The Life You Imagine by Derek Jeter

Author:Derek Jeter [Jeter, Derek]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56594-5
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2010-02-17T05:00:00+00:00

Joe Torre is such a professional—he knows how to motivate us and can be tough, but he has a great sense of humor.

Mr. Torre laughed and mentioned Yarnall’s workout, but I shook my head and walked away, accepting no explanation. A couple of days later, I was warming up at Legends Field and I heard someone hollering, “Jeet.” It was Mr. Torre and he waved me toward him. I put the ball on the dirt, skipped down the dugout steps, and sat beside him and bench coach Don Zimmer. Mr. Torre spoke in a very solemn tone and said, “I wanted to let you know that we’re going to have to make some changes here.” He stopped for a second. “But you’re safe. For now, that is. I’ll let you know by next week if we’re going to be able to keep you.”

I cracked up and so did Zim and Mr. Torre. That’s what makes Mr. Torre a terrific manager. He keeps it light when it needs to be light, lets us play when we need to play, and gets inside our heads when we need someone inside our heads. I didn’t waste a second, though, and told Mr. Torre, “Keep me around, but you better get rid of Zim.” Then I ran back onto the field like a firsttime batboy before either one of them could respond.

I always feel that way about playing for the Yankees, like I’m out there playing for the first time. We were trying to finish off a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves last October 27, which would give us our second consecutive title and the 25th in club history. That would cap off the century symmetrically and stylishly. Even though we had a 3–0 lead in the series, there was still some anxiety. You don’t want to give a team, especially a good team like Atlanta, an ounce of breathing room. We wanted to end the series that night.

Despite the pressure, I was having a blast. Some friends have told me that a television camera zoomed in on me during the game and I was smiling. I looked like a teenager who had been allowed to hang out with the Yankees for a night. That’s how happy and unfazed they said I looked. That’s because I felt that way, too. I don’t specifically remember why I was smiling, but I can assure you that I was having a wonderful time playing in the World Series at the Stadium.

Watch me if we make it to the World Series again and the camera zooms in on me. I guarantee you I’ll smile at some point. Getting into the World Series and having the chance to be the last team still standing are the moments that I savor. I work hard to try to help the Yankees get to that precious stage, and I always believe I’m going to succeed once we get there. You can be the hero or the goat. I always feel I’m going to be the hero.

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