While the Yankees are struggling on the field right now, i.e. their latest 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, which has turned the AL East into a dog fight; the Bombers honored Hall of Famer Derek Jeter at the Stadium last night.
It was steering ceremony as the Captain made his return to the stadium he built to address the generation of fans who saw him help lead the Yankees to five World Series titles from 1996 to 2009.
Jeter defined the Yankees at the turn of the century. His success in October and ability to come up big in the big spot served as the linchpin to the Yankees glorious past to the modern day Yankees fan, many of whom are in their late 30s/early 40s at this point.
During his speech, Jeter offered a thanks to Brian Cashman, Hal Steinbernner and the Yankees front office, to which the fans booed. Jeter joked, "Guess you guys are ready for the postseason run."
If anyone knows how passionate the Yankee fan is, it's Jeter. He knows they want to win as badly as he did when he made the dirt at short his office and playground.
While the 2022 version is struggling, watching a 15-game lead shrink to two games in the loss column, Jeter's return was an important reminder of what was and what could still be possible.
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