Reaction to Derek Jeter getting his 3,000th hit

Reaction to Derek Jeter getting
his 3,000th hit Saturday against
the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming
the first New York Yankees
player and 28th overall to reach
the milestone.
"Derek has always played with a
relentless, team-first attitude.
And that mindset has helped
sustain this organization's
objective of fielding
championship-caliber teams year
after year. It's only fitting that he
reach 3,000 hits during a victory
against one of our American
League rivals.
"Today we celebrate a
remarkable individual
achievement by one of the
game's greatest ambassadors.
On behalf of the entire New
York Yankees family, we
congratulate Derek on his
historic accomplishment." —
Yankees managing general
partner Hal Steinbrenner.
___
"I want to give him a big hug. It's
an absolute wonderful
accomplishment." — Yankees
great Yogi Berra.
___
"Long before joining the 3,000-
hit club, Derek Jeter became
another one of New York's icons
because he represents what is
best in the spirit of our city: an
unbreakable belief that with
hard work and determination,
anything can be accomplished.
Perhaps above all else, Derek is
someone who loves this city and
who has a long history of giving
back to the place and the
people that helped make him
the superstar he is. New York
has a greater baseball tradition
than any other city, but we've
never had a player get all 3,000
hits in a New York uniform until
today. Congratulations Derek —
you've made all of New York City
proud." — New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.
___
"I saw the first one. I was in the
dugout for the first one. I feel
real old today. It's typical Derek.
He does it with a flare, a winning
run and every one of them
meant something."
"One thing I did know is that he
was going to be as good as he
was capable of being. I spent
some time around him, his Mom
and Dad and his sister. He's got
a grip on reality. There's a lot of
things that are around this game
that aren't reality, the way you
travel, the money you have.
When they're grounded like that,
they've got a real head start." —
Buck Showalter, Jeter's first
manager and the Baltimore
Orioles current skipper.
___
"I've seen him since the Fall
League when I think he was 19
years old. He's still the same kid.
A little different haircut, but
always plays the game right. He
always treats people right and he
tries to beat your brains out.
That's a good way to go about
things." — Boston Red Sox
manager Terry Francona.
___
"Congrats to Derek Jeter on
3,000 hits!" — tweet from Boston
Red Sox DH David Ortiz.
___
"You knew it was going to
happen. He's too good of a
player. He's one of those guys
that was going to get it fast.
Unfortunately injuries sort of
slowed it down, but he's a
phenomenal player." — former
teammate and Colorado Rockies
first baseman Jason Giambi.
___
"That's Derek Jeter for you. He's
just a winner. ... He's a great
Yankee, definitely the top tier."
— Rap mogul Jay-Z
___
"It's incredible, man, it seems like
the day is befitting of who he is
as a person and his character. It
seems like this was deserving.
Everything that I know about
him, everything that you hear
about him. He's an incredible
person, he's been an amazing
ambassador for our game, the
face of our game for 10 years
now, and it couldn't have
happened to a better person,
you know? Seems like he's one
of the only guys who played
through that era who hasn't had
a tainted image, one of the only
guys who has been able to play
his whole career in New York
and not get in trouble or
embarrass himself for the
franchise or the game." —
Brewers LF Ryan Braun.
___
Members of the 3,000-hit club:
"To have the most hits for the
most prestigious franchise in all
of sports is pretty special. If
Derek stays healthy, he has a
good chance to rack up a lot
more hits." — Paul Molitor.
___
"Congratulations, first of all, to
Derek Jeter on joining the 3,000-
hit club. It is an exclusive honor,
achieved by only a select group,
that not many people can call
their own. It is a monumental
achievement."
"I had the opportunity to play
with Derek when he was a
rookie in 1996, and I had no
doubts that Derek would reach
this milestone. He is a very
consistent player and he never
deviated from his game." —
former teammate Wade Boggs.
___
"I love what I see of Derek Jeter.
He is the complete package: a
leader, clutch player, and lots of
success on baseball's biggest
stage, New York. Being the
complete package is something
every player dreams of." —
Robin Yount

source:www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2011-07-09-824564201_x.htm