Start Spreading the News. Derek Jeter is a Legend in the Making
Tuff Stuff, August 2000
By: Mike Sherry
DiMaggio. Mantle. Ruth. The names evoke strong feelings in even the most casual of baseball fans. But to New Yorkers, they have long been the Holy Trinity. They were legends on the field, larger than life off the field. Even now, 33 years after the last of the three- Mantle- played his last game in New York, they capture the hearts if Yankees fans from coast to coast.
But in a city that immortalizes athletes w/ nicknames such as Mr. October and Broadway Joe, theres a young star who is quietly- at least as quietly as possible in the neon glare of New York- taking his place as one of the most popular New York athletes of all-time.
Derek Sanderson Jeter, born in Pequannock, N.J., and a Yankees fan even after moving Michigan, is now the apple of the Big Apples eye. Even Regis Philbin cant touch this guy. Hes requested 10 times more than anybody else, said Mark Dillon, owner of Collectors Fantasy in Brooklyn. Nobody comes in looking for Ruth or those other guys. If a guy comes in looking for a Ruth card, hes just curious. We very rarely get somebody who is serious about buying one, b/c of the price range.
Jeter has been hot for the last 3 years. For us, Jeter is far more requested than those guys. At Its Another Hit in New York, Jeter rules the store. Jeter is no.1 in this store, definitely, said Barris Vinogradov, whose father owns the store. Especially on his autographed stuff, like his memorabilia. I remember prices on his ball at $40. Now its up to $200, just for the ball. For a young player, thats pretty rare.
PAYING HIS DUES
While Yankee fans knew of Jeters potential ever since the Yankees drafted him w/ the 6th overall pick in the first round of the 1992 draft, in typical New York fashion they wanted to see some proof before he became a favorite among collectors.
New York fans are diehard, said Darren Nebel, who has owned Bases Loaded in Staten Island for the last 3 years. In New York, you have to prove yourself before you become a Yankee. Thats the key around here.
Jeter has done just that. After playing in 15 games w/ the Yankees as a 21-year-old at the end of the 1995 season, he burst onto the scene in a big way in 1996, winning the American League Rookie of the Year honor after batting .314 w/ 10 homers and 78 RBI.
He followed up his stellar rookie season by batting .291 in 97, .324 in 98 and .349 last year. He also had career highs in hits (219), home runs (24), and RBI (102) last year while finishing 6th in the voting for Most Valuable Player in the AL. Its not surprising that Jeters rise to prominence has coincided w/ the Yankees winning 3 World Series titles in the last 4 years. Sure, the Yankees are far from being Derek Jeter and a bunch of scrubs, but theres little doubt who is leading the charge.
"The last 3 years, interest has been real high, said Joey Attianese, the owner of Baseball Card Dugout in Brooklyn the last 11 years. The last few years really, since he won his first World Series ring.
Even the old-time Brooklyn Dodgers fans have taken notice of Jeter and his impact on the Yankees and the hobby. I still get a lot of Brooklyn Dodgers fans who come in. Fans are diehard here, Nebel said. But the older people like him, b/c they hear about him from their kids and grandkids. A guy came in the other day and was buying a couple of old boxes. Then he had to hit the Jeter things b/c his daughter likes him.
OH, AND HES CUTE TOO
While Jeter is a hit w/ more Yankees fans b/c of his great play, his on-the-field exploits arent the only reason hes popular w/ collectors. Hes a great player, so hes hot w/ people who like the Yankees. And hes cute, so the girls love him. Hes got dual popularity, Dillon said.
Voted one of People magazines 50 Sexiest People in 1999, Jeters well-publicized romances w/ the likes of Mariah Carey only add to his legend. But his popularity isnt limited to his good looks. He won the New York Press Photographers Good Guy Award in 1998 and started the Turn 2 Foundation, which helps prevent and treat substance abuse among teens. The foundation already raised more than $2 million in New York and Michigan.
Anything the guy does turns to gold, Nebel said. Hes on the cover of GQ, hes hanging out w/ Mariah, and he doesnt get himself into trouble. That helps too. That means a lot. In his situation, its hard to stay out of the limelight.
Nebel is just one of the many dealers in New York who devoted a little more space in his store to Jeter items. Ive got a whole level of my showcase devoted to him, Nebel said. I must have about 150 Jeters in here. I have a whole Jeter Drive, I call it. No SPs though, theyre all gone. Even if I saw one that was banged up, theyd probably want $1,000 around here.
Dillons store sells plaques and he has sold more than 300 Jeter plaques in the past few years. Id say 90 percent were sold to girls who just think hes adorable, he said.
THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN
OK, the Yankees arent the only game in town. New York sports fans have plenty of options, but w/ most fans the Yankees are and always will be the No. 1 option. So while Jeter has a certain amount of sex appeal, he also has the appeal of being a Yankee.
The Yankees sell any time of the year, Nebel said. It doesnt matter if its football season, the Jets are on, whatever. The Yankees sell whether theyre doing bad or doing good. On the other hand, the Mets dont. Mets fans, theyre not much collectors. Yankees fans collect and they spend.
Catcher Mike Piazza is the hottest Mets player on the collectibles scene, but dealers hint thats by default as much as anything else. Mets fans have to pick up somebody they like, Attianese said. They cant pick up Rickey Henderson anymore.
The Knicks, despite repeated trips to the playoffs in the last decade and playing in Madison Square Garden, one of the most storied buildings in sports, also dont command collectors attention. Patrick Ewing, he is dead. People ask more about Latrell Sprewell and Allen Houston than him, said Attianese. I think Jets cards are going to be down this year w/ Keyshawn gone after that fiasco.
Dillon, who agrees that Piazza is the only real collectible Mets player and said Ewing doesnt sell, believes Jeter is the only New York athlete who transcends the citys transplanted allegiances, w/ so many of its residents coming to New York from other parts of the country.
Jeter is the only thing I sell thats local, Dillon said. As far as the other sports, we get more fans of say the Cowboys that come in here than the Jets or Giants, and more fans of the Lakers and Miami Heat than we do the Knicks fans. Football and basketball are not like baseball and hockey, where people root for their local teams. Theyre more interested in their favorite team, and usually their favorite team is not a local team.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
While Jeter stands to make more than $100 million on his next contract- he signed a one year deal for this season to avoid arbitration- it seems few will begrudge him his wealth or his fame.
His youth makes him a hit w/ young collectors, his winning attitude makes him a star among the most hardened New Yorkers, and the affordability of most of his items makes him popular w/ just about everyone.
B/w the young kids who come by, they dont really request the older players, the guys who have retired or passed away, Vinogradov said. Its Jeter and the newer stuff. Everybody asks for Jeter. Nebel says the true scope of Jeters cross-section appeal is evident at shows.
Sometimes I do outside shows, and I dedicate like 3 showcases to just Jeter, he said. Like I tell everybody else, your girlfriend likes him, your mother likes him, your grandmother likes him. They cant get enough of that guy. Hes got a good personality. Hes good for the sport.