2 l July
17 - 23, 2022
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
Get to know Derek Jeter in ‘The Captain’
on ESPN and ESPN+
BY GEORGE DICKIE
If you think you know everything there is to know about Derek
Jeter, a docuseries upcoming on ESPN and ESPN+ offers a few
new insights on the man behind the icon.
“The Captain,” a six-episode documentary premiering Monday,
July 18, delves into the life and career of the Hall-of-Fame
shortstop who helped transform the New York Yankees into
a late-1990s dynasty after years of futility. Through archival
footage and interviews with friends, family, contemporaries and
teammates, including David Cone, Darryl Strawberry, Jorge
Posada and Andy Pettitte, the documentary paints a portrait of a
young man from a solid upbringing who seemingly was destined
to be a Yankee.
A winner of five world championships, Jeter was the picture
of cool and class. He was raised in Michigan by parents Charles
and Dorothy, who taught him that “can’t” was a forbidden word
and to never set easy goals. And the grief he got over having been
raised by an interracial couple helped give him the thick skin he
needed to deal with New York.
Once in the majors, he shined both on the field and off and
his leadership was apparent. That surfaced in one incident
highlighted in the series, when Yankee pitcher David Wells threw
up his hands in exasperation after a teammate’s error. Jeter, still
a youngster, was unintimidated when he later pulled the burly
veteran aside and told him, “We don’t do that here.”
Derek Jeter is featured in “The
Captain,” premiering Monday
on ESPN and ESPN+.
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As series director Randy Wilkins (“86-32”) says, Jeter was all
about team first and winning.
“(His attitude was) we don’t create distractions and that we’re
supposed to have each other’s backs,” he explains. “And that
chemistry and being on the same page and support for one
another matters just as much as getting a big hit or making a big
defensive play. I think that Derek understood that if you keep
doing that, it’s going to be a story and ... if there’s a story you’re
taking us away from this magical season.”
It also touches on Jeter’s relationships. Strawberry took Jeter
under his wing and warned him about the temptations of life in
New York, while manager Joe Torre acted as his second father.
But when it came to sticking with the Yankees, there was one
party he had to please and that was the team’s mercurial owner
George Steinbrenner.
“Mr. Steinbrenner challenged stars and I think he liked to
challenge Derek when he could,” Wilkins says. “But he respected
Derek because Derek didn’t back down and Derek was authentic
with him. And I think that if ... Mr. Steinbrenner sensed some
fear or apprehension, he would keep going after you.
“And I think that Derek didn’t demonstrate any of that,” he
continues. “Derek was confident in himself. ... Despite obviously
being different generations, I think they’re wired the same way
and they connected on that.”
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