ABSTRACT:
Has it really been four full baseball seasons since Derek Jeter made us pay attention? Wasn’t it yesterday that Joe Torre wondered if a 21-year-old rookie could handle being the Yankees’ shortstop? how did Jeter move so quickly from a wide-eyed neophyte to a two-time World Series champion and serious MVP candidate?
While those four years have flown by it only means you are older. The most frightening thing about that time span is that Jeter is two years away from free agency unless George Steinbrenner signs Jeter to a long-term deal. Even now it may be too late. Maybe now, after The Boss has gone year to year with him, Jeter will go year to year with The Boss and let a river of free agent green flow to his doorstep following the 2001 season……..
Maybe there are times when Jeter melts into a couch somewhere and takes stock of just how good he has been the past four years. Maybe a smile comes to the face easily recognized all over the country. Who could blame him. He is 25, makes $5 million with more glue on the way and has two World Series rings with another a strong possibility.
However, you believe him when he says MVP and everything else is secondary.
“You can win all the personal accolades and all the trophies you are going to win and it means nothing unless you win a championship,” Jeter said. “You can give all those awards to everyone else as long as we keep getting the rings.”