So I just had an interesting conversation with a co-worker
and someone I truly like to call my friend. Him and I like to bounce these
hypotheticals back and forth and also ask our opinions on certain things,
mainly sports though. He will ask me who I think the greatest basketball player
is and any answer other than Michael Jordan is wrong and he doesn’t want to
hear why you think so. I’ll ask him who he thinks the greatest baseball player
is and any answer short of Mickey Mantle, although I will hear you out, usually
falls on deaf ears for me. This morning though he asked me a question that
really made me scratch my head and think so I wanted to share a little bit more
of me, our new direction here on the site, and share my answer with you all.
I was asked the question if I could sit down and share one
meal with any athlete from any sport, alive or dead, who would I sit down with?
For some odd reason, and this is an example of a time you definitely do not
want to go with your gut reaction, the first athlete that popped into my head
was Connor McGregor from the UFC. Of all the athletes that ever graced this
Earth I wanted to sit down with one of the biggest crap talkers in all of the
UFC for whatever reason. Now this thought never left my head, until now, and as
I sat there I couldn’t get another recent and great athlete out of my mind. I
feared I would disappoint him with my answer but it was the only answer that I
had so I just went out with it. Derek Jeter.
He didn’t say much, maybe out of respect for me or maybe
because it was actually a good answer, except shake his head and give me one of
those “I’m your friend so I am going to agree with you but I don’t really agree
with you” type of dismissive gestures and he had to go back to work. Sitting
here thinking on it though after the fact I don’t think I would change my
answer in the slightest.
I was born in November of 1985 so right around the time I
was really getting into baseball the Yankees were introducing this rookie
shortstop to the club, Derek Jeter. After watching Jeter help lead the Yankees
to the World Series in 1996 I became all consumed by him. I wanted to play
shortstop in Little League and I wanted to wear #2. I emulated his stance,
although I couldn’t hit for crap with it and quickly scrapped that idea after a
couple 0-4 and 0-5 days, and I counted the years until I could take his
position. I figured if I was 25 when I reached the Major Leagues that Jeter
would be 36 and would be delegated to designated hitter duties or ready to
retire by then. Boy was I wrong but keep in mind that I was about 10-or-11
years old at the time. I wanted to not only be Derek Jeter but I wanted to
replace and eclipse Derek Jeter, because that’s my nature.
As I grew older I grew farther from Jeter and leaned more in
the Alex Rodriguez direction. Sure, hindsight being what it is, that was
probably the “wrong” decision but it was the decision I made with my fandom and
I stick with it today. That doesn’t mean I still wouldn’t like to sit down with
him and his wife, Hannah Jeter, and have a discussion. The things that Jeter
must have seen and never talked about. Could you imagine the stories you could
hear if you got him to open up just a little? Could you imagine his sarcastic
and witty response to the gift basket rumors or this rumor or that rumor if he
knew that what he said wouldn’t be repeated or recorded?
Could you imagine? I’d be a better leader and a better
person just from having a conversation with the man, let alone if he decided he
liked my witty, magnetic, creative and humble personality and decided to mentor
me or whatever. Jeter is that kind of person, I assume anyway because no one
reading this probably truly knows Jeter except for Jeter himself and his wife
and family, that just makes you want to be the best version of you just to keep
pace with him. That is the kind of person I want to be and that is the kind of
person I want to spend all my extra and free time with for the rest of my life,
someone who makes me want to be the best Daniel Burch that I can be.
So Jeter if you’re reading this, and you shouldn’t be
because you have your own blog to maintain and a nursery to set up, I’d choose
you. I’d choose you every time. If you’re ever in Ellijay, GA, which again you
won’t be… just take my word for it haha, hit me up. I’m the only one down here
with the Yankees hat on.
Lou Gehrig
ReplyDeleteEddie LoPat, for pitching tips and Frankie Frisch, the guy my mom copied and showed me how to hit, and NO I never tried teaching anyone to hit that way.
ReplyDeleteBabe Ruth!!!! Without a doubt.
ReplyDelete