HOUSTON — Derek Jeter got a pair of cowboy boots with Yankees’ pinstripes, a 10 gallon cowboy hat and a set of golf clubs as the Houston Astros paid the first of what is sure to be many tributes to the New York star.
The 13-time All-Star who helped New York to five World Series titles announced in February we would retire after his 20th season.
Jeter was feted in a ceremony before Wednesday night’s game which included former teammates Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Clemens gave him the custom made Lucchese boots with pinstripes, the Yankees’ logo and his No. 2. Astros’ owner Jim Crane gave Jeter a trip to the Floridian golf club which he owns in Palm City, Fla., along with golf clubs and private lessons at the course.
He got a little ribbing from his teammates because of the interesting array of gifts he received.
“The gifts were nice, and the guys are trying to get me to wear the boots and the hat while I am golfing . combine all of them,” he said. “I don’t have too many pairs of boots. I will wear them one day.”
Before the game, New York manager Joe Girardi wondered how Jeter will deal with participating in one of these ceremonies each time he visits a different city this season.
“I think that’s something that he will think about as he goes through them and he might ask people to make adjustments because it’s different than Mo (Mariano Rivera),” Girardi said. “Mo would just go inside for five more innings.”
Pettitte agreed and noted that Jeter is “crazy” about his pre-game routine.
“This is probably putting a little bit of a kink in his schedule,” Pettitte said.
Pettite then added that he thinks Jeter will get used to it as they start piling up.
“It’s something that he has to do,” Pettitte said. “He has been too good a player, too good of an ambassador for this game not to let the fans in every city they go to honour him. It’s well deserved, that’s for sure.”
But Jeter didn’t seem bothered by the first one.
“I still did everything before the game that I was supposed to do,” he said. “It did not take that long. It did not interfere with anything.”
