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Jeter Homers Again, But Without a Bat

Kalamazoo Gazette, January 27, 2000

By Terrance Collins

Doing the thing that makes him so invaluable on a baseball diamond, Derek Jeter set the table for another score Wednesday, kicking off his Jeter's Leaders program with a dinner at the Radisson Hotel.

Jeter, along with several of his fellow West Michigan role models, met with 14 Kalamazoo area children selected by the Kalamazoo Area Academic Achievement Program to talk to them about being leaders and role models for other children in their communities.

After meeting privately with Jeter and the other role models, the children accompanied Jeter to the dinner.

"We're really excited about kicking this off here in Kalamazoo," Jeter said. "We are trying to reach out to as many kids as possible. We understand that the kids are our future.

"That's basically what this is. It is a way to keep kids off the streets and give them some positive direction and some positive avenues they can look forward to and go toward. That is the biggest goal of this foundation."

The program originated in New York two years ago. In Kalamazoo, it is administered by KAAAP and co-sponsored by Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation.

"I participated in the first Jeter's Leaders program in New York and I thought it was fantastic, so when I was approached about doing it here in Kalamazoo I was thrilled," Doug Biro said. Biro, a former golf standout at Kalamazoo Central, is playing as a professional out of Lutz, Fla.

Celest Elechi, a sophomore at Loy Norrix High School was one of the children selected to meet Jeter.

"I was very excited because I always wanted to meet famous people and stuff like that," Elechi said after meeting with Jeter. "At first I thought he was going to be this big-headed superstar, but I found out he is just a regular person. He likes Oreos and is a junk food-a-holic.

"All the role models gave us lots of good advice. The message I have for other kids is that if you want to be something, do something, and work hard at it."

Samuel Hughes, another sophomore at Loy Norrix, said it was a big suprise to him to be selected.

"Working hard always pays off. There is no disadvantage to doing that," Hughes said. "I know how important it is to be around an organization like this."

The children may have been a little star-struck, but Jeter said he was more impressed with them.

"Every time I get a chance to meet some of these kids I am in awe of them," Jeter said. "The last thing I was thinking about at that age was steering other kids in a positive direction. These kids should all be very proud of what they are doing."

Tico Duckett, a former football standout at Loy Norrix and Michigan State University, said it was important for people like Jeter and himself to be attainable to children to let them know they can follow their dreams.

"I think Derek is doing something great here for kids and for the community," said Duckett, now the president of Tico Duckett Distributing, LLC. "Kids just have focus and follow their dreams. You can do anything in America if you put your mind to it."

Jeter, who is reportedly in the midst of contract negotiations that could make him the highest paid player in Major League Baseball history, said he doesn't think of himself as a superstar.

"I don't really grasp the whole thing," Jeter said. "I don't view myself like that. I don't think I am any different than any person around."

As for the contract and the possibility of being the highest paid player, "There is no contract," Jeter said. "All the talk is a bit premature. It is out of my hands. It is not up to me.

"If something happens, then that's great, but it is not a situation where (the New York Yankees) owe me anything because I am not a free agent. So we'll see what happens. It hasn't crossed my mind because it hasn't happened."