Jeter

By: Connor Lenahan

For my entire life I have looked up to Derek Jeter. I have been raised to follow the example of a man who always competes to win, leads, and never stops working. I cannot remember a time in my life where I could watch the Yankees with my Dad without seeing Derek Jeter on the field or in the dugout. Today that changes. Today ends the career of my favorite athlete of all time. Today marks the end for one of the best careers for a baseball player in history. In five years I will get to smile as Derek Jeter is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But now I have to wait. Now I have to get accustomed to something I thought would never come. I have to accept that, upon Opening Day 2015, The Captain will no longer be taking the field. Nor will Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Tino Martinez, or any of the other Yankees I grew up loving. I knew this day would come – I just didn’t want it to.

Thank you for being the defining baseball player of my childhood. Thank you for providing me with some of the happiest memories of my life. Thank you for everything Derek.