Derek Jeter

As I sit here and write this, Derek Jeter just got another hit, and is 4-for-4 on this memorable day.

Derek Jeter has had a lot of memorable days as a member of the New York Yankees.

From captain of the team to "Captain Clutch," from the regular season to the postseason, the Michigan native has come through with clutch hit after clutch hit.

With 3,004 possibilities, narrowing it down to 10 is no easy task.

But let's take a crack at it, shall we?

More than the Toy Story trilogy, Nickelodeon and perhaps Yankee Stadium itself, Derek Jeter was my childhood.

As a New Yorker growing up in the late '90s and throughout the '00s, my sports fandom and the Yankee captain’s career are inexorably linked. He was my first connection to professional sports, the superhuman shortstop whose face adorned the walls of my bedroom, whose number was displayed on the back of my Little League jersey, whose patented “jump throw” was imitated to minimal degrees of success.

Derek Jeter made history today in the most dramatic fashion possible. He knocked his 3,000th hit over the left-center fence at Yankee Stadium on his way to a 5-for-5 day at the plate. It was a legendary performance by a legendary Yankee.

But it also showed why he's being selfish.

I'm not saying that he is selfish. In fact, I've been as big of a Jeter supporter as a non-Yankee fan can be. But his decline to play in the All-Star Game before his game today was selfish as hell.

This afternoon, Derek Jeter hit his 3000^th hit.

All of our lives, we’ve lived in the shadows of the Bronx Bombers; we’ve hid our faces behind the Yankees' World Championship rings and hung our heads at Hall of Fame introductions. How have we never had a Derek Jeter?

In a body of work that spans over 16 Major League seasons, Derek Jeter's resume is nothing short of legendary. From Rookie of the Year to All-Star MVP, five World Series Championships to Gold-Glove winner, that is just a small sample.

On July 9th, 2011, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter not only collected his 3,000th career hit but added to his collection of haters who will not appreciate his career because he did it as a Yankee.

As Jeter took a lengthy pitch battle with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, David Price, social media networks were flowing like crazy waiting to publish their personal thoughts on the incredible feat. 

The buzz of tonight's sports world is Derek Jeter's 3,000th career hit. To all of baseball, this is a monumental moment. In today's MLB, it's even more of one.

At long last, New York City can breathe again now that Derek Jeter is officially a member of the 3,000-hit club.

Derek Jeter hit his 3,000 hit today, an extra special feat considering he's not just another baseball player, but rather the captain of the New York Yankees, the most successful franchise in the history of sports.

And not only is Jeter the captain of the New York Yankees, but he's the first player in the history of the franchise to reach 3,000 hits. Not Joe DiMaggio, not Mickey Mantle, not Babe Ruth, not Lou Gehrig, but Derek Jeter.

On Monday, New York Yankee captain Derek Jeter is expected to make his return from the 15-day DL against the Cleveland Indians.  The veteran is six hits away from 3,000 for his career.  Upon reaching that milestone, he will become the first New York Yankee to accomplish that feat.