Derek Jeter: The Newest Member To The 3,000 Hit Club

There are some players in sports you just want to dislike.  It's easy to dislike guys like LeBron James.  It's not tough to root against guys like Alex Rodriguez.  Heck, some could make the argument that Michael Jordan, possibly the greatest basketball player of all time, was the most hated man in the NBA.  In many cases, we dislike the successful players who play on the best teams.  It's safe to say that the New York Yankees and their players could be the team in sports more hated and disliked than any other.

Try and try as you might, there is one Yankee player that is difficult to dislike.  That player is Derek Jeter.

Throughout his 17-year career, Derek Jeter has been nothing but the consummate professional.  He's not a trash-talker.  He's not a hot dog.  He is the definition of a "team leader".  Within baseball, he is one of the most respected players in the game.  "The Captain" is as appropriate a nickname as any in the game.  On Saturday, Jeter became the 28th player in Major League history to reach the 3,000 hit milestone, going 5-5 in the game, and reaching the magical number with a solo home run in the third-inning.

Over the last 20 years, with players embracing the free agent idea more and more, it's rare to see someone of Jeter's caliber remain with the team that drafted him, but, he has.  He is easily one of the greatest Yankees to ever play the game, and when you're mentioned with the likes of Mickey Mantle, Babe Rute, Joe Dimaggio, and Lou Gehrig, that is truly saying something.  Of those Yankee greats, Jeter became the first of them all to reach that amazing feat.  Truly a special moment in that team's rich history.

Being a Minnesota Twins fan, the Yankees have been our playoff nemesis over the last few years.  We have nothing compared to the great rivalry between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox.  Regardless, both Twins and Red Sox fans, as well as all baseball fans alike, have to respect what Derek Jeter has done over his career.  In this day and age, it's difficult to find players like him.  We've seen some fantastic shortstops come and go over the last 20 years, but Jeter stands head and shoulders above them all.  His yearly numbers may not be as great as some others (Alex Rodriguez when he was with the Rangers, Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies to name a few) but there hasn't been a better leader and a more consistent guy in baseball over that time.  If you're building a team from scratch, Jeter is the type of player you would want to build around.

Congratulations to Derek Jeter.  Easily one of the greatest Yankees of all-time, and a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer!