The New York Yankees came under some fire for scheduling Derek Jeter Day, as it came to be known, three weeks before the Captain actually retired.
And pundits rightfully noted the somewhat funereal atmosphere of that day, with the club presenting him a massive wreath with the No. 2, and a steady parade of dignitaries delivering what amounted to eulogies.
But give the Yankees credit for this: Thursday night at Yankee Stadium - Jeter's actual, final game in the Bronx - was a thoroughly spontaneous event.
And Jeter's finest moments have always come without a script.
Consider the events that had to align for Jeter to turn into a walk-off hero as he rode off into the Bronx night:David Robertson, who had converted 38 of 42 save chances this season, had to give up not one, but two ninth-inning home runs, to the Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones and Steve Pearce.
Robertson had given up just five home runs to 249 batters faced coming in.
Jose Pirela, who made his major league debut a full three days prior, had to get on base ahead of Jeter.
And after a sacrifice bunt, Orioles manager Buck Showalter - who loves and respects Jeter and, of course, the game of baseball at large - needed to stifle the urge to intentionally walk the Captain, given that his run meant nothing and that the Orioles are, in fact, still playing for the top overall seed in the American League playoffs.
Still, it was Jeter who had to get it done, and he did, smoking a single to right field. It wasn't unlike so many other moments that needed bit players and a touch of fate: The Flip
Let's start with the quintessential Jeterian moment - in that it has only a little to do with his athleticism and everything to do with his intangibles. A taut Game 3 of the AL Division Series at Oakland turned in the Yankees favor when he scampered into the no man's land of foul ground to run down an errant throw.
It wasn't possible without the air mailed heave from Shane Spencer, who won't remind anyone of Roberto Clemente in right field. Nor without the plodding stride of Jeremy Giambi - who famously did not slide at the plate. Yet in a game the Yankees faced elimination, it was Jeter channeling the option quarterback within to dish the ball to a stunned Jorge Posada for a crucial out. Mr. November
Wanna know what's fun about breaking down Jeter's career? His postseason resume - 158 games - essentially amounts to an entire season. And in that season, Jeter hit 20 home runs - more than all but two of his full regular seasons. That's fairly remarkable, given that there are precious few No. 4 or 5 starters to feast upon in October.
The statistically rigid crowd might say that's just random variation, while those who sleep in pinstriped pajamas would argue that it's Jeter Raising His Game When It Matters Most.
Either way, it's impossible to deny his sense of timing.
Who else produces the Jeffrey Maier moment in his rookie season? Or strikes what amounts to a death blow to their crosstown rivals with a leadoff home run in Game 4 of the 2000 Series?
And while Yankees going deep off Byung-Hyun Kim in the 2001 World Series eventually devolved into an Oprah sequence - You get a homer, and you get a homer! - it still felt somewhat jarring to see Jeter take yet another pitch to right field and send the series back to Arizona. Yet, there he was, providing the perfect coda to the most emotional month of baseball in New York since, perhaps, Lou Gehrig retired.
Like Wilt Chamberlain's '100' scrawled on a reporter's notebook after his record-setting game, so, too was Jeter's moment hastily branded. Before the words were printed in 100-point type on every back page in New York City, they were scrawled in a Sharpie on a piece of paper by a fan, and captured by the TV cameras: Mr. November. The Dive
It's easy to forget that Alex Rodriguez was far from persona non grata in the early months of 2004. The A-Rod vibe at that point was that he was hungry to win, and moved to third base so as not to displace Jeter upon his trade to New York.
Only months later would Rodriguez fail miserably as the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead in the '04 ALCS, karate-chop the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hands and begin a path of ignominy even as he excelled statistically in the Bronx.
So when Jeter chased after a foul ball in July 2004, reeled it in and emerged bloodied, but clutching a precious out, it's imposible to miss A-Rod in the foreground, looking fairly amazed as he throws up his arms to call timeout. It was just an isolated and relatively meaningless moment, but it also set a tone for the next decade.
A-Rod could win multiple MVPs, top the 600-home run plateau and be Jeter's superior in virtually every measurable fashion. But try as he might, he certainly couldn't be Jeter. Mr. 3000
Derek Jeter celebrates his 3,000th hit, a home run, in 2011.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
By the time Jeter approached the 3,000-hit plateau in 2011, the mystique and aura of old Yankee Stadium - as Curt Schilling described it - had given way to the shinier, but more impersonal cash cow that we merely call new Yankee Stadium. And much like Jeter's retirement, his 3,000th hit was something to not only be celebrated, but monetized.
'I felt a lot of pressure,' Jeter would say later, 'to do it here at home.'
Naturally, No. 3,000 was no opposite-field bloop single. It was a bomb - a towering home run to left field off David Price, who days later would pitch in the All-Star Game.How unlikely was that blast? Jeter hit six home runs that season. Price would go on to win the Cy Young Award in 2012.
And don't think Price has forgotten; his tweet after Jeter's walk-off hit showed how that's resonated over the years.
As Jeter fades into retirement, guessing his career aspirations - book publisher, baseball owner, corporate magnate - has become a parlor game of sorts. Yet, perhaps there's no point in projecting what may come.
Jeter seems to operate at his best when he improvises. PHOTOS: Derek Jeter's final game at Yankee Stadium
Post By http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2014/09/26/derek-jeter-greatest-moments-new-york-yankees/16258069/
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