ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For you, Captain.
It was the Tampa Bay Rays' turn on Tuesday to present New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter with farewell gifts in his final stop at Tropicana Field. The Rays and Yankees close their three-game series Wednesday, and on this night, Tampa Bay honored the New York star before he enters retirement.
The @RaysBaseball honor Derek Jeter. #FarewellCaptain pic.twitter.com/hFgesdW4me
— MLB Fan Cave (@MLBFanCave) September 16, 2014
Jeter's haul was impressive. The Rays presented him with a 16-foot Yankee blue sea kayak, which should go well with Jeter's massive home on Davis Islands in nearby Tampa. In addition, a $16,000 check was presented from the Rays Baseball Foundation to Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation. The figure represents $50 for each hit recorded by Jeter against the Rays during his career.
Finally, and best of all, Soot Zimmer -- the widow of former Yankees bench coach and Rays senior adviser Don Zimmer -- helped present a framed Zimmer jersey to Jeter. Don Zimmer died June 4 in Dunedin, Florida. He was 83.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
