Yankees' Jeter Goes to Bat For Children
Ex-Kalamazoo Central shortstop helps at home
Detroit Free Press, January 28, 2000
By Michael Rosenberg
Derek Jeter plays for the most scrutinized team in baseball, possibly in North American sports. But Thursday, he realized he made his high-stress job even tougher.
"This puts a lot of pressure on me to have a good year," he said.
Jeter, the New York Yankees' All-Star shortstop, announced a charity fund-raiser based on his performance this season. He made the announcement at a press conference not far from where he starred at Kalamazoo Central.
Donors can give $250 for each home run, $30 for each RBI, $6 for each hit or $10 for each stolen base Jeter gets this season, with minimum and maximum donations for each level. He will match all donations up to $100,000; $107,500 already has been raised, half of it from Jeter.
It benefits Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation, which contributes to school programs and other organizations that encourage drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free lifestyles for children. Although Jeter spends his off-seasons in Tampa, Fla., and his parents live in New Jersey, the foundation is concentrated in West Michigan and New York.
"This is where I grew up," he said. "I live in New York and Florida, but I come from Kalamazoo."
The foundation encourages children to be like Jeter was, perhaps minus the unusual batting stance and soft hands.
"Before he was drafted, one of the scouts asked me about him, and I said, 'If he didn't know one end of a bat from another, I'd tell you he's one of the finest young men I ever worked with,' " said Norm Copeland, Jeter's freshman coach at Central, who volunteers for Turn 2.
Of course, if Jeter didn't know one end of the bat from the other, the Yankees probably wouldn't have offered him a seven-year contract for $118 million. But he said reports he is about to sign a long-term deal are premature. In any event, he is sure to sign soon, which is good news for kids in New York and West Michigan.
Turn 2 (named for the double play and Jeter's uniform number) has raised about $1.2 million since its inception three years ago. The latest fund-raiser is targeted toward funding Jeter's Leaders, a group of ninth- and 10th-graders who pledge to stay away from alcohol, tobacco and drugs throughout high school.