'I want to start a FAMILY': Yankees legend Derek Jeter explains reason for his shock retirement (despite currently being single)
- New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said he will retire from Major League Baseball to start a family
- Said that he felt the time was right and that he wanted to start a family
- Jeter, 39, is widely considered one of baseball's greatest shortstops and said he made the decision following a tough 2013 season
- Jeter, is a winner of five World Series rings and 13-time All-Stars who stands 10th on MLB's all-time hits list with 3,316
- Reportedly split from his year-long girlfriend, Victoria's Secret model Hannah Davis
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Derek Jeter announced today that he wants to walk away from 20 years at the top of major league baseball to start a family.
The New York Yankees captain answered question for nearly half an hour on Wednesday, exactly one week after his shock announcement his is to retire at the end of the coming season.
Looking optimistically forward to the future, the legend said that he is looking forward to beginning a family despite splitting recently from Victoria's Secret model Hannah Davis.
Indeed, Jeter's history with women could cause many to raise an eyebrow at the notorious ladies man's declared desire to settle down.
And with a track record of beautiful women that includes two Victoria's Secret Model's, one Miss Universe, Scarlet Johannson, Minka Kelly and Mariah Carey, who would blame them?
'You can't do this forever. I'd like to,' he said. 'There's some things I look forward to doing.'
'I want to have a family,' Jeter told a packed-house press conference.
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New York Yankees infielder Derek Jeter speaks to the media for the first time since he announced his shock retirement last week
New York Yankees infielder Derek Jeter speaks to the media during an media availability at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida
'That's important to me. I have the utmost respect for all these guys who have kids and families and being away. I have a nephew and you miss so many things and I don't know how you guys do it.
'Time is important and there are some things I look forward to doing.'
According to the New York Post, the Yankees shortstop split from swimsuit model Hannah Davis earlier last month after dating about a year.
On the day the team's position players reported for spring training, Jeter spoke in the pavilion behind the third-base stands, where closer Mariano Rivera said last March that 2013 would be his final season.
The Steinbrenner family that owns the team sat in the front row, manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman in the second.
Teammates, who said his decision shocked and saddened them, were in the rows after that.
Wearing a navy Yankees pullover and shorts, it was the start of the final season for No. 2, the last of the single digits to wear a Yankees uniform.
He spoke from a table with arms crossed most of the time. He spoke directly and dispassionately, much like every interview since he first reached the major leagues in 1995.
'Trying to get me to cry?' he said after one question. 'I have feelings. I'm not emotionally stunted.
'There's feelings there, but I think I've just been pretty good at trying to hide my emotions throughout the years. I try to have the same demeanor each and every day.'
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Tie to go: New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter gestures during a news conference on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida, as he explained his decision to retire from baseball
New York Yankees part owner and co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner listens as shortstop Derek Jeter speaks during a news conference while Yankees general partner and vice-chairperson Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal smiles as shortstop Derek Jeter speaks on Wednesday
Open yet opaque, as he has been throughout his career.
Jeter, who turns 40 in June, was limited to 17 games last season, hitting 190 with one homer and seven RBIs after breaking an ankle in the 2012 AL championship series opener
'I took a lot of time thinking about this,' he said. 'I've been very vocal on how disappointing last year was, how hard it was for me to come to the stadium each and every day. You start thinking about how long do you really want to do this?
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY: THE MANY MANY LOVES OF DEREK JETER
Yankees legend and captain Derek Jeter has become famed not only for his prowess on the field but also off it. Here is a list of the many beautiful women the short-stop has dated over his illustrious career.
1996-1998: Mariah Carey 2000: Miss Universe Lara Dutta
2002-2003: Jordana Brewster 2003: Victoria's Secret Model, Adriana Lima
2003-2006: Jeter dated Vanessa Minnillo 2004: Jessica Alba dated the Yankees star
2004: Jeter briefly datedScarlett Johannson 2006-2007: Jessica Biel was his girl for a year
2008: Jeter and Rachel Uchitel were together in 2008 2008-2012: The legend dated actress Minka Kelly
2013-2014: Derek Jeter has reportedly broken up with Victoria's Secret model Hannah Davis
'And let me say one thing is, this is not a retirement little press conference. I still have a season to play. This is just letting you guys know that this is going to be my last year.
'But I felt as though it was the right time. I've been doing this for a long time. This will be parts of 20 seasons that I've been playing here in New York and parts of 23 if you count the minor leagues. So I just think I've done it for long enough, and I look forward to doing some other things in my life.'
He is a 13-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove shortstop who led the Yankees to World Series titles in 1996, `98, `99, `00 and `09.
Jeter enters his 20th big league season with a .312 average, 256 homers and 1,261 RBIs
'This has nothing to do with how I feel physically,' he said.
'Everyone I told when I first started speaking about this with family and friends, they all told me to make sure you take your time, don't base this decision on what happened last season, wait until your healthy and then make the decision.
'So this has absolutely nothing to do with how I feel physically. Physically I feel great and I'm looking forward to playing a full season.'
He added: 'It's not, 'Let's wait and see if I have a good year.' I plan on having a good year. If I didn't plan on having a good year, I wouldn't come here and play. ... It's all about the time. You can't do this forever. I'd like to, but you can't do this forever. I feel as though the time is right after this year.'
Indeed, Derek Jeter and his baseball brothers — were the gang that grew up champions.
There was Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. Together, always together, they turned the New York Yankees into a dynasty.
One by one, they walked away from the game until Jeter was the last man standing in pinstripes.
Now, the captain is ready to retire, too. The last link to the latest run of Yankees dominance.
New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, left, and Mariano Rivera look at the championship trophy after winning the Major League Baseball World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, in New York in 2009
Jeter revealed last Wednesday that 2014 will be his final season, signaling the end of an extraordinary era not only for New York, but all of Major League Baseball.
'It is time for the next chapter,' he wrote last week in announcing his decision with a long letter on his Facebook page.
Jeter was referring to his own life and his desire to pursue business, start a family, see the world on a summer vacation.
But he could have been talking about the Yankees — or the grand 'ol game itself. And so the significance of Jeter's exit was hardly lost on anyone as praise poured in from all around.
'For nearly 20 years, there has been no greater ambassador to the game of baseball than Derek Jeter,' said former teammate Tony Clark, now head of the players' union.
'Derek has set the standard that we should all strive to achieve.'
Jeter and pals from Jimmy Key to Alex Rodriguez produced a generation of sustained success with the Yankees, almost two decades worth of winning by one special group of players.
We may never see the likes of it again — in any sport.
'It has been an incredible honor having a front row seat for one of the great players of all time,' New York general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement.
'Derek has been a winner every step of the way.'
New York Yankees' Derek Jeter waves to the crowd after hitting a single to pass Lou Gehrig's all-time Yankees hit record during the third inning of a baseball game in New York in September 2009
Jeter has led the Yankees to five World Series titles and seven American League pennants in 19 seasons.
They won four championships in five years from 1996-2000, the last three in a row to become baseball's most recent dynasty.
Those are surely his favorite numbers — and surely his favorite memories, with Bernie and Mo and Andy and 'Sado.'
They were just kids then, really. Just kids beginning to build a legacy that included 17 playoff appearances in 18 years.
Joe Girardi was the catcher on that 1996 team, the one that ended an 18-year title drought in the Bronx.
Now, he's entering his seventh season as manager of the Yankees. And still, the 39-year-old Jeter is prepping to play shortstop after injuries wrecked his 2013 season.
'He is unquestionably one of the greatest Yankees ever,' said Hal Steinbrenner, the club's managing general partner.
'He has meant so much to fans, the organization, my father and our family. I'm glad we have this year to celebrate everything he has meant to us and all the great things he still stands to accomplish.'
Of course, Jeter has racked up more than his share of individual achievements.
He ranks ninth on the career list with 3,316 hits, most in Yankees history. He owns a .312 lifetime batting average to go with 1,876 runs and 13 All-Star selections.
And then there are all those unforgettable moments he authored: The postseason homer aided by youngster Jeffrey Maier. T
he World Series shot that made him Mr. November. The home run for his 3,000th hit. The dive into the stands, the backhand flip in the playoffs, the eloquent speech to close old Yankee Stadium.
Few players have ever embraced the spotlight like Jeter. Few players have risen to the occasion so often.
He made it look so easy sometimes, especially under pressure.
'It was an honor and privilege to have Derek next to me for all those years. He made me a better player and a better person,' Posada said in a statement.
'I'm so proud of our friendship and I love him like a brother. Derek was a true champion and the greatest teammate I ever had.'
New York Yankees' Derek Jeter hits a home run for his 3,000th career hit during the third inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York
It was all that winning — with grace, class and dignity — that put Jeter in the pantheon of Yankees greats.
He's the 21st-century piece of a remarkable thread that stretches back, nearly uninterrupted, to Don Mattingly, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.
There is only one No. 2, and he'll surely be the last player ever to wear it for the Yankees. And one day soon, Jeter will join those exalted players in Cooperstown and Monument Park.
'He's right there. He's got to be one of those,' said Mattingly, now manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson, meanwhile, tweeted out the date of the 2020 induction ceremonies — the first year Jeter could be enshrined — 'for those booking early.'
But first, Jeter will take his farewell tour around the majors, just as Rivera did last year.
'I'm so happy that Derek will get to go out on his terms — and his way,' Williams said.
'He was as special a teammate as any player could ever have. I'm blessed to have played with him. Yankees fans and baseball fans all over the world will have a lot to celebrate this season.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2563211/I-want-start-family-Yankees-legend-Derek-Jeter-explains-retire-press-conference-shock-announcement-week.html#ixzz2tybA1Dvh
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