TAMPA, Fla.–Former Yankees great and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter—known to many as simply “The Captain” participated in a quick-moving Q&A during PSCU’s Member Forum here.
Posing the Q’s was PSCU’s Dean Young. Here is some of what was discussed:
Young: What is your best habit?
Jeter: I’m overly optimistic.
Young: Who was the greatest athlete?
Jeter: Dave Winfield. He was drafted in all three major sports.
Young: Favorite pregame ritual?
Jeter: I always had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I haven’t had one since I stopped playing.
Young: What was the best part of playing in New York?
Jeter: The fans. New York fans are extremely knowledge of the sport. They pay attention to detail. It’s life or death for Yankees fans.
Young: The worst part of playing in New York?
Jeter: The traffic.
Young: Favorite ballpark to play besides Yankee Stadium?
Jeter: Anaheim: We stayed in Newport Beach when we were there. The field conditions were perfect. The weather was perfect. And 90% of the fans were Yankees fans anyway.
Young: The teammate you most admired?
Jeter: That’d difficult. There were four of us who played together for a long time—myself, Mariano Rivera, Andy Petit, and Jorge Posada. We all came up together. We were the first trio in any sport to play 17 plus years for the same team. It would have been four people, but Petit was an idiot and he played in Houston for four years.
Young: The toughest pitcher you ever faced?
Jeter: Roy Halliday. He unfortunately passed away a few years ago. I just couldn’t figure him out. Pedro Martinez was the best pitcher I ever faced, but Roy Halliday was toughest on me.
Young: Who isn’t in the Hall of Fame but should be?
Jeter: (The Atlanta Braves’) Dale Murphy. When I was growing up (in Michigan) you could see the Braves games on TBS. I don’t know him, but from what I’ve heard he’s also a Hall of Fame person.
Young: The season just kicked off. Who is going to win it all?
Jeter: I don’t know. I grew up in New York and I used to tell the young players there are a couple of things you can say when interviewed. Athletes get a microphone in their face and you feel you have to answer. I tell them you can say I don’t know. The best teams make it to the playoffs and the hottest team wins.
Young: Was baseball big in Kalamazoo?
Jeter: Baseball was big when I was coming up. But today are into instant gratification. Even the best baseball players are in the minors for three or four years.
Young: Was there a moment you knew baseball was your future:
Jeter: I don’t know if you ever sit down and know it’s what you want to be. My dad played shortstop at Fisk University, and my mom had 13 brothers and they were all huge fans of the Yankees. I combined the two and wanted to be a shortstop for the New York Yankees. I wanted that for as long as I could remember.
Young: Who were your mentors growing up?
Jeter: It starts with my parents. I’m biased, but I think I have the greatest parents in the world. They were always present. There was always one of them at every sporting event. I made my major league debut in Seattle and my dad came out, but my mom stayed home because my sister had a softball game.
Young: What can you tell us about leadership?
Jeter: I get asked this question quite a bit. There are different kinds of leaders. Some lead by example. Some are vocal leaders. What’s most important its getting to know the people you’re leading. You don’t treat everyone the same; you treat people fairly. You have to get to know people. The only way to know the difference is to take time to get to know them. You don’t just walk into the room and say follow me.
Young: How do you keep the Yankee culture going?
Jeter: It starts at the top. I played for Mr. (George) Steinbrenner. He demanded excellence. He was an old football guy. We got along well. He had a tough time, and stay with me, understanding that in the course of a 162 game schedule you might actually lose a game. You laugh, but if you were playing well he’d come up and shake your hand. If not, he’d look you up and down and move on. He expected to win every game. In that way we had the same mindset. The worst phrase in sports is wait until next year.
Young: in that locker room, how create a mentality of no I in team?
Jeter: We had a lot of leaders on our team. People understood when you came to New York we had one goal and that was to win. If it was all about you and your statistics, we had a problem and you were out. We had a great core that was there for a long period. Once you taste and experience success, that’s all you want.
Young: You were the face of the Yankees brand for so long. How does it thrive so?
Jeter: Success. That’s it. It’s been the most successful organization arguably in any sport. Everyone came to Yankees games. It was the hot spot to be. It’s been 13 years since the Yankees won a World Series, but you still have that perception of the Yankees that they want to win.
Young: You were CEO of the Miami Marlins for four years. Tell us about some of that experience?
Jeter: I took all of the front office people down to the clubhouse to meet the players. I wanted the players to understand all the people working there to support them who are a part of the team. That we are all in this together.
Young: Do you miss playing?
Jeter: No. You know, when you play you’re old at 30. When I retired I was told I was young at 40. I haven’t missed playing. It was hard. I played 20 years, which in New York is like dog years, so I played 140 years.
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