So by now you probably know that I’m not a Yankees fan and I celebrate the fact that for the second straight year there will be no October baseball for the team and many of their obnoxious fans who think it’s their birthright to play and win the World Series on an annual basis.

The number two is painted on the field during Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium
The number two is painted on the field during Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium (Travis Lindquist/Getty Images)
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For those that don’t know I’m a Mets fan, which makes me a loser. I acknowledge that.

So as a Yankee hater I am fully qualified to comment on Derek Jeter, a/k/a “The Captain” who will put on his pinstripe #2 uniform for the final time tonight, weather permitting. His farewell tour through the major leagues has been an overblown and overhyped event and the memorabilia market reached a new low this week when Steiner Sports offered the opportunity to buy one (not a pair but a single) game-worn Jeter sock for $409.

It seems this entire season has been about Jeter’s impending retirement, which in some ways has helped mask the fact that the Yanks are an aging ballclub facing an uncertain future.

Now back to Jeter whose place in Yankee and baseball history is secure. He is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer with a lifetime batting average of .309, eight 200-hit seasons, 13 seasons in which he scored at least 100 runs, five gold gloves for fielding excellence and 14 All-Star game appearances.

Jeter is a prolific winner, having helped the Yanks win 5 World Series titles and it seemed the bigger the game the bigger his performance. He was never the best at any one phase of the game but has been a model of consistency over a 20-year major league career.

Minka Kelly and Derek Jeter in 2010
Minka Kelly and Derek Jeter in 2010 (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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What makes him stand out is not just what he’s done on the field but off of it, especially when you consider he’s a high-profile bachelor in a city featuring tabloid newspapers that love to devote headlines to scandal. Derek has given them and TMZ none. Pretty amazing when you consider he’s dated the likes of singer Mariah Carey, actresses Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Minka Kelly, Jessica Biel and Jordana Brewster, TV personality Vanessa Manillo, swimsuit model Hannah Davis and a former Miss Universe. Let’s be honest, that’s as impressive as his baseball exploits.

So farewell to the sixth greatest Yankee of all-time. This Mets fan will actually miss you and your socks.

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