I began covering baseball in 1993. I first encountered Derek Jeter in 1996.

Since then, I've known a handful of players who played alongside Jeter. I've gotten to know members of the Yankee organization. I've known dozens of media members who covered him on a daily basis. I've interviewed him dozens of times. I've watched him interact with teammates, clubbies, reporters and coaches.

I was interviewing Don Zimmer on the visiting bench in Kansas City one time when Jeter came by and gave Zim a wink. Zimmer, cranky previously, lit up.

Jeter's numbers and clutch performances speak for themselves. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. You can argue that he is both a Hall of Famer and our generation's most overrated player, if you like. Given his decline in the field in recent years, it is possible for him to be both.

Here's what I'll remember most about Jeter:

He played shortstop in New York, for the most intensely-watched baseball team in history. He dated supermodels in an era in which TMZ paid people for scoops, and Deadspin went after tawdry subjects without remorse.

And yet I've never heard a bad word about Jeter as a human.

For all the rumor-mongering in today's media, I never heard anyone raise questions about his character. These guys spend a hundred days or more a year on the road. They're pursued by women. They're bound to have teammates and opponents who don't like them. They play in a sport where word-of-mouth moves faster than an ethernet connection. And Jeter will retire clean and admired.

I'm not sure I could say that about any other baseball star of his stature.

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