Farewell, Captain!

I totally wanted to post this last Friday, but as we all know, I didn't have internet. I'm kind of proud of it, so here I am posting super late feelings about a baseball player that is now, officially, retired. Let's do this.

Okay, so just by the title of this post, it's clear that this is going to be about Derek Jeter. It's also clear that I'm crying while writing this. It is unclear as to why I am this emotional over a Yankee retiring when I am an angst filled Rays fan, though. Here's the thing, everything I have ever loved about baseball, Jeter embodies it. He respects the game, and the process, and the fans, and responsibility that comes with being a role model, let alone a New York Yankee. He played to win, not to be the best. He was genuinely appreciative of this crazy blessing that he had, and he worked hard to be the best player he could be, the best man he could be. He was never ejected, and honestly, I have never met one person who has had something bad to say about Derek Jeter's character. The Yankees? Definitely. Jeter? Never.

I think maybe the biggest thing for me is the fact that he has dominated the game for my entire life. He was drafted in 1992, and I was born the year after. If Derek Jeter can have an entire wonderful, amazing, second to none career in my lifespan, what the hell am I doing now. That's irrelevant though.

Derek Jeter, here's to you. You have given me a love for baseball that I never knew was possible. You have shown me that this game isn't all about becoming the best on your own but becoming the best with the people who mean the most. You have shown me that loyalty and respect will never go out of style. But, most of all, you have shown me that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.

Farewell, Captain. You were once in a lifetime, and man am I glad that you were in this one.