Newsday, April 4, 1999
By Lawrence Rocca
It's impossible to exaggerate how much pressure there was in the Yankees' universe at that moment, so Derek Jeter figured there was only one thing to do. He walked up close to Joe Torre, right there in the dugout, and pressed his index finger into the manager's sternum.
"Mr. Torre," Jeter said, "this is one of the biggest games you've ever managed in."
The gesture was the perfect antidote to Torre's anxiety, drawing laughs from him and bench coach Don Zimmer. The Yankees went on to win that game, and the next five, and with them their glorious place in baseball history.
Would it all have happened regardless of Jeter's joke? Who knows? What matters is that the Yankees think the act mattered. And so here is a fact: Teams perform better when they have confident and successful leaders, people who aren't afraid to draw pressure to themselves, then trounce it as effortlessly as if stepping on an ant.
Derek Jeter, future captain of the Yankees, already does this with the best of them.
"He's something very special," Zimmer said.
Jeter truly seems to be the perfect blend of charmed and charming. Graced with good looks and extraordinary talent, he plays one of the glamour positions for the glamour team. Last year, he batted .324, led the majors with 127 runs and was third in the league MVP voting.
Jeter is only 24 years old, but he already has two World Series rings and is being touted as a future Hall of Famer. His value to the Yankees runs even deeper than that.
"His personality," Joe Girardi explained, "is real important to this club."
Girardi sees Jeter as the Yankee who can best fill the void created by Tim Raines' departure. Although his statistical contributions were minimal, Rock - as Raines was known to his teammates - was unfailingly upbeat, a human antidepressant. Raines was the only player who could tease O'Neill during one of his post-strikeout tirades, the only player who could spread his own laughter as if it were infectious, easing tension with just a few breaths.
"Jeter is very good at that," Girardi said. "He can't be afraid to do that and I don't think he is."
Jeter is definitely not afraid. He is the only Yankee who dared pour champagne on Steinbrenner's head last postseason. He's the one who decided to lampoon Roger Clemens by taking batting practice in full catcher's gear. He's the one who constantly barks out nicknames at teammates, using the aliases under which they register in hotels or altering their existing names, like when he calls Chuck Knoblauch "Knob-uh-lock-aah," hammering each syllable like a Marine on a morning run. He has been like this since his rookie year.
"The one thing about Jete is that he has never changed," Girardi said. "He's a kid that's not afraid to do something because he's not a veteran, and he comes to play every day. Players have respected that because we know he is genuine."
Jeter is so genuine that he can honestly explain his moments with Torre, Steinbrenner, Clemens, et al., in the same simple way.
"You gotta have fun," Jeter said. "Regardless of how you look at it, we're playing a game. It's a business, it's our job, but I don't think you can do well unless you're having fun."
Not all of it is laughs. When the Yankees were in Baltimore last year, pitcher David Wells gestured disgustedly after a pop fly dropped in between a triangle of fielders, including Jeter. The shortstop did not wait long to show Wells that his actions were unacceptable.
"He got to the dugout and said, `Don't show me up in front of people,"' Luis Sojo said. "He acted very mature. Usually, when that happens to a young guy, when you see a veteran say something to you, you try to avoid him and say sorry."
Instead, it was Wells who ended up apologizing to Jeter. But for every such act of overt seriousness, Jeter performs 20 that are based in joy. Before his first at-bat each game, Jeter removes Zimmer's hat and theatrically rubs his bald head. Sometimes, right before he steps into the batter's box, Jeter will be engaged in a conversation with a fan in the stands.
"He's able to do that and then go up there and hit a double," O'Neill said. "It's something I can't do. I can't think about anything other than baseball when I'm out there."
This is not to suggest that Jeter is not paying attention. He does. He is just blissfully immune to pressure.
"I've been on four teams in my career," Sojo said. "You see guys get to the park. `Who is pitching today? Roger Clemens? Oh, my God.' Jeter doesn't worry about it. `Who's pitching today? Roger Clemens? Let's get him. I'm going to get four hits against this guy."
Since his arrival late in the 1996 season, Sojo, 33, has been a mentor of Jeter's, teaching various fielding intricacies. The two almost always sit next to each other in the dugout. When a teammate is batting in a crucial situation, Sojo says Jeter will reflexively pumps his hands, as if starting his swing.
"He'll say, `I want to be the guy to win this game,"' Sojo said. "He says it every time."
Jeter's confidence is simply unwavering. He never lets errors or strikeouts bother him. "I'm not afraid to fail," he says, almost shrugging.
As confident as Jeter is, his teammates wonder if he fully comprehends his ability.
"I don't know that he knows how good he is going to become," O'Neill said. "I hate to put that on people because it puts a lot of pressure on what they're supposed to become. He's going to hit 30 home runs. He'll end up hitting .330 and driving in 100 runs. Those are pretty reachable numbers for him. Those are awesome numbers for a shortstop. He also could go out and win a Gold Glove. I mean, he's a great player right now, but he is getting better."
That may be the craziest notion of all. Jeter can actually improve. He struck out 119 times last season and still challenged Bernie Williams for the batting title.
"Stop and think," Zimmer said. "If he can hit .320 striking out 100 times, what would happen if he struck out 60 times?"
Zimmer's eyes roll as he considers the implications. He believes you can start forwarding Jeter's mail to Cooperstown.
"I don't know nothing about the Hall of Fame except I know who's in it," Zimmer said. "What happens if Jeter continues to hit .320, .315? And he winds up with a .300 batting average with stolen bases and home runs? How can he not be in the Hall of Fame? I've seen Pee Wee Reese and the Scooter, they are in the Hall of Fame and should be. They are .270 hitters, in that area."
Predictably, Charles Jeter is proud of his son, but not for all of the obvious reasons. The statistics and accolades are nice, but he is more interested in his son's development as a person.
"I'm most proud of the fact that he continues to work hard," Charles Jeter said. "To me, he is not a superstar shortstop. I see someone becoming a man."
From his seat, Charles sees his son making his own business decisions, sees that fame has not changed his essential personality. Jeter's best friend in the world is someone he has known since fourth grade. That is not a surprise to any of his teammates, although facts like that do not cease to amaze them.
"It is really remarkable to see how he has handled everything at such a young age," David Cone said. "It's hard to fathom the type of mass appeal that Derek has. It's hard to compare to anyone. It's enormous popularity. More than any I've seen of any young player.
"There's a long list of young players in similar situations who have made mistakes. It's tough for me to identify because I make those mistakes or have made them. Jeter came in very grounded from Day 1 and has remained level-headed. He's watched and learned from other people's mistakes."
That impresses his father, too.
"He seems to have the respect of his teammates," Charles Jeter said. "I'm sure he bugs the hell out of them."
Not at all.
"He's got a good heart," Girardi said.
Right now, he's the heart of the Yankees.
