A tribute to the "Captain"...

     I never thought I would ever write a sports tribute to a New York Yankee, but Derek Jeter transcends my overall dislike of the team he played 20 years for...  As a longtime, suffering New York Mets fan, the Yankees have been a thorn in my baseball fan side since I was young.  I inherited my team from my Dad and his dislike of the Yankees, but there comes a time to acknowledge someone who rises far and beyond the pettiness of "he doesn't play for my team."  There isn't a baseball fan in the world that wouldn't have wanted Jeter playing for his team at some point and if they say they didn't, then they are not a true baseball fan...  He is a throwback and an innovator at the same time and baseball has benefited from him immensely.  He was simply the truest form of professional baseball player I have seen and I want to thank him as he rides off into retirement...

     Baseball was such a big part of summers growing up and I followed my team (Mets) until they were out of it (usually July or August) but I didn't stop watching...The players that inspired me the most were the lunch pail guys like Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Tom Seaver...guys who weren't the most gifted athletes but who worked their asses off to make themselves better...the guys who came to the ballpark, did their job at 100 percent every game, and then left the field and stayed out of the headlines (Pete had a little trouble but how could you fault a guy nicknamed "Charlie Hustle?")...Jeter is an example of these guys I admired.  And it wasn't just him.  I came to admire the Fab 4, (Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera), and found it hard to root against such good players even though they were Yankees...They made a lasting impression on me and I hope that baseball finds more ambassadors of the game like them.  It was hard to dislike a team that had so many quality people as well as quality ballplayers...

     Jeter was the ultimate example of what I wanted a ballplayer to be...a positive role model and someone to look up to...a hard worker who constantly strove to make himself a better player...a player who wasn't comfortable in the spotlight even though his play constantly put the spotlight on him...a humble man who credited everyone else and "played for the team"...and above all, he wasn't a cheater...he wasn't involved in the black eye of the drug scandal or the sensational headlines off the field (like A-Roid...not a typo or Clemens).  He made me want to watch the Yankees, especially in the playoffs where he became Mr. November, owning more World Series records then anyone else...(I didn't want them to win but the plays he made were spectacular!)...

     So, thank you, Derek Jeter, for 20 years of spectacular play...for 20 years of staying with the same team (a feat in itself)...for being the man that you are...and thank you for retiring, because I can now go back to disliking the Yankees as a whole team, instead of saying, "I can't stand the Yankees, but I like Jeter." LET'S GO METS!!!