Image via Complex Original
Derek Jeter has spent the last two decades playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. But he's also spent the last two decades ducking and dodging questions about his personal life and doing everything in his power to protect his privacy. So while publications like the New York Post and the New York Daily News have tried their best to get a glimpse of what goes on with Jeter when he's not playing baseball, his reputation has remained virtually unblemished because of his desire to keep his personal life as personal as possible. It's one of the many reasons he's so beloved in the Big Apple.
In the latest issue of New York Magazine, though, Jeter does open up. A little. He still doesn't want to talk about his feelings for Alex Rodriguez—"This is not an Alex story," he tells New York Magazine writer Chris Smith—and he still doesn't want you to know anything about who he's dating or who he has dated in the past. But he does talk about more than just baseball in the feature story, which you can read here. And there are also a bunch of really terrific photos of Jeter within the story, like the one that you see above of him getting a massage.
Thanks to the profile, we found out a few new facts about the legendary Yankees shortstop. Here are the 7 Things We Learned From New York Magazine's Profile on Derek Jeter.
Jeter's mom gave him the nickname "Old Man" when he was a kid.
In the New York Magazine piece, writer Chris Smith talks a lot about the confidence that Jeter has shown over the years. His sister Sharlee also reveals that confidence is something that he's always had, which is why his mom gave him the nickname that she did.
"Our parents say Derek kind of strutted and had a lot of confidence from when he was really, really young," she says. "I think the nickname came from the first time he went off to school and he had his little briefcase and he was all dressed up in a little suit."
Jeter claims that the rumor about him giving gift baskets to women after sleeping with them is totally bogus.
You're familiar with this rumor, right? It has been around for a few years now, courtesy of the New York Post. But Jeter laughed when he was asked about the baskets and said that they are not real.
"Like I'm giving them signed baseballs and pictures of myself on the way out!" he says. "Who comes up with a story like that?"
Jeter relies on one surefire technique to get reporters to leave him alone.
How do you play for the Yankees for two decades and not say one single thing that gets you into any trouble? It seems like it would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. But Jeter has found the secret to doing it: You need to learn to say, "I don't know."
"In New York, there's a lot of attention off the field, a lot of distractions," he says. "My job on our team all along is to try to limit distractions and try to keep it about the game. I think a lot of times players get in trouble when they're asked questions and they think they have to find a way to answer it. If you ask me a question and I say, 'I don't know,' there's really no follow-up."
Jeter misses the days of George Steinbrenner patrolling the Yankees clubhouse.
Steinbrenner's sons Hal and Hank are still involved with the Yankees. But it doesn't sound like things have been the same within the organization since "The Boss" died back in 2010.
"We had a great relationship," Jeter says. "Hal and Hank, they don't really come in too often. They might be at the stadium, but they don't come through the clubhouse. The Boss, we weren't playing good, he'd come through the clubhouse, look you up and down, and shake his head."
Jeter is tired of playing baseball.
Even though he still enjoys playing the game, there are several things Jeter says throughout the New York Magazine story that give the indication that he's ready to retire. For instance, he mentions that he's looking forward to being able to go to a barbecue next summer. He's also looking forward to the idea of having a free weekend. And mostly, he's just looking forward to not being on a set schedule 24/7/365.
"I've been playing baseball since I was 5 or 6 years old," he says. "I've been on a schedule, pretty much, since I was in eighth, ninth grade. I look forward to not doing that."
Jeter has absolutely no interest in coaching or becoming an analyst once he retires...
When he walks away from the baseball diamond later this month, Jeter doesn't want to hang up his cleats and jump into coaching. He also doesn't want to sign a lucrative deal to become an analyst for ESPN, MLB Network, or any other media outlet. Instead, it sounds like he's focused on building his personal brand, which will start with him running his own publishing imprint through Simon & Schuster. His first book released through the imprint will be a children's book called The Contract that will come out tomorrow. He will also release a photo-driven book called Jeter Unfiltered in October, which will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of him.
…but Jeter does want to own a Major League Baseball team sometime in the future.
While Jeter doesn't have any desire to coach baseball, he does want to own an MLB team one day. It's one of the goals that he's very clear about in the New York Magazine piece.
"No former player has owned a team in baseball," he says. "In basketball, [Michael Jordan] obviously. But not in baseball."
