Derek Jeter FULL Hall of Fame Speech | Yankees legend inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

thank you thank you very much look for uh i forgot how good that feels for the past 20 months um you know everybody asked me how's the hall of fame speech coming i'll be honest with you for 18 of those months my response was i haven't even started yet uh you know when i finally began i had no idea how do you even start you know where do you begin who do you think and and quite frankly considering the circumstances who am i going to be saying it to and in front of you know what can i say in 15 minutes that can cover my entire career you want to say something meaningful impactful and memorable finally i just said you know stop overthinking it man and just write down how you feel so let me let me start by saying congratulations you know congratulations to larry ted and the late marvin miller i mean i'm so honored to be uh inducted with you guys and linked to you forever the major league baseball hall of fame class of 2020. congrats to the award winners nick colfardo dick cagle ken harrelson al michael and david montgomery thank you to jane forbes clark jeff idolson john whitney and the entire hall of fame staff for amongst other things your ability to to maneuver and adjust thank you to uh the baseball writers all but one of you who voted for me and everyone everyone uh everyone who covered me during my career you know the beat writers the columnists tv and radio and a special thank you to to the hall of famers uh you know those that are here with us today the ones that couldn't make it uh the men i played with played against four and looked up to and admired you know when when the induction ceremony was canceled and then later it was postponed you know everyone told me don't worry about it it's going to happen eventually and it's going to feel the same you were right but i do want to point out one thing as you saw earlier you know the hall of fame is special because of those who are in it and and we've lost way too many hall of famers over the last 20 months and these are all hall of famers that would have or could have been here and uh selflessly for that reason it's it's not the same because when you know everyone asks about nerves they assume it's because of a speech what i may say or not say the number of people in attendance are watching at home no no the nerves are because these guys behind me right now and all those that are a part of the hall of fame family because you know the great thing about baseball is it's history and that's what makes it so special i i want to share two quick stories two special moments i had with the hall of fame family early on in my career you know the first was in 1996. after we won the world series i was attending the uh baseball writers the new york chapter the baseball writers dinner in new york and i was seated on the dais next to someone i had never met before and we sat there for roughly three hours and if i'm gonna be honest with you i can't recall any details of our conversation but i do know it was a time that i always cherish because you know when you talk about class and you talk about elegance uh this person was was and still is the epitome of it the fact that she even knew who who i was and was willing to listen to what i had to say made me feel like i was the most special person in the world uh you know that person was mrs rachel robinson the uh second moment was in 1999 was at the all-star game in in boston and pregame they were they were honoring the all-century players so all the players past and present were gathering around ted williams so he could throw out the first pitch and i sort of just hovered around the back because quite frankly i was in awe and i didn't want to get in the way i felt a tap on my shoulder i turned around and someone told me you know i wanted to meet you and i said she wanted to meet me that was the very first time i met the great hank aaron now you know you might you might wonder what's the reason i bring these moments up it's because these two moments in particular is when i realized that it's more than a game in just a sense you know the greatest people and players in this game the hall of fame family they're watching so i wanted their approval you know during my career i wanted to make mrs robinson proud i wanted to make hank aaron proud i want to make all you behind me proud not a statistics proud of how i played the game how i carried myself and how i respected the game and those before and after me so i guess the relevant question is you know how did i get on the desk next to mrs robinson and on the field at fenway park with hank aaron and ultimately you know on this stage uh you know i'm on the stage as a result of many others i'm on the stage as a result of the support and love of countless people but for me you know the love of the game and the success i had playing it starts and ends with family you know i was first introduced to competition in the game of baseball by my dad you know i i vividly remember going to watch him play shortstop for his corporate softball team and uh i don't think i ever told him this but i was amazed at how good he was and how he stood out in front of every and stood out in front of everyone else above everyone else it was my first idol you know wanting and watching and wanting to be my dad you know him sitting me down afterwards and educating me you know about the history of the game how to play and more importantly how to win and then afterwards you know he he'd pull out and show me you know his scrapbook from from college to uh prove to me he knew what he was talking about now there's a lot of people listening so i'm not going to divulge how many pages you had in your scrapbook here today i fell in love with the yankees you know i was watching games in the summer with my grandmother dorothy connors who's here today in west milford new jersey and i played wiffle ball in her yard and full yankee pinstripes pretending to be dave winfield would i break a window occasionally and she'd be all right with it you know and at the same time you know i learned the importance of going to work every single day and doing your job no matter what from my grandfather william sonny connors you know when i when i got a little older we just jumped the fence at my house in michigan and i walked to the baseball fields kalamazoo central high school and we practiced as a family my dad pitched my mom and my sister charlie shagging in the outfield and then we go and do the same thing for her on the softball field you know that was fun for us that's what we enjoyed it's how we bonded as a family and quite frankly it's how i got better but uh you know it was more than just practice it was the lessons that my parents taught me mom you taught me any dream is attainable as long as you work harder than anyone else you know you drilled that in my head over and over and over and you led me to believe it you told me never to make excuses you wouldn't allow me to use the word can't you know you show up to work you stay positive good things will happen and ultimately it's going to rub off on other people you know dad you've been the voice of reason you know you taught me to be patient listen and think before i speak you've always been there for advice and to this day you're the first person i go to i know when i retired you said you played every game with me and i know you recall you know from time to time telling me you know you keep building that resume right and look where it's gotten us today you know both of you convinced me i could achieve absolutely anything you know if i set my mind to it and if it meant more to me than anyone else it taught me to prove people wrong and i to this day i remember every time i was doubted i i i made and i still make a mental note so i was and i'm going to prove doubters wrong you know it's what drove me and it still drives me today so i love you guys so much thank you for making me who i am my uh sister charlie you know i missed you growing up because i was away starting my professional career but uh you know we've continued to get closer and closer over the years you know you're a fighter you're independent you're supportive you're stubborn like me at times but i tell you one thing you always look out for and you have your brother's back and i've watched you become an unbelievable mother to jaylen and uh i love you i couldn't be more proud of you and the woman you've become look you know ultimately it boils down to you have a dream you believe in that dream and you surround yourself with people who are going to encourage you support you challenge you be honest with you and help nurture that dream it started with my family but it included so many more you know it's it's literally impossible for me to name everyone in a short period of time and i'll reach out to others privately however there are a few i want to mention quickly those who taught me how to be a professional and help me get here today dick groach you know the scout who first saw me i know you're watching at home dick i honestly don't know what you saw in a skinny short stop from kalamazoo but i'm you actually foreshadowed this moment and and thank you so much because uh that was that's where it all started the special front office members managers coaches trainers sports staff with the yankees gene michael bob watson brian cashman bill livesey mitch lucowitz mark newman don zimmer willie randolph will i see you reggie jackson uh reg look uh we were just talking about this this morning um but every time reggie would come spend time with the team i call him over to my locker and say hey red sit down what you got for me today and then we'd go back and forth and i'd get on him and reggie remember your response your response was you're not a hall of famer yet so i guess i can get on you now huh uh gary dembo brian butterfield i mean you two are the most responsible for my development as a player man there were times when i when i first made i thought i made a huge mistake turning professional because i was completely overmatched and um you guys helped me restore my confidence it was through fundamentals and repetition and i owe you so much my trainers gene monahan steve donahue i see you here i i just want to apologize man i'm sorry i lied to you for all those years but it was my responsibility to go out there and play every day my managers buck showalter joe girardi and especially mr t and mr t thanks for taking a chance on me and trusting me at such a young age or at least making me think you trusted me my teammates my brothers and i was best i was blessed to play alongside aside some of the best to ever play the game you know some who are in the hall of fame some behind me right now especially want to point out gerald williams jorge pasada mariano andy bernie tino cece hideki i mean you guys in particular were special to me because i never had to worry about what your number one priority was and that was winning my agent casey close case man thanks for all your guidance through my career man and still to this day you know we've been through it all at least we thought we've been through it all right something always comes up but uh you know there's so much more yet to come the boss mr steinbrenner and and the entire steinbrenner family joan hank hal jenny and jessica and thank you for always making me feel like i was a part of your family throughout my playing career more importantly beyond there hasn't been a day when you guys haven't made us feel like my entire family made us feel like we were part of your family you know being able to play parts of 23 seasons with one organization the only organization ever wanted to play for is because of the boss and because of the family everyone mentions how difficult it is to play in new york and especially for the yankees you know the boss he pushed you he challenged you at times he'd publicly embarrass you but you know what he did it to bring out the best in you he wanted to know if i had what it took to play for and ultimately leave the yankees you know i was able to have success because we had a shared mindset only thing that mattered was winning and i had one goal during my career and that was to win more than everyone else we did which which brings me to the yankee fans [Music] you know there was only one thing in my life i wanted to be and that was a short stop for the new york yankees and now i'm a yankee forever and without question you know you helped me get here today as much as any individual i've mentioned you know you can't be fooled you know you're passionate you're loyal knowledgeable vocal challenging and and supporting you know there's a there's a huge responsibility that comes wearing a yankee uniform just because you have it on doesn't guarantee you anything you know you have to earn it you know you demanded i earned it every single day whether it's during the season or in the off season i felt as though i was representing you and i was representing all of new york i did that in the best possible way i knew how and i wanted to prove to you i belong and you kept pushing me to prove it over and over again i was always most comfortable on the field especially at yankee stadium playing in front of you and i wanted you to be able to count on me to this day especially right now in this moment i still represent you and it's been one of the greatest honors of my life my girls annabella and story you know this day puts an exclamation mark point on my playing career which was my first dream you know through you all with you all i'm living another one hannah you thought you admired you married into retirement it didn't take long for me to get back back at it but i know you didn't envision that part but we've been through so much over the past five years and you're the strongest person i know which i'm sure you're going to say is is required when dealing with me i mean you're thoughtful you're caring you've been an incredible wife and even more amazing mother and i couldn't be luckier let me say it again let me clarify i couldn't be luckier that our paths crossed when they did i love you so much and uh you know there's been nothing more fulfilling in my life than building our future and our family together you know during my career i always wanted to make my family proud i never wanted to disappoint him let me stress i always wanted to i don't know if i was always successful i wanted to bella and story i want you to know that your dad was far from perfect i made my fair share of mistakes on and off the field but through it all i tried to do the right thing and i found something i was passionate about and i worked harder than anyone else i didn't take any shortcuts to achieve it i have zero regrets in my career other than the fact i didn't get a chance to share it with you but what i will share is my story most of it won't be what i accomplished on the field it'll be the lessons i learned off of it and i hope i always make you proud proud of because of who i am as a result of the people i mentioned and the experiences i've had with them you know for so many years i tried my best to represent new york and the yankee organization in the best life possible now i represent you know you have your futures ahead of you i want you to dream big and i want you to believe it know that i'm here to support you guide you protects you most important i'm here to love you in time i want you to to to find i want you to find someone who inspires you and then when the time is right i want you to inspire others i love you girls more than you ever know finally i i want to conclude with a message to the players in major league baseball right now and the young kids who may be starting out with a dream just like i had you know this is a game that requires sacrifice dedication discipline and focus you know it's a game of failure it teaches you teamwork it teaches you humility the one common thread with all of us here on stage is that we understand that there's no one individual bigger than the game the game goes on and it goes on because of the great fans we have so take care of it protect it respect it don't take the time you have to play for granted and remember the most important thing like i said earlier it's more than just a game you know the greatest to ever play in the hall of fame family they're all watching and i personally can't wait to welcome a few of you on this very stage just as i as i have been by so many others so thank you all once again it's it's been a it's been a hell of a ride um [Applause] you

Channel: MLB

Views: 404,220

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Id: 4X7xmTTMiUM

Length: 17min 34sec (1054 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 08 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/BronxMadness2]

Just in case anyone hasn’t seen the full speech here it is! Such an amazing speech, long live the goddamn captain!! 👨‍✈️

[u/redr2290]

DER-EK JET-ER!

[u/koushakandystore]

Red Sox fan here, dropping in to tip my cap to the Captain. I was born in 1975, so Derek Jeter basically robbed my team of any glory in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Damn if I had a hard time liking the guy back then. Ha! But greatness is greatness and looking back I feel very lucky that I got to see him play in his prime. He was a force and played the game the right way. Baseball needs more Derek Jeters! Hopefully playing in a Red Sox uniform!

[u/thediesel26]

“He’s not going to college; he’s going to Cooperstown.”

[u/Jack_Sandwich]

I’ll enjoy this more than watching the team lately.

[u/LilMissLinNim]

This Hall of Fame speech is such a complete masterclass of a HOF speech. This was a player, a teammate, a rival and an ambassador for the game. As a younger Mets fan I couldn't stand the Yankees, and it was in large part due to the fact that I thought that the whole team gave off an air of pretentiousness. Seeing this current Mets team now (and its owner) and their antics makes me appreciate what a well-oiled machine those Yankee teams were.

The things Jeter said about having to earn the uniform; to play hard and be accountable, those are values lacking in today's game - and certainly in Queens. Today's game needs more players like Jeter; and fans that expect the best shouldn't be shamed for showing their displeasure. Jeter knew what and who he was playing for, and the team used it as fuel to prove the doubters wrong. They didn't run to the media, whining about how their feelings were hurt. This speech just makes you appreciate and long for how the game used to be.

[u/NotFoley]

I'll go do a jump throw in the backyard in his honor.

[u/SolomonG]

So he was kind of introduced by Bernie but also by the comish?

Wondering why that was, and Bernie was there wasn't he so why was it pre-recorded.

[u/kikikza]

my dad and i decided to go on a whim last week, drove up and immediately drove back to the city. was totally worth it, i'm gonna remember it for the rest of my life. was a pretty crazy feeling watching someone who played when you were a kid get inducted.