"For all of us up here, it's a huge honor to put this uniform on everyday and come out here and play. And every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories." — Derek Jeter
Excuse me for a minute, my spine is shuddering uncontrollably … What, too corny?
Not to me. Maybe Jeter's speech wasn't on par with Lou Gehrig's farewell — what could be? But man, it was moving.
I was there, sitting at field level a few rows from left, and let me tell you this: The most exciting part of the night was not seeing some guys dressed up as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, nor was it seeing the team unveil an old pennant flag, nor was it watching Brett Gardner score the last run ever at Yankee Stadium. It was witnessing a composed but teary-eyed Jeter deliver his farewell to the House that Ruth Built.
Everyone was captivated by it. The entire night built up to it. The fans knew that that speech, not Jose Molina's final home run, was the historic moment of the night. That's what you were going to tell your kids about.
As Jeter started to walk from third up the left field line, waving goodbye to all the fans, nobody could take their eyes off him. I'm not using hyperbole. Every eye in the stadium was on Jeter. I didn't even notice that there were other Yankees walking with him until he reached the foul pole.
Nobody cared about Giambi and his ridiculous mustache; he almost looked like he didn't belong. Nobody cared that Alex Rodriguez may go down as the best player ever to wear the Yankee pinstripes. And it got me wondering.
I love Derek Jeter. But why? Why do I love this man?
He's obviously won the rings. And he's definitely made the plays, like the underhanded flip, or the home run past midnight on Nov. 1, 2001, or that dive into the stands against the Red Sox.
He says all the right things, he's never used an injury as an excuse and he's always claimed to care only about winning, even when he was an MVP candidate.
But there's another reason that Jeter is a Yankee legend: because he always has been, and always will be, a Yankee.
How many other great players from this age have played with just one team? There's Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell with the Astros. Chipper Jones and John Smoltz will probably be a couple more. And Trevor Hoffman is another. But that's pretty much it.
People complain about loyalty and sports these days, but too often it's in reference to the player and not the team. Red Sox fans all hate Johnny Damon for joining the Yanks, but the Red Sox as an organization aren't angels. Who does Trot Nixon play for these days? Where was Nomar Garciaparra during that magical World Series run in 2004?
In New York, if you play well, not only will you be loved, but also rewarded. The Yankees understand that loyalty is a two-way street, and so do the fans. That's why the greatest closer of all time has only played for one team. That's why, at age 36, Jorge Posada got a four-year contract — and nobody was angry. That's why, while Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and Bernie Williams all received loud applause on Sunday, one man got a 10-minute standing ovation.
And that's why Jeter is The Captain: He's always been there, whether celebrating a World Series win or consoling us as we close our home.
Years ago, when A-Rod first came to the Yankees, there was a lot of discussion about what a "true" Yankee was. Did you have to play well? Win a championship? No; Donnie Baseball never won anything. There's only one requirement to be a true Yankee: be only a Yankee.
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David Heck is a junior majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
