October 30 ~  Play to Win Yankee for the New Millennium

"You play to win." ~ Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter

New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter (1974-), was born in Pequannock, New Jersey. His passion...and talent... for baseball began at a young age. In 1992, after USA Today named him "High School Player of the Year," he joined the Yankees.

In 2000, Jeter was named Most Valuable Player in the World Series and the All-Star Game. "Every year is a different story," said Jeter, basking in the glow of his team's wins.

"The tougher the situation, the more fire he gets in his eyes," then-Yankee manager Joe Torre said about the flawless fielder. "You don't teach that. You're born with that."

"Jeter is a very special guy," Torres added. "There is something about his presence that makes you feel good."

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound heartthrob, called D.J. in the dugout, has been romantically linked to the world's most beautiful women. "He's just like Elvis Presley," said third baseman Scott Brosius. "Girls, especially the younger ones, always scream for him. I've never seen anything like it."

In 2009, Jeter passed Lou Gehrig to become the Yankees' all-time hits leader.

Humble, polite, and talented, Jeter seems to improve with each passing year and has admitted that all he ever wanted to be was a Yankee. "To have the chance to play at Yankee Stadium and be on their team, I must be one of the lucky ones," Jeter said. "God, I hope I wear this jersey forever."

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