I have previously talked about what it takes to be a "True Yankee." It's like what Potter Stewart said about obscentity....it's hard to define but I know it when I see it.
A True Yankee is someone who buys into the package. This history. The aura. The mystique. Not like that douche bag Curt Schilling said, they are not strippers. They are the heart and soul of what makes the Yankees what they are.
A True Yankee might not play for the team his whole career. In fact he might just play for a year or three. But in his heart he will always be a Yankee. Like Billy Martin. Or even David Wells. Some guys can play for the Yankees for years and never be True Yankees. Like Roger Clemens. Or A-Rod. Or Wade Boggs. Try as they might they are something else. Just not True Yankees.
I was thinking about that when I was reading the invective going back and forth in the fights over 911 and the feelings the left and right expressed yesterday. They were arguing about who is a "Real American." To me it's a lot like being a True Yankee. You might not be able to or want to list what the requirements are to you. But in your heart you know who is one and who is not.
Anyway I want to celebrate Derek Jeter who is the epitome of a True Yankee. He is the heart and soul of the current teams just as much as Lou Gehrig or Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle or Thurman Munson were in their times. Jeter will be breaking Gehrig's record for the most hits as a Yankee. He will have the most years with 190 or more hits in a career except for Ty Cobb and Pete Rose. He is a lock to get 3,00 hits and has an outside chance to get 4,000 which is unbelievable. He should get the MVP this year but will be robbed as usual since so many people hate him and the Yankees. But enjoy his class and professionalism. We will not see his type again for a long time.
Derek Jeter....I salute you.
7 comments:
Troop,
I must confess, I am not a Yankee fan. Please don't hate me. I have always been impressed with Jeter, both with his performance on the field and his demeanor off of the field.
A true Yankee indeed.
Hey I don't hate people who are not Yankee fans. That is your right as a true blue American.
I do hate Red Sox fans though. They are like Satanists. You know the sacrificed a Virgin so they could win the World Series. I think it was Rico Petrocelli.
No one is better at playing the field than Derek Jeter.
If you don't believe me ask Mariah Carey and Jessica Biel. Heh.
Yes he's great blah blah blah, but what kind of a name is Minka?
It ryhmes with the color of the cootch. Pinka.
Jeter's great but as far as I'm concerned there was Pee Wee Reese and then they broke the mold. What can I say I'm caught in a time warp like a fly in aspic (I think that's the expression).
But seriesly, Jeter's numbers put him up there with the all time greats.
We were in NY for business years ago, and literally dragged my sister to a Mets game against the Braves. My sister brought a book with her to read so that she wouldn't get bored. Somewhere about the fifth or sixth inning, she looked up from her book and said, "The Yankees must really be doing good, the crowd's excited."
With that backdrop, you can imagine my shock when she mentioned Jeter one day in a conversation, and how great he was, how great the Yankees are, blah, blah, blah. If Jeter can get my sister interested in sports, he's phenomenal.
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