ICONIC NIGHT FOR JETER
Yankee legend was set to get career award at ESPYs
DEREK JETER may have retired in September, but the former Yankee captain is still garnering recognition for his achievements.
At Wednesday night’s ESPYs in Los Angeles, hosted by ESPN, Jeter received the Icon Award in celebration of his 20-year career in the Bronx. The shortstop won five World Series and compiled a .310 batting average and 3,465 hits in 2,747 games.
Notorious Red Sox fan Ben Affleck, noticeably wearing his wedding ring, presented the award to Jeter, who gave a brief speech thanking his fellow athletes across all sports.
“I’ve had a special relationship with the fans and my teammates over the last 20 years, but in retirement, I’ve come to realize that being a part of the larger community of sports is a gift, and more importantly, it’s an honor,” Jeter said to the crowd at Staples Center. “When you’re playing, you have the fans and your teammates, they root for you. You have your opponents, your rivals, they motivate you. But for me, it was always the fellow athletes from all different sports who inspired me.”
Before the award ceremony began, Jeter spoke with Hannah Storm on the red carpet and shed some light on what his post-retirement life has been like.
“Honestly, I haven’t missed it much,” Jeter said. “I miss my teammates, the fans, obviously. But the schedule I don’t miss too much.”
Jeter said he doesn’t really watch much baseball because he “needed to get away from” the game. The future Hall of Famer told Storm he recently went on his first summer vacation and held a barbecue over the Fourth of July weekend.
“These are things that I’m looking forward to and I’m enjoying — things that I never really knew I missed,” Jeter said.
As far as his future in baseball, Jeter said he would never become a manager or coach because of MLB’s demanding schedule. But he would be interested in joining an ownership group at some point. “I’d like to call the shots,” Jeter said. Storm also had a chance to catch up with Alex Rodriguez, who was nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete Award but lost out to Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
A-Rod informed Storm what’s changed the most for him since he was suspended for a year because of performance-enhancing drugs.
“Overall, it’s just appreciation,” Rodriguez said. “While I was gone, I had a lot of time to think, and really appreciate the game of baseball. I truly feel like a rookie again. And one of the things that I thought about while I was gone is that playing baseball for a living is not your right. It’s a great privilege. And I guess better late than never.”
Some of the top winners included Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for Best Play, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry as Best Male Athlete, UFC champ Ronda Rousey as Best Female Athlete and the U.S. women’s soccer team as Best Team.