A true story from my friend Joe Bruno:
About 6-8 years ago, my 3 friends from NY City came down to Sarasota for spring training, like they did every year since 1996, when the Yankees moved to Tampa. We usually go to 2, or three games in different stadium near Sarasota.
I got my friends seats in Sarasota against the Reds, second row, just to the left of the Yankee (visitors) dugout.
Before the game, Jeter was stretching right in front of us. About 30 feet away. A little kid kept screaming next to us in the aisle, "Mr. Jeter! Mr. Jeter! Please, Mr. Jeter."
The kid had things he wanted autographed.
Jeter ignored him.
So, being from NY City and, obnoxious to start with, we started abusing Jeter.
"Hey you, Jeter! What are you a big shot? Ignoring a little kid? Yeah, Jeter , you think you're a big shot!"
Jeter stood up, looked us in the eye, and walked right toward us. Right in our faces. Two feet away from us. Paul O'Neil was following him and I did not like the look in O'Neil's eye.
"The kid is working for somebody," Jeter told us. "I see that kid in every spring training park. We autograph things, and whoever he's working for, sells them."
We didn't know what to say.
But that shows you what type of a guy Jeter is. Another player would have ignored us, or told us to go eff ourselves. I know that's what I would have done.
But he wanted to make it clear to us four jerkoffs, that he was not ignoring the kid without good reason.
That's the difference between Derek Jeter and 99% of the athletes in America. He really cares what people think about him personally. He doesn't cash his multi-million dollar paychecks and tell the rest of the world to go eff themselves.
Jeter will always be aces in my book.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment