Mr. 3,000

Jeter continues to add to his legacy and ability
to perform in the clutch.

Yankee Stadium as it has been so many times became the epicenter of the baseball world Saturday with their shortstop Derek Jeter on the cusp of becoming only the 28th player in major league history to join the elusive 3,000-hit club.

After a scoreless top half of first inning by New York Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett, it would set the stage for one of the most historic days in the long decorated history of the most storied franchise in sports. With the Stadium buzzing with such high anticipation and different type of electricity for the first time since New York finished off the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series to capture their 27th title in franchise history, you couldn't have asked for a better setting and venue.

Starting the game only two hits shy of 3,000, Jeter led off the Yankee first with a grueling eight-pitch at-bat against Tampa Bay Rays' left-hander David Price that saw him eventually single to left field for career hit number 2,999, leaving him one step away from history.

Nobody, not even Jeter himself could have scripted what would happen next.

With Tampa Bay clinging to a 1-0 lead, the now twelve time All-Star stepped to the plate in the third inning on the verge of truly something special. Oddly enough Jeter would battle Price for another eight pitches until he saw Price's 55th pitch of the afternoon sail into the left field grand stands for a game-tying home run and the 3,000th hit of his glorious career.

Jeter becomes only the second player in major league history to record his 3,000th career hit via the home run. Hall of Famer and former Yankee Wade Boggs was the first to accomplish that feat back in August of 1999 while coincidently wearing a Tampa Bay uniform.

The captain capped off a magical day by finishing the game 5-5, including the go-ahead and eventual game-winning single in the eighth inning, just the way he would want it. Jeter, who has always been known for his team first mentality, would not been able to savor the moment in a Yankee loss.

Jeter raised his average to .270 on the year maybe jump starting himself in the right direction for a strong second half.

It's not the first time Jeter has hit a
big home run, hitting a walk-off home
run in Game 4 of the 2001
World Series.

He is only the second player to collect five hits in the game where he recorded his 3,000th hit. Craig Biggio, who was the last player to join the 3,000-hit club back in 2007, was the first. Now Jeter becomes the 28th player in major league history to amass 3,000 hits during their career, insuring his ticket to Cooperstown.

They're only three players in history to have accumulated 3,000 hits and are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, who is baseball's all-time hits leader with 4,256, is not eligible for election into the Hall of Fame after being banned from the game in 1989 by then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for gambling on baseball.

Biggio has also yet to be elected into Cooperstown for the simple fact he is not eligible to be on the ballot until 2013. But when he does with his 3,060 career hits the former Houston Astro will be a first-ballot inductee. Obviously Jeter is the final member of that club still being an active player, but no need to worry, Jeter was a Hall of Famer before his 3,000th hit, this just adds to his already impressive resume.

To many this is no surprise as many predicted Jeter's greatness well before he became the centerpiece to the most recent Yankee dynasty.

Former Yankees' scout Dick Groch is responsible for signing Jeter after he was selected sixth overall in the 1992 First-Year Player Draft. When asked about Jeter and his commitment to the University of Michigan, Groch replied by saying, "The only place this kid is going is Cooperstown." That was high praise for a skinny eighteen-year-old shortstop.

Almost nineteen years later Groch was right on the money, but he was not the only one too recongizne the now-thirty-seven-year-olds' talent. Hall of Fame left-hander and former Houston Astros' scout Hal Newhouser told then-Astros owner John McMullen to select Jeter with the first pick that season as he had the potential to become one of the games greats.

McMullen went a different route drafting Phil Nevin out of Cal State Fullerton. Apalled by the decision Newhouser up and quit his job saying he would never work in baseball again and hasn't since. While Nevin was a productive player during his twelve major league seasons he was no Derek Jeter.

It was fate. Jeter let it be known at a young age he had a dream and would one day play shortstop for the Yankees. That he did, but you can't imagine even Jeter thought he would be passing the mythical names in Yankee lore.

Many predicted the bright future of
the current Yankee captain.

His first career hit came in September of 1995 off former Seattle Mariners right-hander and current Cleveland Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher. 2,999 hits later he is the first Yankee in history to collect 3,000 and the first to do so in Yankee Stadium.

With his five World Series rings and ability to rise to the occasion, there is no surprise Jeter reached this milestone in dramatic fashion. It's quite remarkable with all the legends that have dawned the Yankee pinstripes, he becomes the first to 3,000 hits.

What a career for a boy with a dream from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Captain Ready to Rebound?

The Yankees need Jeter to rebound to get back
atop the baseball mountain.

It's no secret that the New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter struggled much of the the 2010 campaign.

He hasn't only been the face of the Yankees during his career, but the face of Major League Baseball. Leaving us with the question, has father time finally caught up with the Yankee Captain or was '10 just a fluke?

There is no definitive answer just yet, we will have to wait and see come Opening Day, but don't count Jeter out just yet.

Since Jeter burst onto the scene in 1996, winning the Rookie of the Year Award and the first of his five World Series titles, he has not experienced much failure. Jeter has only missed the playoffs once in his 16 seasons in the majors and never batted under .290 in a full season until a year ago.

How will Jeter deal with setting career lows in batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging percentage (.370) a year ago? The same way he always does, by turning the page.

Jeter showed signs of being the Jeter of old, taking better swings in September and into October.

Jeter also did come away with his fifth career Gold Glove Award, making only six errors all season. He was tied for second in the American League with 111 runs, that is the most he is scored in a single-season since he scored 118 in 2006. With the nasty public contract negotiations in the past and extra work in the offseason with hitting coach Kevin Long, we can expect the Yankee Captain to return to form in 2011.

Despite the fact that Jeter will be 37 in June, he is still going to score 100 runs, get his usual 200-plus hits, play solid defense and make a big play in a crucial situation.

The Yankees need Jeter to be the Derek Jeter they have grown accustom to the past decade and a half if they want to get past the Sox in the grueling AL East.

He is out to prove that his best stories have not already be written.

All that being said, Jeter is 74 hits shy of becoming the first Yankee in history to reach 3,000 hits, something that will be truly magical. No matter what the stats say at the end of '11, Jeter will once again be the focal point in New York for all the right reasons.