at short. This has always been the dream of mine: to play shortstop for the New York Yankees. And I get a chance to do it.
  • Reported in Tom Verducci, "Derek Jeter: In his own words", Sports Illustrated (November 30, 2009).

Quotes about Jeter

• To say that Iran doesn't practice terrorism is like saying Derek Jeter never played shortstop for the New York Yankees.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu, Speech at the United Nations General Assembly (September 2014), New York City, New York.

• As good as I've seen in my lifetime; day in and day out, understanding situations, playing the game, letting the game come to him. All of those adages and those things that you talk about that apply to so many players, they all apply to him, because he gets it. I've never seen anything like it. He plays the game the way you want every person on your team to play it. He plays it not only hard, efficiently and professionally, but he plays it with a high degree of talent.
  • Bobby Valentine, ESPN Radio (September 2014), New York City, New York.