A Well Deserved Applause

I found myself thinking the other day about athletes who don't do it right. I was thinking about athletes like Barry Bonds and Ben Johnson. I remembered how I felt when Ron Artest ran into the crowd or how Steve Howe looked when he failed another drug test. It's really nice though when I can think of an athlete and a smile comes to my face. Derrek Jeter has done that for many years. On Wednesday night, Jeter went 3-for-4 and tied Lou Gehrig for first on the all-time hits list as a New York Yankee with 2721.

Sure, the Yankees are probably the most polarizing team in organized sports (Sorry Cowboys and Fighting Irish fans, it's true). They are easy to hate, easy to love and are a team that is looked up to and admired. Jeter falls into that category as well. I'm sure A's fans hate him for the toss. I'm sure Braves fans hate him for how he torched them in two World Series. Here's the thing though, anyone can and could hate him,but the day he gets traded to your team the first thing you are doing is running to the local Foot Locker to get his jersey. That's what makes him so special. You hate him because he's good and you hate him because you aren't him!

Jeter was made for New York and for the Yankees. He is clean cut, comes from a good family, plays the game with integrity and grit. He looks like he is floating on air when he goes to the hole and does a 180 while jumping and throwing the runner out at first. Jeter plays like he is a construction worker but does it looking like a GQ model. He was dating "A" list actresses before any athletes were. I mean who else could be linked to Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jessica Biel and Jordana Brewster? I know...I'm pissed too!

I think we need to all take a moment to realize that we are watching one of the greatest players of all time. He will be the first Yankee to ever get to 3000 hits, shocking, I can't believe it either. He will have his number retired in Monument Park behind the center field fence at Yankee Stadium and he will be enshrined in Cooperstown one day. Do me a favor though. Next time you think of Derek Jeter, don't be mad that your pinstripe suit isn't the same as his, just think about who will be the next "A" list actress he is going to date and you aren't!

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