Why do people like derek jeter

What would a foul ball hit by Derek Jeter at Yankee Stadium during one of his last homestands mean to a mom and dad? Apparently, a heck of a lot, because they literally went from exuberance to devastation in a matter of seconds.

Following a ball being tossed his way, the dad of two young daughters immediately started posing and snapping pictures with it, with the entire section sharing in his excitement. Yet, when his oldest daughter—who still appears to be no older than five—gets a hold of the thing, she tosses it back as if she's Henry Rowengartner from the movie Rookie of the Year.

Thankfully, the ball boy who retrieved the ball did the right thing and held onto it in order to give it back to them, but that young girl nearly saw all of her Christmas presents for the next decade disappear for unknowingly tossing the ball back. OK, so maybe this should just focus more on the past two seasons—or lack thereof—that Derek Jeter has played. He batted. Making the All-Star team this year was a complete joke. And the fact that Jeter did it without even hinting at taking more of a pay cut to help the Yanks get some financial flexibility to sign other players was a complete joke.

Although he's currently starting at second base for the Yankees, Stephen Drew is technically listed as the backup to Derek Jeter on the depth chart—which, if you're Drew, has to be the last position he wants to be in. Sure, the possibility of being tabbed as a starting shortstop for a major league team has to be a great feeling, but not when the guy who played there before you happened to do so for 20 straight seasons and is admired as arguably the greatest Yankees player ever.

As other athletes have found out, replacing a legend isn't easy, so whether it's Drew or someone else, Jeter made it next to impossible for that guy to have an easy transition. Could he have helped by allowing Drew to get situated at short a few games?

Or he could have backed his teammate a little bit more by declaring to the press that Drew is more than capable of holding his own at the position as a former hot prospect who has enjoyed solid seasons in the past. That may still happen, but as of right now, Jeter is making it next to impossible for Drew or someone else to replace him next season and beyond. I totally understand why so many people thought that the backhanded flip that Jeter pulled off against the Oakland Athletics in was so extraordinary.

What I don't understand, though, is why people are still treating it as if it was one of the best plays in postseason history, some 13 years later. Sure, Jeter's instincts to be at that exact position to field an errant throw by Yanks right fielder Shane Spencer were spot on, but this came during Game 3 of the divisional series, not Game 7 of the World Series!

In fact, the biggest play of that entire postseason— Luis Gonzalez's walk-off single against the Yankees and Mariano Rivera—probably doesn't even get as much pub as Jeter's flip. It's absolutely no secret that Derek Jeter is arguably the biggest ladies man in sports right now.

Some of his past girlfriends include Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba and, my personal favorite, Minka Kelly—who is still in my top-five rotating celeb girls at this moment.

Subscribe Manage my subscription Activate my subscription Log in Log out. Regions Tampa St. Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter. Investigations Narratives Pulitzer Winners. Connect with us. About us. Obituaries Homes Jobs Classifieds. Careers Advertise Legal Contact. Log in. Account Manage my subscription Activate my subscription Log out. By John Romano. Published Jan. Hardy 10, Want more than just the box score? Subscribe to our free Rays Report newsletter Columnist John Romano will send the latest Rays insights and analysis to keep you updated weekly during the season.

Explore all your options. John Romano Sports Columnist. Ozzie Timmons leaves Rays for job as hitting coach with Brewers Nov. Jeter says in addition to his parents' support, his longtime coach Joe Torre and Yankee's owner George Steinbrenner were essential in helping him thrive throughout his time with the Yankees. Both men believed in him, which helped him to continue to push himself to achieve more each year. To achieve success, you must work on your skills every day.

Jeter says he would spend hours at the batting cage working on his swing. But Jeter believes that you must pursue something that you truly love and enjoy doing in order to reach success. I don't overanalyze it and I don't sit around and think about every detail so much that I can mess myself up. I'm not saying I'm not prepared, because I am.

But I don't let myself because crazed obsessed in anticipation of what might happen. I just let it happen. Throughout his career, Jeter says he has seen a lot of players come to New York and "get caught up in the lifestyle , and before you know it, they're sent away to another team because it affected their performance.

Jeter writes that it ' s essential to do both throughout one's career because it keeps you strong and humble. Jeter says he always liked being a leader who leads by example, he also learned to watch other people whom he respected and learn from their actions.

He listens to everything, soaks it in, and gets smarter while everybody else is too busy listening to themselves speak. Jeter says he followed in the footsteps of his idol, former Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield, who was the first active athlete to establish a charitable foundation to help underprivileged youth and families in need.

Jeter says no matter where you are in the process of reaching your goal, you will be met with challenges every day. There will be good days and bad days, so it is essential to focus. Like this story? Skip Navigation. Jennifer Liu. Derek Jeter.