“How Many Birthday Parties Do You Have a Year?”: When Derek Jeter Was Angered by Ex-New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner’s Bold Accusations

When one thinks of the word socializer, former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter may be the last person to come to mind. Slightly reserved, kind of quiet, good-natured – these are the terms that the retired pro baseballer’s character calls for. Jeter’s hard work and competitive streak, with a bit of humility thrown in, characterized his entire twenty-season career.

He was the picture boy of a good employee for the Steinbrenners – dedicated, sincere, and always bringing in good numbers on the diamond. The best thing was, perhaps, that Jeter didn’t even have to try to project a particular image. It’s just how he was as a person. So it was only natural that once when George Steinbrenner publically called him out for making a mistake, the former Yankee kind of lost it.

Derek Jeter thinks the tabloids blew it out of proportion

No individual is perfect, and as such, no team is perfect. It’s very common to see MLB teams go up and down when it comes to stats. Everyone has their rough days, or more appropriately, seasons. Steinbrenner may have been feeling the pressure when the Yankees weren’t doing so hot in the late 1990s, which Jeter mentions in an interview with Playboy.

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In 2004, the former shortstop told Diane K. Shah, “…he mentioned my name, among other players, when the team was struggling a few years ago. He said some guys needed to start stepping it up. He meant me. But the whole thing last year was blown out of proportion. He mentioned a birthday party. How many birthday parties do you have a year?”

The Pinstripes’ owner indirectly called out Jeter for one night. He took it easy. But what angered Jeter wasn’t the boss himself. It was more about how the tabloids and news outlets took the comments out of proportion.

Despite his nature, Captain Clutch became known as a party animal

Steinbrenner’s comments and Jeter’s subsequent response are from the beginning of this century. Jeter only debuted in the MLB in 1995. So maybe the boss’s behavior can be excused for not knowing his player’s true character. Those who have followed his career know he’s much more of an introvert type than a regular partygoer. And in an interview with Midland Daily News, the ex-athlete revealed how much that exactly bothered him.

 “The way it was painted was that I’ve lost focus and I’m going to continue to indulge in New York City nightlife and things like that, so that’s when I felt the need to say something,” the 48-year-old told Ronald Blum.

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He went on to say people could question his stats but not his efforts!