Derek Jeter to retire at end of 2014 season

[KamaAina]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/12/derek-jeter-says-2014-is-his-last-season/

Simultaneously surprising and not surprising: Derek Jeter has announced that 2014 will be his last season.

Surprising because it’s going to be hard to imagine baseball without Derek Jeter’s presence. His injuries last season aside, the New York Yankees shortstop has been baseball’s constant for nearly 20 years. Not surprising because he turns 40 in June and that’s a couple of years beyond even the greatest, longest-lived and most durable shortstops in the game. He sounds like he’ll be ready for the upcoming season, but there cannot be too much more gas left in the tank.

As it stands entering his final year, Jeter has five World Series rings, five gold gloves and 3,316 hits and a career line of .312/.381/.446. He punched his first-ballot ticket to the Hall of Fame years ago. Now he’s playing for the right to go out healthy, on his own terms and, if things break right for the Yankees, a winner....

Here is Jeter’s announcement, as posted on his Facebook page:

Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of you are diehard Yankee haters, but even Will Pitt has given Jeter props in the past.

[joeybee12]

1. So, if last year is an indicator, Derek has 20 more professional games to play!