Derek Jeter - Biography
Derek Sanderson Jeter was born on June 26, 1974 in Pequannock, NJ. After spending the early years of his life growing up less than 30 miles away from Yankee Stadium, his family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where Derek began playing tee-ball at the age of five. Thanks to the influence of his grandmother, he grew up a Yankees fan and idolized outfielder Dave Winfield. Derek would normally return to New Jersey during the summer to visit his grandparents and attend Yankees games.
His early days on the diamond in Kalamazoo were spent honing his skills in the Eastwood, Oakwood and Westwood Little Leagues. When he started playing high school ball in 1989, his talents helped him earn a spot on the Kalamazoo Central varsity team as a freshman. Derek also spent three years playing varsity basketball, where he earned honorable mention All-State. Derek's younger sister, Sharlee, was also multitalented and played basketball, volleyball and softball, while being a member of her high school band.
After batting .557 with seven homers as a junior, Derek hit.508 (30-59) with 4 HR, 23 RBIs, 21 BB and only one strikeout in 23 games his senior year. He got on base 63.7 percent of the time and tallied an impressive .831 slugging percentage. Derek collected several awards at season's end, including the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, the 1992 High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, the 1992 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year and USA Today's High School Player of the Year.
That spring, the Yankees drafted Derek with the sixth overall pick in the June 1992 draft. He was the first high school player chosen that year and became the third shortstop selected in Yankees history with a first round pick. Derek also received a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Michigan, where he would attend school in 1992 following his first summer of minor league baseball.
In 1993, his first full-year of professional baseball, Derek was voted the "Most Outstanding Major League Prospect" by South Atlantic League managers after hitting .295 with 5 HR, 71 RBIs and 18 stolen bases at Class-A Greensboro. He was named to the All-Star Team after finishing second in the league in triples (11), third in hits (152) and 11th in batting average. Derek was also voted by Baseball America as the South Atlantic League's Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player and Best Infield Arm.
Derek continued to improve and in 1994 he was named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, The Sporting News, USA Today Baseball Weekly and Topps/NAPBL after hitting .344 with 5 HR, 68 RBIs and 50 stolen bases combined at Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Albany and Class-A Tampa. He was also named the MVP of the Florida State League.
On May 29, 1995, Derek got his first taste of the Majors after Yankee shortstop Tony Fernandez was placed on the disabled list. His big league debut came in Seattle that day, and Derek started at shortstop alongside All-Star infielders Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs. The following day, Derek collected his first two Major League hits and scored his first career run.
In 1996, the Yankees made Derek their first Opening Day rookie shortstop since Tom Tresh in 1962. He responded by hitting his first Major League home run, a solo shot off Cleveland's Dennis Martinez in the fifth inning of a 7-1 Yankees victory. Derek finished his rookie season with a .314 average, 10 HR, 78 RBIs and 14 steals, en route to winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
That fall, Derek got his first taste of postseason play, batting .361 to help lead the Yankees to their first World Series title since 1978. Shortly after celebrating his team's championship, Derek initiated the "Turn 2 Foundation," formed to support and create activities and programs designed to motivate youth to "turn to" a healthy lifestyle, academic achievement and leadership development and "turn away" from substances such as drugs and alcohol.
The following season, Derek helped lead the Yankees back to the postseason, where they would lose to Cleveland in the ALDS. New York rebounded by winning a franchise record 114 games in 1998, and would capture its second World Series title in three years. Derek's .324 average, 203 hits, 19 homers and 30 steals helped him earn the first of six All-Star appearances (1998-2002, 2004), and a year later he would bat a career-high .349, as New York cruised to its third championship in four seasons.
In 2000, Derek was named the MVP of both the All-Star Game and the World Series, as the Yankees downed the Mets to capture the Subway Series and a fourth title in Jeter's five seasons in the Majors.
On June 3, 2003 Derek was named Captain of New York Yankees, becoming only the 11th player to be named captain in franchise history, and the first since Don Mattingly retired after the 1995 season. In 2004, he captured his first Gold Glove award, and helped the Yankees earn their tenth straight appearance in the postseason.
Published: Monday, July 31, 2006 Avon Calls Up Jeter: Yankees Captain Signs Deal for Fragrance
By Michelle Edgar
NEW YORK — Derek Jeter is out to take his grooming regimen to the American masses.
The captain of the New York Yankees will step up to the plate for Avon this fall with his very own men's fragrance, Driven. The fragrance, which industry sources estimated could do between $10 million and $15 million in retail sales in its first year, will be followed in the first quarter of next year by a full personal care collection encompassing an aftershave balm, a body wash, a deodorant spray and an antiperspirant deodorant stick.
Full Name:Derek Sanderson Jeter
Birthdate: June 26, 1974
Birthplace:Pequannok, New Jersey
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color:Brown
Height:6'3"
Weight:196 lbs.
Parents:Charles Jeter & Dorothy Connor
Siblings: One sister--Sharlee
Grandparents:William & Dorothy (Dot) Connor
Hometown:Kalamazoo, Michigan
Highschool:Kalamazoo Central High
College Attended:University Of Michigan (for about a year during the offseason)
Plans To Major In:Business
Major League Service:Three years, forty-three days
How Acquired:Selected in the first round (sixth pick overall) in the June 1996 free-agent draft
Resides In:Tampa, Florida (postseason), Upper East Side Manhattan (during the season)
Car Driven:Red Mitsubishi 3000 GT
First Job:Mowing lawns
Shoe size:11 1/2
Bats:Right
Throws: Right
The person he would be for a day:"Michael Jordan, because, you know, it would just be really cool to be Michael Jordan."
Favorite Snack:Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ice Cream Flavor:Chocolate
Food:Chicken Parmesan
Movie:Seven
Afraid of:Dogs
Dislikes:Cats
Endorsements:Master Card, Pepsi, Fila
Position:Shortstop
Team Played On:The New York Yankees
Best Play Ever Made:"The best play I ever made was in Game 1 of the 1998 division playoffs. We were ahead of the Texas Rangers, 2-0, in the eighth inning. They had a runner on second, with two outs. Rusty Greer hit a slow roller. I charged in, grabbed the ball with my bare hand, and threw, all in one motion. Rusty was out by a step."
Last edited by gemini072 on Tue 01 Aug 2006 14:39; edited 1 time in total
Posted: Tue 01 Aug 2006 14:10 Post subject: Jeter Family Renews Commitment to Queen of Peace High School
New York Yankee star Derek Jeter and his family have made a commitment to Queen of Peace High School that is surely a grand slam.
A little over four years ago, the Jeter Family through Derek's Turn2 Foundation started the Connors/Jeter Scholarship Fund. This fund was started to help exceptional, well-rounded students and to memorialize Derek's grandfather, Mr. William "Sonny" Connors. A total of ten different Queen of Peace students have received scholarships from the fund.
The Jeter Family met with Sr. Mary Elizabeth, Mr. Charles O'Sullivan and Msgr. William Fadrowski in December to review and evaluate the scholarship fund. At that meeting, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Jeter expressed their complete satisfaction with the scholarship program and also offered a resounding endorsement of the students and faculty of Queen of Peace.
Dr. Jeter told Mr. O'Sullivan that the Foundation would make a $175,000 donation to Queen of Peace High School. The donation will be made in seven annual payments of $25,000 each, the first of which was made in January 2004. It is believed to be the largest single commitment ever made to Queen of Peace by one family.
In keeping with the mission of the Turn 2 Foundation, the Connors/Jeter Scholarships are awarded to students meeting financial need guidelines, a strong academic record and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, including no alcohol or drug usage. In addition to the scholarship award, students selected will participate in the Turn 2 Foundation's leadership program.
Office of Development at Queen of Peace High School
191 Rutherford Place, North Arlington, NJ 07031-6091
Phone: 201-998-8227x27 Fax: 201-998-3040
E-mail: development@qphs.org
Quote:
SCOREBOARD
Sheffield lets loose on Torre
By Tim Booth
Associated Press
July 14, 2007
SEATTLE
Gary Sheffield had strong words for Yankees manager Joe Torre and shortstop Derek Jeter, as well as Barry Bonds in an interview with HBO's "Real Sports," scheduled to air Tuesday night.
Sheffield claims black and white players in the Yankees clubhouse were treated differently, specifically how players Tony Womack and Kenny Lofton were handled by Torre. In the interview with HBO, Sheffield says the black players on the Yankees' roster would be "called out" in the clubhouse by Torre, while the white players would be called into Torre's office to discuss matters.
"I just don't even want to answer those types of questions," Torre said. Jeter declined comment.
In the piece, when it was mentioned that the Yankees' most prominent player -- Jeter -- is black, Sheffield quickly clarified that Jeter is "black and white." When asked the significance of that, Sheffield said, "It's really no significance. It's just you ain't all the way black."
On Friday, Sheffield said his son is also of mixed race.
"They're trying to make it a problem with him, when my son is the same. I'd say the same thing about my son," Sheffield said.
Jeter declined comment.
Sheffield also addressed his past relationship with San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds. The two spent an off-season working out together after Bonds hit his record 73 homers in 2001.
Sheffield denied to HBO that he ever took steroids but admitted to taking the "clear" and the "cream" -- two designer steroids created by BALCO. Sheffield said he didn't know they were steroids, claiming, "In a million years I don't care what nobody say. Steroids is something you shoot in your butt. You know, I do know that."
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