Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeteris an American former professional baseball shortstop who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseballfor the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter is regarded as a central figure of the Yankees' success of the late 1990s and early 2000s for his hitting, baserunning, fielding, and leadership. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits, doubles, games played, stolen bases, times on base, plate appearancesand at bats. His accolades include 14 All-Star selections, five Gold...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth26 June 1974
CityPequannock, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
I'm not one to sit around and be satisfied about something. I can always get better.
I have the greatest job in the world. Only one person can have it. You have shortstops on other teams - I'm not knocking other teams - but there's only one shortstop on the Yankees.
My office is at Yankee stadium. Yes, dreams do come true.
You're playing a game, whether it's Little League or Game 7 of the Word Series. It's impossible to do well unless you're having a good time. People talk about pressure. Yeah, there's pressure. But I just look at it as fun.
Surround yourself with good people. People who are going to be honest with you and look out for your best interests.
So is work ethic. You do things over and over again, and when you get in a situation you like to think it comes natural. I think there has to be a mind-set that you’re not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to fail. I’ve done it quite a bit. The calmer you are, the more the game slows down for you, and I think part of that is controlling your emotions.
My grandmother asks me to race down the street, I'm going to try to beat her. And I'll probably enjoy it. Competitive to a fault, sometimes.
I always take criticism as a challenge. It's the way I've always looked at it.
There may be people who have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do - and I believe that.
The longer you wait to decide what you want to do, the more time you're wasting. It's up to you to want something so badly that your passion shows through in your actions. Your actions, not your words, will do the shouting for you.
Yankee Stadium is my favorite stadium; I'm not going to lie to you. There's a certain feel you get in Yankee Stadium.
If you're going to win games, you're going to have to come up with the big hits. That's the bottom line.
In my opinion, I've had the greatest job in the world. I got a chance to be the shortstop for the New York Yankees, and there's only one of those. And I always felt as though it was my job, was to try to provide joy and entertainment for you guys, but it can't compare to what you brought me. So for that, thank you very much.
When I was younger, I was always taught not to make excuses.