Let’s toast to Captain Crunch, who will be missed

I had ambivalent feelings writing a baseball article about Derek Jeter right before Yom Kippur. I wondered if it was somewhat sacrilegious to address mundane topics such as sports during this holy, introspective time. I determined, however, that focusing on Jeter’s behavior was uplifting to me as I aspire to act with a healthier measure of derech eretz (fundamental respect for the community and society at large).

When Jeter signed for Little League, his parents created a contract whose terms included respecting himself, his teammates and others, and being a good role model for his younger sister. The first rule was that family came first. Jeter fulfilled the substance of this contract through his last moments on the field, treating his teammates and adversaries as his family
During an interview after his last game, asked what he hoped his legacy would be, he said, “You want to be known as someone who had respect for the game, respect for your teammates” as well as respect for others associated with the game including fans and media. His manager Joe Girardi tearfully called it “a blessing to play alongside and manage Derek Jeter.”

My husband Jerry, a team captain during his high school and college years, has often told me that you get to know so much about a person by how he plays the game and treats his teammates. Perhaps Jeter’s last moments on the field could serve as the paradigm for who he was. When He was leaving the field for a pinch runner (after hitting a single during his last game) he unexpectedly stopped by the mound and said to Red Sox pitchen Clay Buchholz. “I know this is kind of odd, but I just wanted to say I’ve enjoyed competing against you over the years.” They shook hands and he continued on to the Yankee dugout to a thunderous ovation. He explained later, “I had an opportunity to speak with everyone on the Boston team but not him because he was warming up, so I just took a brief moment to tell him.” Later Buchholz said “he’s done everything the right way. … It was surprising at first, but at the same time, that’s why he’s Derek Jeter.”