Derek Jeter patiently sat at a table outside the visitors' clubhouse last week in Minnesota while a representative from Nike outlined his hands and his feet. If this were a meth od of cloning - and not just part of the process of developing apparel products for the Yankees' shortstop - the rest of major-league baseball surely would pay big money for the results. Jeter is approaching a point now, advertising executives say, where Michael Jordan was about 10 or 12 years ago in terms of selling power. Even Air acknowledged that possibility last month when he announced Jeter had signed on as one of the athletes he had hand-picked to represent his signature Jordan Brand, a subdivision Nike created in 1997. As much as he attempts to avoid mixing business with the pleasure he derives from baseball, the 24-year-old Jeter is very much in demand on Madison Avenue. "This guy has everything companies look for when they want someone to represent their products or their businesses," said a rep from one leading advertising agency, who requested anonymity because their firm is seeking ties to Jeter. "He's beautiful, so people who watch 'SportsCenter' aren't the only ones who know who he is. He comes from a solid upbringing and seems to have his priorities straight, which means kids genuinely can look up to him and no one expects him to do anything to embarrass anybody. "He's also a Yankee - and probably the best Yankee - at a time when baseball, all of a sudden, sells again."
Baseball indeed has seen an incredible public resurgence because of the magical 1998 season - highlighted by the home run pursuits of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and the Yankees' amazing 125-victory run to glory. Whereas virtually every basketball star and his grandmother used to peddle one shoe or another, the shift back to baseball is refreshing since the sport was considered a grave site for endorsements five to 10 years ago. Even then, most of attention was given to baseball players who also played other sports - Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. Nike suddenly has churned out commercials featuring Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and others. Jeter's upcoming TV spot - which one Nike rep hinted might include a few other Yankees and a handful of Mets facing off in a New York stickball game - is already in the works. Jeter initially aligned himself with Fila, but its "Can you Jeter?" campaign never took off. By the middle of last season, the shortstop had switched shoes.
By the beginning of 1999, Jordan had picked Jeter to be one of the endorsers for his apparel line, which boasts the familiar silhouetted likeness of a soaring Jordan. "With everything he stands for," Jeter said of the longtime Chicago Bulls star, "who wouldn't want to be affiliated with him?" The feeling is mutual. Jordan, who attended the Yankees' home opener last month, in part to check in with Jeter, has said the selection had as much to do with the shortstop's stature and values away from the field as it did with his burgeoning prowess on it. The amazing thing, Jeter's agent, Casey Close, said during the offseason, is how many endorsement possibilities he has rejected for his client in the past year.
Jeter spent most of the offseason refining his swing and building his strength in Tampa, rather than basking in the glow of his personal success and the team's two World Series titles in his first three big-league seasons. Through 30 games this season, the results have been impressive. Jeter joked that the one thing he took from his arbitration experience in February was that he didn't hit as many home runs as shortstop contemporaries such as Seattle's Alex Rodriguez and Boston's Nomar Garciaparra. With seven bombs already in 1999 - including two 400-footers over the weekend against Seattle - Jeter is tied for the team lead. He also ranks in the top five in the AL in hitting, on-base-percentage, slugging percentage, hits, extra-base hits and triples. When Jeter beat the team, gaining a $5 million judgment, many felt the Yankees should sign Jeter to a long-term deal. Now! But logically, Jeter and Close had little incentive to settle two years before Jeter becomes eligible for free agency. The market has not been established yet.
Jeter's close friend Rodriguez - as well as Rodriguez' Mariners teammate Ken Griffey Jr. - is slated to become a free agent following the 2000 season, a year earlier than Jeter. There already is talk about one of them becoming baseball's first $200 million man. As one executive from another club said recently, "The way (Jeter's) going, the Sultan of Brunei might not have enough money to pay him what he'll be worth in that market." Don't worry about Jeter, though. He doesn't appear to have many worries when it comes to getting paid.