Jeter opens up a bit in HBO documentary
New York Yankees' Derek Jeter stands outside the dugout while getting a day off against the Toronto Blue Jays. (July 17, 2011) Credit: AP
Fans of Derek Jeter have come to understand after all these years that there are strict limits to what he will share publicly beyond his basic job description as a player and team leader.
Mostly, that will have to do.
But the occasion of his 3,000th career hit seemed to loosen up the Yankees shortstop a bit, notably in his candid news conference on the big day of July 9.
Thursday at 9 p.m., the Captain pulls back the veil further with the premiere on HBO of "Derek Jeter 3K," a documentary from Major League Baseball Productions.
Jeter allowed unprecedented access to MLB's cameras as he approached the milestone, even inviting them into his apartment in Manhattan and his house in Tampa, and permitting an interview with his girlfriend, actress Minka Kelly.
Why do it?
Jeter answers that question near the end of the hour-long show, saying he is jealous of other players' children getting to be around them during their active careers, something that likely will not happen for his.
"They'll never have an opportunity to see it," he says. "So at least I'll have it for my kids, because they may not believe it when I tell them."
Let's be clear: There is much in the documentary that will make those tired of Jeter worship roll their eyes, as when narrator Liev Schreiber calls him "a competitor consumed with his craft."
But there is much to enjoy for fans of the team and of Jeter, thanks to goodies such as a look inside Jeter's East Side aerie, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, views of Manhattan and in-house chef, who talks about Jeter's evolution on the subject of eating seafood.
(Jeter is shown hosting a luncheon for eight in his dining room.)
It is in the apartment the evening of July 10 that Jeter sits for two hours for the interview that forms the centerpiece of the film.
Kelly is interviewed at Jeter's Tampa home, where she says of the calf injury that sidelined him in June: "It really took the wind out of his sails. He really was upset."
Kelly and Jeter also talk about the early stages of their relationship in 2008.
Says Kelly: "When I met Derek I didn't know anything about baseball at all."
Says Jeter, kiddingly, "She's lying. She had a poster of me on her wall in high school."
Kelly initially thought merely making contact qualified as a hit. Jeter said she would be happy he got four hits, and he would wonder what she was talking about.
The filmmakers benefited from Jeter's calf injury, because it extended their time frame, allowing them to follow him to Tampa and Trenton during his rehab.
While in Tampa he is seen getting hitting advice from instructor Gary Denbo, and watching Yankees Old-Timers' Day on TV, finding it "weird" to see Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez in that category.
Jeter agreed to be wired for sound during the games of July 7 and 9 at the Stadium, allowing him to be heard bantering with teammates and opponents.
"Take it easy on me today, will ya?" he tells the catcher before each opening at-bat.
He even curses on camera, after first double-checking that he is on HBO and it is OK.
He is seen accepting the ball from his 3,000th hit from Christian Lopez, the fan who retrieved it, then taking a helicopter after the game to attend the party for his nephew's christening.
Executive producer David Gavant said Jeter had the right to limit what was used from footage shot in his homes, but he did not oversee the final edit. Jeter saw the finished product Wednesday and "loved it," according to Gavant.
What's not to like? It is Jeter being Jeter, controlling the message and limiting what we can see or know about him.
But it is more than we have seen before. We'll take it.
