Friday, August 1, 2014

THE EXACT THING JETER WOULDN'T WANT: "JEET STREET"

Respecting the Captain and his wishes on this "unofficial" Farewell tour has been pretty great so far.  It's just enough, the way Jeter wants it. I like when we can help the Captain out.


Fans are able to gush for Derek Jeter, while not over doing it.  It’s the Farewell tour that isn’t called the Farewell tour… that’s because Jeter wants it that way.  I have mad respect for this man, because he let’s the record speak for itself.  5 championships. Check.  Plays like "the flip" because “it’s what you practice”. Check. 


Winning. Class. #Re2pect.  Check. Check. Check.


The day Jeter leaves Yankee Stadium, while sad, will be the day he and his teams will be a fond memory. Jeter is truly of a modern day Yankee legend.  And in no time, he will be inducted in the Hall of Fame for his achievements. But remember, they're not “his” achievements… they are "his teams" achievements.  It’s never about Jeter.  It’s always about the club and what is expected of the club. That’s because he learned the Steinbrenner way and we the fans... we followed.  Tip your cap ladies and gentlemen… that’s class and leadership tied up in a pinstriped bow. 
 
When I read that bleacher creature Bald Vinny wanted to now have a street named in Jeter’s name, I cringed alittle.  Not in a bad way, but in a "I don't like it" way.  See, Vinny made a shirt called "Jeet Street". He was quoted as saying I wouldn’t have made the shirt if I didn’t believe it could happen." In his mind, and many fan's minds, the idea of a Derek Jeter Street around Yankee Stadium is a good idea. While I appreciate the gesture as a fan, and while I understand the "want" and "need" to celebrate this great Captain, it’s not Jeter's style at all... and it never will be.   That's because the honoring of Jeter is already standing in the Bronx. It's Yankee Stadium, the unofficial “House that Jeter Built.” That’s sacred.  That’s already there.  
 

I mean, sure, there’s Babe Ruth Plaza, but that’s because Babe Ruth was one of the greatest players that ever lived. To kids these days, the Babe is like folklore, and when they walk into the great halls and see the Yankee history, or walk through the Yankee Museum and see what he’s all about, they realize Babe Ruth was much more.  

“Wait, Babe Ruth was real?” I heard a boy say that in the Yankee Stadium Museum a few weeks ago. I got a chill. It was kind of awesome. 


Yes, Ruth is a legend and kids these days, some think of him as a storybook hero.  But Babe Ruth was larger than life and to this day, still is.


Sure, there’s Rivera Avenue, but it was almost like the stars aligned and it was all supposed to happen that way.  The ceremony for Mo brought out fans from all over the place.  It was an incredible gesture for the greatest closer of all time, but it was almost symbolic with the name of the street, River, and the great man named Rivera.  

It HAD to be done, for Mo, for the fans, for New York.  But let's be honest, and this isn't an insult, this is an opinion... We can’t start adding Yankee names to Streets and Avenues all over Manhattan every time a Yankee great retires, and especially when it’s Derek Jeter.  Why? Because he’s already honored every day since 2009... and before the new Yankee Stadium, every day since 1996. 


Derek Jeter built the new Yankee Stadium, but he helped build the greatest run in Yankee history too. Much like Ruth before him, Jeter had a career that gives us goosebumps. 


And that house, the new Yankee Stadium, the place where you see a sea of navy pinstripes and #2 everywhere… that’s Jeter’s highest honor and trust me when I tell you… he’s happy about that!  


In fact, don’t even tell him it’s "the House that Jeter Built", because he won’t accept that.  Why?  Because he knows the history of the Yankees better than anyone, and while the nice gifts from teams this season is greatly appreciated, and while the gestures from us fans is returned with smiles from the Cap, there is something more about Derek that’s appealing to us all. It's this: 

Derek Jeter is not about the Selfie. He’s about the team, the group shot… the history of the New York Yankees.  

Derek Jeter doesn’t need a street.  Hell, he probably doesn't even want one. Derek Jeter and all he’s done deserves a Cathedral… and that’s what we have in the Bronx.  East 161st and Rivera Avenue... Yankee Stadium.

That’s how we honor Derek Jeter… just being there.

Thank you Derek.

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