Brennan Cohoon

English 9

Word Count: 290

12-13-14

 

 

“The Captain”

 

          The book I read, “The Life You Imagine”, is all about Derek Jeter and the life of a true athlete.  I am not a Yankees fan but he is one of my favorite baseball players.  Derek Jeter was born on June 26, 1974 in New Jersey and is now 40 years old.  He went to Kalamazoo Central for college and now their baseball field at K-Zoo Central is named after him.

          Derek Jeter has 2 siblings, Dorothy who is and accountant and Charles who is a substance-abuse councelor. Jeter had the opportunity to play basketball at Kalamazoo but was determined to play baseball in the MLB.  In 1992, he was named “High School player of the year”, also in 1992, he was named “Gatorade High School athlete of the year”.

          Jeter was accepted into the NY Yankees association with the 6th overall pick in June in the 1992 draft.  In his first full season as a Yankee, he batted .314 with 10 home runs and won rookie of the year.  He has won a total of 5 World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.  Derek Jeter also won his first of five Gold Gloves for fielding excellence in 2004 and then in 2006, he was the runner-up in the voting for the MVP award.

          After his last season in 2014, and at the age of 40, he retired from the MLB.  After Jeter retired, he created the “Turn 2 Foundation” to encourage young people to be healthy, academically successful, and to keep kids away from drugs.  Derek Jeter is a true athlete.  He not only has love for the game, but he has love for his other surrounding life.