So this is the day of Derek Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium — the end of an era and the farewell to an icon. This is a person who posted legendary career numbers and exemplary leadership and humanity which stood out particularly powerfully in an era of professional athletes and celebrities who have defined themselves as criminals, cheaters, liars and stealers. He gives hope for humanity.
And so the boys and I have been anticipating this day, this final farewell to the Captain #2. We got our tickets months ago from Arlene Virga, the Director of Yorkville Little League. She had a limited number of tickets (maybe 150) that were available to all registered Yorkville participants and coaches. I snagged 3 as soon as I found out. Laughably, Arlene said that some parents were scoffing at the $50 price tag. Today, these same tickets are selling on StubHub for $340 each! I told her at the time that I would take any tickets she could not sell. I knew their value was only going in one direction for this historic event.
But now, here we are. I’m writing this at 2:23 PM about 1 hour before I leave work to meet the family and take the boys up to Yankee Stadium.
And outside it’s raining.
The weather… why rain today? Nevertheless, I told the boys that regardless of the weather or the outlook for the weather, we’re going up to Yankee Stadium. Something is going to happen tonight at that stadium with regards to Jeter’s farewell, and we are going to be there for it, game or not. But if the game does not happen, it will not be rescheduled and we will be deeply disappointed, like we missed out on something very special and important, an event in history that never happened, but should have.
There would be a loss of closure on an era that brought us great joy, stories, memories, and experiences.
Surely, the weather outlook is not very hopeful, and yet hope remains.
So I wrote this part of today’s journal post in anticipation of what the rest of the day might bring — something I’ve not done before, so it will be interesting to look back and see how this day unfolds given the anticipation and the reveal of how bleak things looked beforehand.
And so I’m off…
Now it’s the next day, and here’s my story…
I hopped on the 4 train uptown and met Rochelle, Jake, and Jordan in the 86th street station. Rochelle made sure that we had plenty of layers to keep us warm in the stands — something we would come to appreciate as the night got colder.
Since Yorkville only offered tickets to those kids registered and coaches, Rochelle did not get to go (but I don’t think she was too broken up about that, especially since we all went as a family to see a game just this last Sunday).
So we went to the head car of the 4 train and made our way up to 161st St. and Yankee Stadium. Upon our arrival, it was still quite early — 4:33 PM!! The game didn’t start until 7:05.
Did I mention that it was raining out?
With that time to spare, I suggested that we go to the McDonalds across the street from the stadium. I figured we’d save a ton of money eating there first and getting just snacks in the stadium rather than rely on the stadium concessions for our entire dinner. But Jordan had no interest in doing that. He wanted to go directly to the stadium and find our seats.
So I made the deal a little sweeter by promising them each their own chocolate shake. At that point, Jordan took the bait, and off we went.
Of course, with the game on the horizon (did I mention it was raining?) this McDonalds was a madhouse, with a combination of game-goers and loud-mouthed teenagers, there was barely a seat to be had. And yet, Jake found an open table.
After waiting in line for a short time, we scarfed down our food — a quarter pounder with cheese for me, a chicken sandwich with cheese for Jordan, and a 10-piece chicken nugget combo for Jake… oh, and medium chocolate shakes for all.
We made our way over to the stadium and got in lickity-split. Not having sat in these particular seats, we had to get directions. “Take the elevator up to 3 and then walk up from there.” Elevator?
We jumped right on one that was going up. On 3, we got out and walked about ⅔ the way around the stadium. When we found our seats, we had a short conversation about how we felt about these seats and our view of the game. We all agreed that the view was great. From up there, you could see everything that was going on. You couldn’t exactly see the sweat on the players’ faces like we could from other seats we’ve had, but you could certainly see all the action unfolding. The seats were great.
As the evening progressed, the rain petered out, leaving a beautiful slice of rainbow hovering over the stadium.
The forecast called for rain — even showers — as part of a Nor’easter working its way up the east coast. As late as this morning, predictions were for a rainout. I was 90% sure that tonight’s game would never take place.
Now here we are, hanging out with one another in section 431a, Row 4, seats 1, 2, and 3 — loving life! Now the rain has cleared. Rochelle called up to tell me that the weather people now think that the heavy rain that was supposed to hit us would, instead, move off to the east for the remainder of the night and that the game would probably go on as planned. Hooray!
At that point, I began texting various groups of people… Rochelle and the kids (even though the boys were sitting next to me I wanted to keep Rochelle informed), Guys from work, Paul Silva, Rob Sabia, and Bill Samela, and Friends — McLeans, Brothers, Gallaghers, Oberlanders, and Dingmans. One texted tidbit was a set of pictures of the rainbow over the stadium and up close. I jokingly — or perhaps seriously;) — said that the rainbow was proof that God is a Jeter fan. All agreed.
About 45 minutes before game time, the crowd began to cheer when the grounds crew came out onto the field and began to roll up the tarp covering the infield. It was the first clear confirmation that this game was at least going to get started — even if it eventually rained out. And that gave some solace, knowing that we will indeed see Jeter’s final performance in Yankee Stadium.
Not long after that, the Yankees appeared on the field, stepping out to warm up before the game began. You knew instantly when Jeter appeared, because the crowd was on its feet and roaring at every appearance.
The anticipation was great. Would Jeter have a Jeteresque day or a fizzling end to a storied career?
All through the lead-up to the game, there were tributes, and highlights, and congratulations playing on the jumbotron. It was all Jeter — every moment, and we brought it all in with great joy and satisfaction. Jeter was the reason we were here at this moment in time — hoping for just one more glimpse of Jeter glory.
Before we knew it, the first pitch was made. Pitching was Hiroki Kuroda — a solid pitcher for the Yankees.
Inning 1)
The crowd was roaring, but was silenced almost immediately when the Orioles lead-off batter (Nick Markakis) blasted a home run. Holy Crap! We were in the hole right off the bat. That was very frustrating, so you can imagine our dismay when the second batter also hit a homerun. The crowd was stunned. Jake, Jordan, and I just looked at each other, understanding that what we wanted to say wasn’t appropriate under any circumstances.
Either way, we were trying to balance the immediate prospect of a brutal loss with the hope that the early status of the game would give us plenty of time to take the lead and win. The drama intensified.
Score: 2-0
Bottom of the first… …Brett Gardner singled to right, raising the heads of all onlookers. And then to our feet. Derek Jeter was up to bat. But what could he do? Under the greatest pressure of his life, what could he possible do?
Answer: A bombing 398 foot blast to left field. It looked like a homerun… but it hit the fence just 1 foot shy of the bullpen. The crowd went ballistic!! Jeter had worked his magic, blasting this double and driving in Gardner for their first Yankee run of the game.
But Jeets wasn’t done. He proceeded to steal 3rd base. And then he scored himself on an Orioles error.
Jeter ties the game and puts the Yankees back in it. Hope survives.
Score: 2-2
Inning 7)
No scores were made in innings 2 through 6, and good thing since the boys and I spent a good amount of time waiting in ridiculously long lines on a quest for the elusive twisty pretzel. Eventually, I sent them back to their seat (Jordan with his ice cream) so that they did not miss any more of the game and so that I could move more swiftly through the crowds.
In one line, I waited about 20 minutes. When I finally got to the front, I saw the worker give the person in the line next to me the final two pretzels. There were no more. I was livid.
I saw that another, larger stand had regular soft pretzels, but the line there was stupid long as well. But I am ‘Daddy’ and doing such things is my job. So in line I went. And I stayed there until I heard the workers shout, “No more pretzels!” Seriously??
I returned to the boys in defeat. At that point I had already missed at least an inning and a half, so there would have to be another way I could make it up to Jake.
Back in the seats, Jake actually felt bad for me and apologized for me missing so much of the game. Luckily, nothing huge happened during that time.
So Jake asked for some money so he could go scout out the food situation. And he returned not 10 minutes later with a big fat bowl of nachos smothered in cheese, a big grin glowing on his face. I was glad he found something that made him happy.
In the meantime, Jordan had successfully wiped the ice cream that managed to coat the lower ⅔ of his face. Not sure that he even used his napkins. Sleeves are much more convenient.
Anyway, the score remained unchanged until inning 7 when, again, Jeter reached base on a throwing error by the Orioles, allowing Jose Pirela and Ichiro Suzuki to score and landing Brett Gardner on 3rd.
Later, Brian McCann hit a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Brett Gardner.
Score: 5-2 Yankees
The 8th inning was scoreless and now it was time to bring in our closer David Robertson, who is incredibly reliable, to close out the game with a win. And we were perfectly satisfied with the win at this point. That’s what we wanted for Jeter — a win on his final go-around in Yankee Stadium.
Inning 9)
But that was not the case today.
Shockingly, Robertson let up THREE RUNS (including 2 home runs!!) — blowing the save. I think this is the first time ever that Robertson has given up three runs in a single inning.
Unbelievable!!!
We saw the game flashing in front of our eyes. This gross act of negligence just blew the chances of Jeter ending his career in Yankee stadium with a win. We were sick and feeling hopeless. This would mar the Jeter legacy and leave us all with a stale taste in our mouths.
Score: 5-5
Last licks for the Yankees began with a single to left by Jose Pirela who was immediately replaced by pinch runner, Antoan Richardson.
Gardner was up next — top of the lineup. Sacrifice bunt. Richardson to 2nd.
Richardson’s speed and baserunning skill is phenomenal, and clearly the reason Girardi put him in as a pinch runner. From second base, a single would give Richardson the go ahead to round third and make the drive for home.
And guess who was up next — Jeter.
Crowd on their feet and howling…
“Derek Jeter!!!”
“Derek Jeter!!!”
“Derek Jeter!!!”
There comes a point in everyone’s life where the potential for glory is met with the challenge of pressure. There are few who can come through and engrave their name as legends in the annals of history.
The pitch.
Jeter swings…
BAM!!! …rips the ball into right field. He runs to first as Richardson rounds third.
Nick Markakis bullets the ball to home plate — a perfect throw….
In comes Richardson. He dives head first and full speed for home.
The catcher gets the ball and turns to Richardson for the tag…
The slide…
The call…
SAFE!!!!!
THE YANKEES WIN! Jeter drives in the winning run in a walk-off act of a HERO. The moment is electrifying. The crowd goes berserk — shouting and cheering and chanting for Jeter. Dancing in the aisles and high-fiving as the players rush from the dugout to mob Jeter like a scene out of a world series victory. The applause maintains stratospheric levels for what seems like forever.
Jeter is seen on the Jumbotron hugging all his past and present teammates.
As the crowd cheers, he walks one last time around the bases, pausing at his career-long position at shortstop, kneels and gives thanks, and continues around the bases, meeting his family who is waiting for him at home plate.
Jeter announced after the game that this was the last time that he would ever play shortstop, and that in his final games in Boston, he would only DH. So we got to see his final stand at Shortstop, a position that he has played for his entire two-decade career.
And, as is characteristic of him — a total class act — when first put in front of the jumbotron by a broadcaster, he first wanted to congratulate the Orioles on their division championship, saying that they deserved it and then he wished them good luck in the playoffs. Classy!
It was, without doubt, the greatest (pro) sports experience of my life and I got to share it with my boys, who, I believe, share that same sense of awe and glory and satisfaction… …priceless.
It was a fairytale, a dream, and out-of-body experience, and with a soundtrack playing Sinatra’s “My Way”.
There were tributes from former teammates, Andy Pettite, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Jonny Damon, Ichiro Suzuki, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, and also Mike Trout, Adam Jones, Troy Tulowitzki, Felix Hernandez, David Price and dozens of others
All the while, Arlene and another guy from Yorkville were taking pictures of all the Yorkville crowd. They were even interviewing people as they took video on an iPad, for use in their weekly production of the week’s overview in Yorkville baseball.
Jake told me as we were leaving that Jared Shapiro, his teammate on the Yorkville Eagles, saw us on a baseball highlight show. We were in the frame when they were showing someone hitting a homerun. Jake stood out in the frame to his teammate because Jake was wearing his Eagles hat. Jordan later said that some of his teammates had seen him on the same highlights. Pretty cool!
From Paul Reddick…
“If you saw Derek Jeter’s historical last home game, you saw the amazing clutch walk off single he made that sealed in the win.
Almost straight out of a movie, Jeter showed us what happens when you don’t quit.
Out of the playoffs, 2 losses in a row, and 12 in total for the month, he still went out to play.”
KicksonFire.com…
“If it were any other day and any other future baseball hall of famer saying goodbye, last night’s Yankees-Orioles game would have been a Baltimore blowout because they were still chasing the best record in the American League while New York had nothing to play for or the rain would have been so bad that the game would have been called off. But this was a day unlike any other and this was unlike any other future baseball hall of famer saying goodbye. This was Derek Jeter’s last game at Yankee Stadium. It was only going to end one way: with the weather cooperating and with Jeter’s arms raised in the air in victory. And because it was Jeter, he was the man who made it happen by driving in the winning run in a tied game in the bottom of the ninth. It was so movie-like that it bordered on corny, especially since the Yankees were no longer in the playoff race. But because it was Jeter, it was far from corny…”
New York Times…
“He almost started crying as he drove himself to Yankee Stadium in the afternoon. He had to turn away from his teammates before the game when they presented him with gifts, so overcome was he by the emotion. In the first inning, he said, he barely knew what was happening, and later, in the top of the ninth, his eyes welled with tears to the point that he worried that he might break down in front of the crowd of 48,613.
But when the time came for Derek Jeter to get a game-winning hit, to add another signature moment to a long list of achievements over his 20-year career, he knew exactly what to do, and seemingly no one doubted that he would.
“Everyone in the dugout and the Stadium knew it was going to happen,” said David Robertson, whose blown save paved the way for one of the most dramatic endings to a game at the new Stadium.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jeter stroked the winning hit and ended his Yankee Stadium career the way he had ended so many games — with both arms raised in celebration. The 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles was his 1,627th regular-season victory as a Yankee.
The 3,463rd hit of Jeter’s career sizzled into right field, and Antoan Richardson slid home with the winning run, and the normally stoic Jeter said the ending was almost too much even for him to believe.
“An out-of-body experience is the best way to put it,” said Jeter, who was uncharacteristically expressive after the game.
It was a night when everything seemed to happen specifically to allow Jeter to be Jeter in front of his home fans for the last time. The rain stopped, the Orioles pushed the game to the bottom of the ninth by hitting two home runs, a Yankees runner got to second base, and Jeter came to the plate again with his name ringing in his ears. He then did exactly the kind of thing that had made him so adored by his fans.
Jeter was so overcome with emotion both during and after the game that he shed his usual cautious approach with reporters.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “Write what you want and put my name at the bottom of it.”
For the record, Jeter went 2 for 5 with a double, three runs batted in and a run scored.
What may have been the best blown save in Yankees history provided him the platform to be a hero once again.
USA Today…
Derek Jeter, trying to blink away the tears, and holding a towel over his face, walked slowly around the Yankee Stadium infield Thursday night, his head spinning, trying to digest what just happened.
When he finally reached the dugout, hugging his family, and walking through the tunnel for the final time toward the clubhouse, he finally surrendered, with the emotions oozing out of his body.
In one of the most surreal and remarkable farewells in Yankee history, leave it up to Jeter to deliver the dramatic game-winning hit in the Yankees’ 6-5 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles, just minutes after the Yankees had blown a 3-run lead.
“It was sort of an out of body experience, Jeter said. “It was a weird range of emotions. I was just trying not to cry.”
In one swing of the bat, Jeter slapped his trademark single to right field. Antoan Richardson came scurrying toward home, and there was Jeter jumping up and down as he rounded first base.
His teammates sprinted onto the field, the sellout crowd of 48,613 danced in the aisles, and Jeter was mobbed, giving him a hero’s send-off.
When he walked toward the dugout, there were his famous teammates from the glory days, with Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada hugging him, along with Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre.
“I’ve done a pretty good job controlling my emotions,” Jeter says. “I try to hide them. I try to trick myself into not feeling those particular emotions.
“Today, I wasn’t able to do it.”
Jeter, known for his stoicism during his career, says he broke down several times during the game, retreating to the bathroom to cry, with his eyes tearing up in the ninth inning in the field.
“I was honestly out there saying, “Please don’t hit it to me,’ Jeter says. “I was thinking to myself, “Get me out of here before I do something that cost us the game.
“Funny, how things changed.”
Certainly, the script was completely altered on the fly. The game plan was to remove Jeter from the game in the top of the ninth inning with the Yankees leading 5-2. Yet, before anyone knew it, closer David Robertson coughed up three runs, the last on Steve Pearce’s home run.
Never did a blown save look so beautiful.
It gave Jeter a chance to bat one final time, and provide a memory that will never be forgotten in this stadium.
“I don’t think there was a more fitting way for it to end,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi says, “for all of the big hits, and all of the things he’s done to win championships here. He was here at the beginning of this (five World Series championship) run.”
Jeter, after celebrating with his current and former teammates, slowly then walked around the infield, waving to the crowd.
He stopped at the shortstop position.
He kneeled down, lowered his head, and prayed.
“I basically just said, ‘Thank you,”’ Jeter said, “because this is alI I ever wanted to do. Not too many people have the opportunity to do it. It was above and beyond anything I dreamed.
“I don’t know what to say.
“I’ve lived a dream since I was 4 or five years old, and now the dream is over.”
Jeter, playing only the second game of his career after the Yankees had already been mathematically eliminated, also decided that he will never play shortstop again.
Jeter will never be forgotten, turning a meaningless game into an electrifying October postseason night, leaving magical moments and memories that New York will forever cherish.
What else would you expect from the man?
Let’s see: A steady rain suddenly stopped in the afternoon. A meaningless game morphed into an electrifying October postseason night, and left magical moments and memories that New York will never forget.
“Derek Jeter,” Yankees president Randy Levine says, “has that kind of power.”
Oh, what a night.
Chalk up another memory, with Jeter getting his first walk-off hit in seven years.
There are the five World Series championships. The game-winning World Series home run in 2001. The dive into the stands. The flip. And now the final game.
NYPost…
So it turns out, after five world championships and seven trips to the World Series, after 14 All-Star games and 3,463 hits, after all those models and movie stars, after all those commercials, after all those days and nights when Derek Jeter was the coolest guy in every room he walked into …
After all that, you can still be as scared as a Little Leaguer.
“Please,” he whispered to himself Thursday night, on more than a couple of occasions, “don’t hit it to me.”
Even at the end, there were nerves, there was fear, there was a sense that maybe he’d gotten himself into an emotional fix he couldn’t wiggle out of, that even the great Jeter would find it hard to play baseball with a lump in his throat and mist in his eyes.
The Yankees were up, 5-2, in the ninth. Most of the 48,613 kept looking at the dugout, wondering when Joe Girardi would send Brendan Ryan out to replace Jeter and bring with him an ovation that would shake the new stadium to its very core. Then it was 5-4 after a home run. And 5-5 after another.
The first impulse, of course, is anger. But then the fans realized something: More baseball meant one more at-bat, bottom of the ninth, third man up. The booing stopped then. And it was about then when the last spasm of fear rose inside Jeter’s stomach, up to his throat, farther up to his tear ducts.
“I think I’ve done a good job in my career of controlling my emotions,” Jeter would say. “I try to trick myself into not feeling those emotions, not feeling nerves or pain. But today I wasn’t able to do it.”
The whole season had been a downhill slalom to this day, to these final moments, to the communion of icon and secular congregation, and all day there had been round after round of “DEREK JETER!” chants and “THANK YOU, DEREK!” choruses, and all of them nearly sent the object of that affection back to the clubhouse for a good cry.
“What are you thanking ME for?” he asked no one and everyone.
And then, a few seconds later, he would be inspired by the magnificence of it all: “Fifty thousand people chanting your name. I don’t know how many occupations that’s possible.”
And so it was, bottom of the ninth, a pinch runner named Antoan Richardson on second base. It probably took every ounce of restraint for Buck Showalter not to walk Jeter — or else the realization that he’d never make it to the team bus if he had.
And if you were paying attention, what you saw a fraction of an inch before what happened next was this: a whole lot of space on the right side of the infield. The Orioles were holding the speedy Richardson close. Sensible strategy.
Unless you remembered just how many of the first 3,462 base hits of Jeter’s career had gone in almost precisely that direction.
Yes. Even before it happened, you knew it would happen. You saw it happen. Even before the ball shot through to right field, you could see it shoot there, because you’ve seen it so many times. And so it was.
And so it happened.
“You can’t even dream this stuff up,” Girardi would say.
But there it was, a three-dimensional dream, and here came Richardson sliding across home, and there went the Yankees’ dugout, beelining for Jeter, jumping up and down with his arms fully stretched like that same Little Leaguer liberated from fear and experiencing the joy of success for the first time.
Girardi had this elaborate plan laid out before: Yankees win, Jeter takes a victory lap around the park, and at last, at home, all his old cronies, all his old teammates and friends, would join him at home, lead him to the tunnel, as if to say: You’re with us now. All of that vanished in the top of the ninth. And that was OK.
“This,” Girardi said, “was better.”
This was more than even Jeter could have hoped for, this eternal optimist who conceded he saw scores of more talented players share the field with him across the years, “but I can honestly say nobody played harder.”
And nobody has ever embraced these moments more. Even when he was scared to death.
“I lived my dream,” Derek Jeter would say, as the dream’s final chapter closed, as the people gave him one final ovation that lasted 5 minutes and 16 seconds, one he will feel in his bones for a lifetime.
DailyNews…
So this was the way it had to end for Derek Jeter at Yankee Stadium, with him turning a lost season for the Yankees and a lost September into a great October night out of the past, even the World Series night once when he won a game for the Yankees and they called him Mr. November. It was a single this time past first base against the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth, and it won the last game of baseball he will ever play at Yankee Stadium, and in that moment he gave them what they wanted in the Stadium, so loud with memory and love and even loss on this night:
He made himself young and, even more importantly, he made things the way they used to be for himself and these fans and this place.
The Orioles had given him one last at-bat, one last bottom of the ninth, in the top of the ninth, with a couple of home runs. Now a kid named Antoan Richardson was on second and Evan Meek was pitching and Jeter hit the first pitch he saw from Meek into right field and the Yankees had won, 6-5.
Then Jeter was a kid again, not 40 now, not at the end of a lost season, but the kid who had always found a way to make this kind of magic on the other side of 161st St., in the old Stadium. His arms were in the air and the Yankees were coming for him the way they used to come for him after they’d won another Series.
“Goose bumps,” Joe Torre had said earlier in the game, when Jeter nearly hit one over the left-field wall in the bottom of the first, a ball that turned out to be a rousing RBI double.
This was different now. Only when the Yankees won their last Series five years ago had there ever been a scene or a moment like this at the new place. Because as Jeter celebrated between first and second, you looked down near the Yankee dugout and somehow Torre was there, and Bernie Williams, and Andy Pettitte and Tino Martinez, and Jorge Posada and the great Mariano Rivera. In formation. The last great Yankee band of brothers. Waiting for the Captain of the Yankees one more time. While the place continued to go mad with chants and cheers for Derek Jeter.
“They’re like my brothers,” Jeter would say of his old teammates when interviewed on the field a few minutes later. “And Mr. T. was like a father.”
The night they closed down the old Stadium, it was Jeter who spoke for all of them, who spoke for the Yankees and what he helped them become again after he ran out to shortstop for good in April of 1996. He spoke about ghosts that night, the long line of Yankees who had made them the most famous sports team in this world.
These weren’t ghosts now. These were the old Yankees, these were Torre’s Yankees and Jeter’s Yankees, on this field, because Derek Jeter had won the last game he would ever play in that uniform, in that place, in the bottom of the ninth. It wasn’t Ted Williams hitting a home run in his last at-bat at Fenway Park once, against an old Orioles pitcher named Jack Fisher, on the last swing he would ever take. But it was enough in the bottom of the ninth at Yankee Stadium. It would do. As the people kept chanting his name, and chanting thanks, and making the night impossibly loud on the night when Derek Jeter said goodbye to Yankee fans and they said goodbye to them.
So he hugged all of his teammates and his manager, Joe Girardi, and then he was with Bernie, and Pettitte, and then Torre was hugging him, and so was Rivera. And the cheers kept hitting him from everywhere, on this night that was as much about these fans as it was about Jeter.
Sinatra was singing “New York, New York,” and then they were playing “My Way.” Jeter was back on the field, waving to all corners of the place, acknowledging the Orioles players and coaches and their manager, Buck Showalter, standing on the top step of their dugout.
Finally Jeter was back at shortstop, crouching down out there, after what he announced after the game was the last time he would ever play shortstop in the big leagues — he said he will be a DH when the Yankees play the Red Sox in Fenway Park to finish out this season. He was out there at shortstop at Yankee Stadium for the last time. It had all started for him in that spring in 1996 before all the winning started again. Now, in the midst of all this noise, on this night when the people did not want to leave the Stadium, when they did not want to say goodbye even though they had come to say goodbye, he was still the shortstop for the Yankees.
And me…
The experience was so moving to me — and apparently to so many millions of others, that I felt compelled to write an email of appreciation to Arlene Virga, the Yorkville Director and owner who acquired these coveted tickets and shared them with the Yorkville community…
FROM: Arlene — (in response to my email to her)
Tom
Thank you for this touching email. I am so happy I bought those tickets and was able to share that experience with all the parents that volunteer their time for their children and the children in the community.
I cried several times yesterday. It felt great.
Thanks again for acknowledging me, but most important thanks for you and…
…God Bless Derek Jeter for being our Captain.
Arlene A. Virga
Executive Director
Yorkville Youth Athletic Assoc.
212 360-0022
FROM: Me to Arlene
On Sep 26, 2014, at 6:46 AM, Tom Ball
Arlene,
That was the greatest experience ever, a fairy tale ending to a fairy tale career. The weather cleared — a rainbow shined down… Derek was the Captain and the hero — a person that sets the standard in every way on and off the field. He should be a poster child for all the values that Yorkville Baseball stands for.
Thank you so much for letting me share that with my boys. We will always cherish these memories!!
You are the best!!
Tom
I just as easily could have been writing that email to Jeter himself.
re2pect
Thanks Captain.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do” — Derek Jeter, Legendary Hall-of-Fame Yankees Shortstop — “God, I hope I wear this jersey forever.”