Derek Jeter: From the pages of The New York Times

by Tyler Kepner

Derek Jeter is a sports hero in the tradition of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle. Admired for his leadership, performance under pressure, and work ethic, Jeter is the face of the New York Yankees. He is also a quintessentially modern star, appealing to baseball's diverse audience, savvy about dealing with the press, and publicly enjoying the fruits of his celebrity. Derek Jeter draws upon more than 5,000 news articles and features from the New York Times by the paper's superb sports reporters and columnists, including Dave Anderson, Jack Curry, Buster Olney, and George Vecsey, as well as Tyler Kepner, who has written the introduction. This book is filled with entertaining stories, penetrating insights, and colorful not only Jeter himself, but also George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez, and a host of players, past and present. In words and photographs, it covers Jeter's rise, his style of play, his best moments on (and off) the field, his character as a teammate and a leader, and his place in Yankee history. 

Praise for Derek Jeter :

"If you're a fan of Derek Jeter, the Yankees, and/or baseball history, BUY THIS BOOK!" 
-Bleacher Report

Genres: Sports, Baseball

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book during the Covid-19 crisis. It is now June and I should be checking the sports scores first thing in the morning but, instead, contemplating the unthinkable - a summer without baseball.

So my nostalgia is multi-faceted as I recall a simpler time and the thrills experienced by the Yankee fans especially during the era of Derek Jeter and his talented teammates and friends, Posada, Petitte, and Rivera.

I am not a huge fan of the New York Times, but this book brilliantly captured the Jeter era of Yankee history both with phenomenal photographs of Jeter and his teammates and with the stories of his rise from Kalamazoo through the minor leagues, to both Yankee stadiums.

One would expect accolades from the newspaper that covered the man who would become a baseball legend and the articles certainly capture the highlights of his stellar career and the leader he became whose work ethic and integrity (especially in an era of steroids) set such a high standard.

I suspect that over twenty years of covering Derek Jeter sportswriters may have struggled with new angles or new superlatives for their subject. The book includes a few digressions such as his forays into acting (Saturday Night Live, Visa commercials, etc.) which are also entertaining especially for those of us who "were there" during those years and recall the incidences with Steinbrenner, Rodriguez, etc. But this book is about Derek Jeter, superhero, and even in those situations, he rises with class and boldness above the fray. A fun read!