Growing up as a child and a fan of baseball and sports in general, you're either taught to root for or root against one specific team, and that team is the New York Yankees. Whether it's jealousy or plain 'ol hatred a fan has towards the most historic franchise in sports history, you've got to give credit where it's due. And that's in fact what I'm doing. In my younger years, I was one of those fans that would root for both my team and whoever was playing the Yankees. However there's often a certain player that you want to cheer for deep down inside and in this case that player happens to be Derek Jeter.
2 Weeks ago, Jeter reached a number that many great players only dreamt about. And before 1995 when Jeter made his debut, he was one of those dreamers. That number is the All-Time Yankees Hits record. A record that stood tall for 72 historical years. Although he's not the greatest hitter to ever play for the franchise, he's certainly one of the most popular and hard working. Whether or not you're a fan of Jeter's, his work ethic is one that anybody can appreciate. The guy goes out there and does what's expected of him day in and day out. There's no wonder why Jeter's been named the only Yankees captain in all of it's success. Sure he's made a debatable case for an MVP award (which most likely won't happen), but only a ring added to his collection would complete the perfect season.
Jeter's record breaking 2,722nd hit came off of Baltimore Orioles' Chris Tillman. The milestone took Jeter 44 less games than it took Gehrig to set the mark, which is a big surprise. But what surprises me most about the Yankees franchise and all their glory, is that despite all their legendary players, no Yankee has ever reached the 3,000 hit plateau. & At the age of 35 and no signs of slowing down, Jeter could be the first Yankee to reach the hallowed mark with what looks to be at least five more seasons ahead of him. Regardless, Jeter's name is now added to some elite company that includes such names as; Ruth, Mantle, and Gehrig. How about a tip of the hat to the captain, Congrats Jeter, you've earned it!
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