Derek Jeter might have been captain of the New York Yankees, but when it comes to navigating actual waterways, the former shortstop is more like the Skipper of the S.S. Minnow than a five-time World Series winner.
At least on the Fourth of July when the Yankees icon was issued a $250 fine and $30 processing fee for boating in a restricted area near MacDill Air Force Base off the coast of Tampa while enjoying a day on the water with his fiancee Hannah Davis.
But it was what the Air Force security team who detained Jeter and his beautiful first mate did afterwards what probably hurt Jeets the most. That's because an active-duty Air Force member posted a photo of the citation on Facebook with the caption, “On behalf of the Boston Red Sox, here is your ticket Derek Jeter.”
The post was later deleted but not before a screenshot was picked up for all to see.
On Tuesday, the Air Force issued a news release apologized about posting the citation on social media and said they would be disciplining the airman who made the post.
"This action is totally inconsistent with Air Force values and the responsible Airman will face the appropriate disciplinary action," MacDill spokesman Terry Montrose said. "We sincerely apologize to Mr. Jeter for any inconvenience."
It is unclear how close Jeter drifted towards the military base, but signs are posted about 2,500 feet from the shoreline warning boaters to stay away.
The New York Yankees are taking dealing with the press seriously this spring training. And, in an effort to prepare players to meet with reporters, the team’s media training staff is using NFL players and other public examples of how to act and how not to act after a disappointing loss.
Last week the team kicked off the first session of media training that the Yankees do every year for their players, a several-day program filled with demonstrations, guest speakers, and two 15-minute videos comprised of clips from athletes interacting with the media past and present.
According to ESPN, one video this year featured NFL quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. The video, shown to pitchers and catchers, compared the way Newton handled his team’s Super Bowl loss this year with the way Wilson dealt with his team’s defeat last year.
Newton received widespread criticism after Super Bowl 50, not because his less-than-stellar performance but because he moped at the podium before abruptly storming out of the post-game press conference.
Wilson, by contrast, answered every reporter’s question and took the blame for his team’s loss to the Patriots in February 2015.
It's no surprise Yankees icon — and poster boy for media savvy — Derek Jeter is featured in one video right after a section called "Everything is Fair Game," and says that players have to take the approach that everyone is watching you at all times, on and off the field.
But it is some of the other examples in the "wrong way" category that have people scratching their heads including one clip of ESPN reporter Britt McHenry — who was caught on camera last April unleashing a rant at an employee of a car towing company.
McHenry mocked the teeth of the employee behind the counter and told the person to, among other things, "lose some weight, baby girl."
And, strangely, they included actor Charlie Sheen's dopey tirade five years ago on ABC, calling some people "droopy-armed children."
According to NJ Advance Media, who sat down with Yankees' public relations director Jason Zillo for an exclusive look at the pair of videos and learn some of the ins and outs of how the Yankees train and handle their players' interactions with the media.
General manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi—the driving forces behind the media training, Zillo said—appear on the videos multiple times along with former players Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte, plus current Yanks Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran, among others.
Some of the most interesting parts of the videos were recent clips from athletes, showcasing both good and bad post-game interviews, according to NJ.com. And even New Jersey's beloved Lawrence Taylor gets kicked to the bad side.
Good:
— Russell Wilson's admission that he threw a bad pass in the Super Bowl a year ago that lost the Seattle Seahawks the game.
—Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy last fall owning up to the ground ball that went under his glove in the World Series.
— Washington Wizards guard John Wall tearing up in a post-game interview not long after a young friend passed away.
— Pettitte's press conference admitting to HGH use.
— Ex-Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor aggressively confronting a reporter on the field.
— Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Greg Hardy's "no comment, next question" interview with reporters last fall.
— Former big leaguer Pete Rose lying about betting on baseball.
Says Cashman in the video: After games reporters are going to go into a clubhouse looking to talk about what went wrong. Take responsibility, he says.
Even one-time pariah Alex Rodriguez is used in a clip. And if the Yankees and press are loving A-Rod as much as everyone is reporting this spring, those tapes must be working.
Derek Jeter pulled out of a luxury underwear deal because he didn’t want undies linked to the Yankees icon marketed to the “gay community,” according to legal papers filed Monday.
The Yankee legend was one of the high-profile faces for the underwear brand Frigo before the company claimed he balked on the agreement because the high-concept briefs were “too gay,” according to TMZ.
“[Jeter] demanded that [Frigo] not market to the gay community and states that he did not want the Frigo brand to be ‘too gay,’ ” the company said.
The Swedish line, owned by RevolutionWear, says the company lost $30 million when the former Yankee captain backed out of an arrangement to endorse Frigo and act as a company director.
Jeter’s alleged “gay” remark was just another skid mark in the company's ongoing underwear war.
Earlier court papers alleged that the ex-Yankee shortstop also was concerned that rapper 50 Cent would make a bad brand ambassador because he would make the underwear line look too “urban.”
“Wow, guess I’m not a Yankees fan anymore,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram after those comments went public. “LETS GO METS? Man, you can’t trust nobody these days.”
He claimed he was “disgusted by Mr. Ingvarsson’s decision to make these false allegations against me in the press, instead of attempting to work out our business dispute in private.”
“I facilitated the introductory meeting between 50 Cent and the company,” Jeter said in a statement. “So it makes absolutely no sense that I would object to 50 Cent being a Frigo brand ambassador or think that 50 Cent is ‘too urban’ for the brand.”
Jeter claims the company has threatened him to put more capital into the business.
Derek Jeter finally shed his bachelorhood this week by popping the question to the stunning Sports Illustrated model Hannah Davis.
And while the attractive pair were rumored to be dating for about three years, the former Yankees star was known almost as much for his romantic life as he was for his five-time World Series championships.
No more random dating, but maybe the pride of Kalamazoo didn't expect a ring to come between him and his beloved Michigan team.
And, after Davis posted this photo of someone who has to be Jeets dressed as the devil, she seemed to understand:
Yogi Berra was one of the most beloved figures ever to put on a sports uniform and nobody admired or looked up to the legendary New York Yankees Hall of Famer more than Derek Jeter.
Promptly after the passing of Yogi early Wednesday morning, the tributes came pouring in — every one of them expressing sorrow at the loss of one of baseball's most lovable players and ambassadors for the game.
But it was Jeter's personal remembrance of his coach, friend and idol that everyone was waiting for.
And late Wednesday morning, the Captain used his Turn 2 Foundation Twitter account to say goodbye to Yogi:
Derek Jeter on Yogi: To those who didn't know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time. (1/5)
Everyone knows how much President Obama loves his golf — and that includes Derek Jeter.
The five-time World Series champion, who was known for his extraordinary hustle on the diamond, apparently brought that same killer instinct to a golf course in Nevada last November when he met the leader of the free world for a friendly round of golf.
Only it wasn't that friendly, if you believe the Prez.
Obama recently discussed his matchup against Jeter, according to Politico's Edward-Isaac Dovere, and it's clear Obama believes he was hustled by Jeter.
The president detailed the events at a Democratic fundraiser Monday night, hosted by Las Vegas Sun owner Brian Greenspun:
"He and Derek Jeter stole money from me at Shadow Creek," Obama said of Greenspun, referring to the course in North Las Vegas. "It was clearly a setup, because when we got to the practice range, he was shanking balls everywhere. I said, 'You play golf Derek?' And he said, 'I just started two weeks ago.'"
They gave Jeter 30 strokes, Obama said, but he realized that was a mistake as soon as they were on the first hole. Jeter crushed him, he said.
Obama could have chalked it up to Jeter's superior athletic skills, but chose to go with the more interesting theory he was taken.
"We had to take a picture of me handing Derek Jeter money at the end of the game. Despite that, Brian is a great friend."
But really. Who gives anyone 30 strokes? Or maybe Obama thought he was playing Iran.
"Cheer up everybody. We won the series. Still in 1st place."
Sunday's loss to the hard-charging Jays was likely a tough one for the Yankees to swallow — considering they had the chance to get revenge on Toronto for sweeping them the week before and because their bats couldn't help Luis Severino, the rookie phenom who gave them another strong start.
But Gardner's leadership move was clear. By taking two out of three games from the Blue Jays and jumping back into the American League East lead, there was good reason to take pride.
Anybody on the Yankees who knew Gardner wrote it surely wouldn't have been surprised that it came from the 31-year-old veteran.
Gardner's influence within the clubhouse is noticeable. The scrappy All-Star learned a lot from the Derek Jeter school of captaincy: Lead by example. Exude quiet confidence. Make a statement when necessary.
The awards keep rolling in for Derek Jeter even in retirement. But his latest accolade made him look more like a trophy than just accepting one.
Just a day after he was presented with the Icon award at the ESPYs, the former Yankees shortstop got slimed with golden goo onstage after accepting the Legends Award at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards 2015 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.
Dripping in the golden gunk, Jeter smiled brightly and held his blimp statue high above his head in front of the amused crowd of kids.
He may never put an Academy Award in his trophy case but, with his shaved head and gold-covered body, at least Jeter got to look like a giant Oscar for one night.
The New York Yankees on Thursday announced the lineup of former Bronx Bomber greats expected to attend Old-Timer's Day on June 20 when Willie Randolph will be honored with a plaque in Monument Park.
This year's Old-Timers' Day will feature its usual share of former icons and legends. Seven Hall of Famers will be involved, including Yogi Berra, Wade Boggs, Whitey Ford, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson and Joe Torre.
But none of the "Core Four" members — Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada — are on the list.
The quartet did reunite on May 24 when Bernie Williams' number was retired and they could get together again at Yankee Stadium in late August when Posada and Pettitte have their numbers retired on Aug. 22-23.
Even without them, it's still the greatest collection of players from one team every year.
A lot of questions face the New York Yankees as they head into the final week of spring training but one lingering quandary stands now out: Who's getting Derek Jeter's locker?
It's decision that will have to be made sometime within the next few days, before the team's Opening Day game against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium April 6, clubhouse manger Lou Cucuzza Jr. said.
The locker is significant because it was the space the recently retired Jeter occupied since the stadium opened in 2009. It's also prime real estate, positioned in the back of the clubhouse, near the entrance to the players' only section.
And unless Jeets heads to that stadium in the sky, it remains an available cubicle.
Cucuzza said he approached home-grown Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner more than a week ago about possibly taking over the spot, but Gardner hadn't made a decision yet.
Alex Rodriguez joined the Yankees in 2004, but he was suspended for all of 2014 for using performance-enhancing drugs. That interruption makes Gardner the longest consecutively tenured Yankee.
Yeah ... and it's A-Rod.
Gardner made his big league debut in pinstripes in 2008.
"We'll figure out it out," Cucuzza said. "We've still got time."
Didi Gregarious, who will replace The Captain at shortstop this season, is too much a newcomer. And trying to fill Jeter's shoes on the field and then drop your sweat socks in the Yankee icon's locker might just be a little too much to handle.
If you're a Tampa Bay Lightning fan and you're currently house-hunting, here's a deal for you: Vinny Lecavalier's Tampa-area estate went on the market Monday.
And, as a bonus, you get to be Derek Jeter's neighbor. The retired Yankee great lives just three doors down in his monstrous St. Jetersburg manse.
Lecavalier, who helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win a Stanley Cup championship in 2004, had his contract bought out by the Lightning in 2013. Soon after, Lecavalier went north and signed a five-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now, with his work address in Philly and a home in Montreal, Lecavalier has finally decided to part with his Davis Island mansion for $4,450,000.
“It’s a Mediterranean-style home, which is really popular on Davis Islands,” said listing agent Allan Mezrah. “People like the old Spanish fort look, and it looks like Don Quixote is going to walk out of the building."
The 7,636 square feet home sits on a 0.3-acre lot and has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The house has its share of amenities, too, such as a climate-controlled wine room, home theater, and workout room.
Best of all might be the cool man cave you can se in this video below:
The taxes alone will run you about $13,000 a year. But hey. You can cut costs by going over and borrowing a cup of sugar from The Captain all year round now.
He's reportedly been offered the House That Jeter Built to hold a pre-spring training press conference to address the public about performance-enhancing drug use but, now it sounds like Alex Rodriguez might be considering using the Website That Jeter Built instead.
The disgraced slugger and the former Yankees captain might be the yin and yang of baseball now but, were, early in their careers, the best of buddies. And Jeter's website, which publishes first-person accounts from athletes, has shown it isn't adverse to a little controversy and publicity.
If Rodriguez were to turn to "The Players' Tribune," he would be able to publish whatever he'd like to say to fans — whatever it may be. But, with the Yankees' spring training in Tampa just days away, A-Rod would probably still be surrounded by hordes of reporters in Florida — something the team is desperately trying to avoid.
Whether or not the Yankees would agree to Rodriguez explaining his actions via the Internet remains to be seen. Even if it was up to Jeter — the team's former golden boy.
And would an impersonal website confession be enough to keep the media at bay — and away from George H. Steinbrenner Field? It's doubtful.
Rodriguez is still owed $61 million over the next three seasons. He lost $25 million with his 162-game suspension last season. He has accused the Yankees and MLB of conspiring to try to void his contract.
The glove that many say helped kick-start, or maybe hand-crank, the New York Yankees glorious run in the late-90's is up for grabs.
The black mitt Jeffrey Maier used to catch Derek Jeter’s tying home run against Baltimore in the eighth inning of the 1996 AL Championship Series opener at the original Yankee Stadium will be auctioned off, according to The Associated Press.
Heritage Auction said Monday the infamous glove will be put up for bids on Feb. 21 in New York. It did not identify the current owner, who reportedly had purchased the glove from Maier.
During the controversial play, a 12-year-old Maier reached in front of the right-field wall and prevented Tony Tarasco from catching Jeter’s drive on Oct. 9, 1996.
Umpire Rich Garcia declined to call fan interference and Bernie Williams hit an 11th-inning home run that gave the Yankees a 5-4 victory.
Baltimore’s protest was ultimately denied by baseball’s ruling executive council and AL President Gene Budig.
New York went on to defeat the Orioles in five games and win the first of what would be four World Series titles in five years. And the glove — another part of Yankees lore.
It'll be see ya next year for one hall of fame awaiting Derek Jeter.
The former Yankee captain, who was set to be inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, will have to try again in 2016 after mechanical issues grounded his aircraft and kept him from leaving a New Jersey airport.
The Detroit News reported, not one but two private planes ready to fly out of Teterboro Airport both had "serious" mechanical issues and Jeter had to inform Hall of Fame officials he couldn't make it.
Jeter, who was born in Jersey but went to high school in Kalamazoo before his legendary 20-year career with the Yankees, retired after last season.
ESPN reported that Jeter had planned to take a private plane out on Thursday, but the aircraft encountered mechanical problems. Organizers say the former Yankee shortstop will be inducted next year instead.
"According to the Flight Tracker website, a Journey Aviation flight was scheduled to leave Teterboro just before 3 p.m. and arrive at Detroit Metro shortly before 5," wrote the Detroit News' Tony Paul.
"According to the website, that plane never took off. Hall of Fame officials said one of the planes did take off, but had to return to the terminal."
The event still had plenty of big names to honor Thursday night. The induction ceremony also included baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, NHL greats Sergei Fedorov and Mike Modano, swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Sheila Taormina, bowler Aleta Sill and former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Doug English.
All happening while Jeets schlepped home to his swimsuit model girlfriend Hanna Davis:
Davis may be showing off the goods, but she and the former Yankees captain were spotted celebrating her controversial cover together at the Manhattan hot spot, Hunt & Fish Club, on Saturday night.
Davis has defended the SI image that shows her pulling her bikini down low, saying, “I think ... it’s the year of the torso.”
And, in case you miss old No. 2, Jeter will also be in the spotlight this weekend. He is scheduled to join Peyton Manning as the designated athletes among the hosts appearing on a special broadcast celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live."
Derek Jeter was nowhere near Yankee Stadium on Saturday but, his aura seemed to play a big part in Penn State's one-point victory over Boston College in an exciting Pinstripe Bowl finish.
Penn State kicker Sam Ficken gave the Nittany Lions the overtime win, hitting an extra point to give the Lions the come-from-behind win, 31-30.
So what might seem like more than just coincidence, out of all the lockers at Yankee Stadium, Ficken used the retired Yankee icon's old space for the game.
And apparently, beside Jeter's cologne residue, some of his mystical powers rubbed off on the senior kicker too.
You might remember plenty of the Captain's magical moments in the Bronx including Jeter's final hit during his last game at Yankee Stadium (above) against the Orioles. And now, the player who uses his locker, kicks the winning extra point for the final kick of his PSU career?
Hmm.
"It's kind of a funny thing," Ficken said after the game-winner.
Pity poor Derek Jeter. And I don't mean poor in a financial sense. Or any sense, come to think of it.
The retired former Yankees shortstop has a sizable amount of cash at his disposal (net worth $185 million) with plenty of investors more than willing to throw money at the thought of partnering with the MLB legend. But sadly for The Captain, he reportedly still isn’t having any luck when it comes to buying his own Major League Baseball team.
“There are no teams available,” says Fox Business Network’s Charlie Gasparino. “Jeter is telling people he is modeling his post-baseball career after Michael Jordan’s,” a reference to his NBA counterpart's purchase of the Charlotte Hornets.
In the meantime, Jeter has been meeting with Goldman Sachs bankers hoping to follow in the steps of his former boss and mentor, the late George Steinbrenner.
“As he’s waiting for a potential team to open up, he’s putting a lot of time into this Web site, theplayerstribune.com ... He’s looking for financing for this as well as to expand,” Gasparino said.
With the average MLB team price hovering around $811 million (High end: Yankees worth $2.5 billion, bargain basement: Tampa Bay Rays at $485 million), Jeets might have to spend more time cuddling with his girl, Hannah Davis, than huddling with lawyers.
Earlier this month, the ex-Yankee was spotted getting a tour of Marlins Park, fueling speculation he was interested in the team, but has denied it.
Contrary to what Jeter says publicly, rumors still swirl that the one-time Face of Baseball does want to become the head of a MLB team.
Didi Gregorius is either some kind of psychic or he's just as enamored of Derek Jeter as most young shortstops seem to be.
Either way, Gregorius posted this drawing of Jeter to his Twitter account back in October. And, like a premonition, on Friday it was reported the Diamondbacks would be sending him to the Bronx to replace the iconic Yankee at short.
The collage, which features dirt authenticated by Major League Baseball, is priced at $359.99 per set.
The 40-year-old Jeter retired from the Major Leagues at the end of September and what better way to honor his remarkable 20-year career — 5 World Series Titles, a Rookie of the Year Award, an All-Star MVP, a World Series MVP and 14 All-Star teams — than getting little piles of dirt involving Jeets.
“We are joined right now by a media entrepreneur with a series of very interesting new projects in the works,” Fallon said. "He also used to play baseball.”
Fallon was referring to Jeter's new website, "The Players' Tribune," which was introduced Wednesday.
And contrary to how fatalists are claiming Jeter's high-profile venture could make sportswriters obsolete, the newly retired Yankees shortstop said the site isn't aimed at putting keyboard-tappers out of work.
Rather, the 40-year-old said, he's giving athletes an outlet to communicate directly with fans while not having their words twisted around.
"This is not trying to eliminate sportswriters," Jeter said. “Sportswriters are what make sports great and fun to watch. This is just another avenue for the athletes to use and express themselves."
"In this day and age," he continued, "I think athletes, they really like to share with the people, everything about them. I, personally, have not done that. And I personally will not do that. This is not about me."
Russell Wilson became the first athlete to have his work published on the site Thursday. In the highly publicized first piece, Wilson talked about how he was a bully growing up, but he changed when he found religion at age 14.
The story was all over the Internet.
Jeter — who was famous for his ability to isolate himself from the relentless New York media — added the old excuse used by many athletes and celebrities in the public eye:
"You always hear people say, ‘Well this was taken out of context,’” Jeter said. "But now it gives them the opportunity to say exactly what they want to say.”
Sounds like the project is off to a good start.
Here's a clip from Jeter's conversation with Fallon:
