TAMPA — The man who rarely went home early sat with the man who can’t go out.
Joe Namath and Derek Jeter chatted for quite a while in the Yankees’ dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field Monday prior to the Yankees beating the Nationals, 4-2.
Namath, arguably the best quarterback in New York history, used Manhattan as his personal playground and never ran from the spotlight. Jeter, easily among the top 10 Yankees ever, dodges the spotlight and would never be photographed in a fur coat in the wee hours of the morning.
Jeter, who met Namath when they filmed a Nobody Beats The Wiz commercial in 1997, has a big fan in the former Jets quarterback.
“The scrutiny he has had over the years, I can’t imagine he can be an angel over the years,’’ said Namath, who sat with manager Joe Girardi outside the Yankees’ dugout for part of the game. “He should be respected for everything. Many of us fell short with some of that, but we learned to bounce back. It’s human to error and I know about that, but we do our best to come back. Derek hasn’t made many errors that I have seen.’’
Jeter, 39, never saw Namath, 70, play but is impressed with the only quarterback to lead the Jets to a Super Bowl title.
“It goes without saying what he accomplished in New York,’’ Jeter said. “I didn’t see him play football, I was too young, but I admire his confidence.’’
Unlike Namath, who guaranteed the Jets would beat the Colts in Super Bowl III, Jeter stayed away from predicting the Yankees will win the World Series this coming season.
“There was less newspapers back then, less Internet,’’ Jeter said.
Namath, a self-admitted baseball lover, wore a Yankees uniform with the number 12 on the back and doted on his granddaughter, 3-year-old Jessica. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Jeter, who went 0-for-3, started two double plays and was charged with a throwing error.
“It’s special,’’ Namath said of wearing the Yankees’ uniform. “I was so happy it wasn’t wool. We used to do wool, man, from Little League on up. I used to put pajamas underneath my pants.’’
Namath did a commercial for panty hose while a Jet and said he was having flashbacks of that feeling while getting dressed Monday.
“Putting on these long stockings reminded me of that,’’ Namath said.
Asked if he could relate to Jeter, Namath said he couldn’t.
“He is special. There are things in life that athletes and people in the public eye I can relate to,’’ Namath said. “But his career, where he has been and what he has done, I can’t relate to all of that, no man. We accomplished a goal and I was part of a couple of teams where we won championships. He has done quite a bit more. No, I can’t relate.’’
Namath also visited the clubhouse where he chatted with Reggie Jackson and posed for pictures outside the room.
“He was great, loved having him,’’ Girardi said. “Just listening to him talk about football and where he grew up in Pennsylvania. We talked about his days at Alabama, Bear Bryant, the national championship and the days with the Jets and now. It was a special day. I loved being around him.’’