Why Derek Jeter Will Be Missed

Everywhere you go, you see Monmouth and Ocean Counties kids wearing their Yankees jersey with that legendary #2 on the back. I think that's where Derek Jeter's departure hurts the most.

Sure, Yankees fans everywhere will miss the great plays and clutch hits that Jeter is legendary for. But I couldn't help but think as I watched the game last night, that it's the kids who may ultimately miss him the most.

Every day, I see headlines that make me cringe. And lately, a lot of it is directly from the sports world. I see athletes behaving badly. I see handcuffs and horrible videos. I see awkward press conferences and unanswered questions. I see denials and excuses. What I don't see are a whole lot of role models.

I know, I know. Some of these athletes say it's not their job to be role models, and that may be true, but it doesn't mean the kids aren't looking up to them. And I know the press loves to focus on the bad news, but is it really there fault that there is so much disturbing news to report?

Derek Jeter conducted himself in a professional, proud way through his 20 year career. Twenty years of being under the microscope, and hardly a negative headline. Just a hard working, polite, focused, professional world champion.

I heard an interview with Derek's parents last night on the Yes Network and they said one of the things they are most proud of is that other parents chose to place Derek's #2 jersey on their kids and they consider that an honor. The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

There are plenty of good people in sports even though they're not the ones that seem to get the headlines. I hope they step up and conduct themselves the way Derek does. For the kids' sake.