i came across these few paragraphs the other day. liked them & thought you might, too. happy holidays -mike
In September 1995, Derek Jeter was called up by the Yankees from Columbus to fill out the 40- man roster. There were five games left in the season, the Yanks were in a pennant race, so Jeter wasn't expected to play.
But Bernie Williams missed a flight and Randy Velarde, the regular shortstop, was moved to center, givng Jeter his chance. Jeter got one at-bat before Williams arrived. With a runner on first, Jeter doubled to right, scoring a run. It turned out to be the margin of the Yankees' victory.
Later, Jeter described the importance of that at-bat:
"There are times when I reflect on that at-bat because I look at it as defining moment of sorts for me. I think we all have moments or events in our lives when we gained more confidence in ourselves. I was more secure after that game. It was only one at-bat, one measly at-bat. But I milked that moment for everything I could during the off-season. I ran harder, I lifted more and I took more batting practice because I was juiced by the feeling that hit gave me ... There is nothing wrong with taking those moments, remembering they were positive, and letting them work for you."
"A lot of times I would hit a home run off a good pitch and when I got back to the dugout, my teammates would say, 'Man, that was a wicked pitch, how'd you hit that thing?'
"Hell, it was what I was looking for. I never expected a pitcher to make a bad pitch. I respected the pitcher. ... I respected the job they did, and I expected them to make good pitches. (Now) I might pop up a hanging curve ball because I was looking for a good curveball. That's why I liked hitting against the Dodgers so much. Guys like Koufax and Drysdale and Podres knew exactly what they were going to do with the ball, and if I could think along with them, I was ready. I guess the respect was mutual, because Koufax and Drysdale were the ones who gave me the knickname, 'Bad Henry.'
