U.S. teammate Dustin Pedroia thinks World of Derek Jeter
BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Monday, March 9th 2009, 10:25 PM
TORONTO - When Dustin Pedroia saw the ad in a magazine, he knew it was too good to resist. So he clipped out Derek Jeter's deodorant endorsement, in which the Yankee captain is depicted keeping cool despite being in a hostile environment - outside Fenway - and pasted it near his own locker nameplate.
"That was pretty funny," Jeter said, laughing. "He's pretty fun to be around....It's all in good fun and I enjoy it."
"They go at it constantly," Chipper Jones said of Jeter and Pedroia. "It's fun when Yankees and Red Sox go at each other, because you know they're going to hate each other in a month."
The World Baseball Classic has made for strange teammates for the Yankee shortstop. On one side is Pedroia, the catalyst for Boston who is now Jeter's temporary double-play partner. On the other is his celebrity counterpart from across town - Met third baseman David Wright. Across the diamond is Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Monday, as Team USA worked out on an off day, Jeter, Wright and Pedroia were in a group that gently mocked each other while seeing who could drive batting-practice fastballs high into the blue seats of the Rogers Centre. If you failed, your hitting session was interrupted by a set of pushups.
"One of the good things about something like this is you get to put the personalities with the players," Jeter said. "I enjoy spending time with some of those guys."
Jeter's burgeoning relationship with Pedroia adds a different dynamic to the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry. The two met at last year's All-Star Game when Pedroia and Youkilis were among the Sox All-Stars who dressed in enemy territory - the Yankee clubhouse.
Jeter says he admires the way both Pedroia and Youkilis play "every game like it's the last game they're going to play. You appreciate that."
"It's awesome to play with him, especially because we play against him so much during the season and he's always getting hits and doing things, so you respect him so much," added Pedroia. "We don't hate them and I don't think they hate us. It's great competition. That's what makes it fun - playing against great players and trying to win."
Jeter has seen former teammates go to Boston, such as David Cone, Ramiro Mendoza and David Wells, and noted that feelings about opposing players are somewhat different than they once were because of all the player movement in baseball. Still, he noted, "Even though you have relationships with guys and you respect them and admire them, it's still a rivalry."
Wright and Jeter mostly know each other from the Subway Series, but the Met has made a point of observing his fellow All-Star this week. He notes how Jeter, despite his accomplishments, still works on his game diligently. "He's a leader and a winner and that's something I'd like to be," Wright said.
"The thing with him, I respect the way he handles himself in New York," Jeter said of Wright. "I can relate to what it's like coming up at a young age. He's a great player, it goes without saying that.
"But I'm more impressed with the way he handles himself. It seems like he's a guy on that team that people look toward. The thing I like about him is you don't have to be a rah-rah guy and run your mouth all the time to show leadership. I think he shows all the right leadership skills - he leads by example and he's not phony. What you see is what you get from him. It's not an image he's trying to portray; I think that's how he is as a person."
BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Monday, March 9th 2009, 10:25 PM
TORONTO - When Dustin Pedroia saw the ad in a magazine, he knew it was too good to resist. So he clipped out Derek Jeter's deodorant endorsement, in which the Yankee captain is depicted keeping cool despite being in a hostile environment - outside Fenway - and pasted it near his own locker nameplate.
"That was pretty funny," Jeter said, laughing. "He's pretty fun to be around....It's all in good fun and I enjoy it."
"They go at it constantly," Chipper Jones said of Jeter and Pedroia. "It's fun when Yankees and Red Sox go at each other, because you know they're going to hate each other in a month."
The World Baseball Classic has made for strange teammates for the Yankee shortstop. On one side is Pedroia, the catalyst for Boston who is now Jeter's temporary double-play partner. On the other is his celebrity counterpart from across town - Met third baseman David Wright. Across the diamond is Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Monday, as Team USA worked out on an off day, Jeter, Wright and Pedroia were in a group that gently mocked each other while seeing who could drive batting-practice fastballs high into the blue seats of the Rogers Centre. If you failed, your hitting session was interrupted by a set of pushups.
"One of the good things about something like this is you get to put the personalities with the players," Jeter said. "I enjoy spending time with some of those guys."
Jeter's burgeoning relationship with Pedroia adds a different dynamic to the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry. The two met at last year's All-Star Game when Pedroia and Youkilis were among the Sox All-Stars who dressed in enemy territory - the Yankee clubhouse.
Jeter says he admires the way both Pedroia and Youkilis play "every game like it's the last game they're going to play. You appreciate that."
"It's awesome to play with him, especially because we play against him so much during the season and he's always getting hits and doing things, so you respect him so much," added Pedroia. "We don't hate them and I don't think they hate us. It's great competition. That's what makes it fun - playing against great players and trying to win."
Jeter has seen former teammates go to Boston, such as David Cone, Ramiro Mendoza and David Wells, and noted that feelings about opposing players are somewhat different than they once were because of all the player movement in baseball. Still, he noted, "Even though you have relationships with guys and you respect them and admire them, it's still a rivalry."
Wright and Jeter mostly know each other from the Subway Series, but the Met has made a point of observing his fellow All-Star this week. He notes how Jeter, despite his accomplishments, still works on his game diligently. "He's a leader and a winner and that's something I'd like to be," Wright said.
"The thing with him, I respect the way he handles himself in New York," Jeter said of Wright. "I can relate to what it's like coming up at a young age. He's a great player, it goes without saying that.
"But I'm more impressed with the way he handles himself. It seems like he's a guy on that team that people look toward. The thing I like about him is you don't have to be a rah-rah guy and run your mouth all the time to show leadership. I think he shows all the right leadership skills - he leads by example and he's not phony. What you see is what you get from him. It's not an image he's trying to portray; I think that's how he is as a person."
While thats going on, I'll go through his pockets!
