Straight from the Heart: A Review of HBO's DJ3K special

I know it’s been a couple of weeks now, but we needed to mentally, physically, and emotionally recover from the amazingness that HBO brought to us in the form of Derek Jeter: 3K. We are now officially ready to reflect.

After I abruptly left the CPA exam on that Thursday night to rush to Dana's for the viewing party, Dana, Erica (Dana's biological sister and my sister-from-another-mister) and I calmly and quietly watched in awe as we were granted a glimpse into the life of the man that has changed our lives as Yankees fans forever. There are a few things we learned from watching this sixty minute lovefest that centered around the incredible, incomparable Mr. Derek Jeter, and I'd like to share. Here goes:

1. My obsession for Jeter has grown exponentially as a result of watching this documentary. Let’s just put it out there - if you know me, even just a little bit, you know that my heart and soul and world revolve around the Yankees and, of course, Derek Jeter. He consumes most of my thoughts during the day and has for many, many years, so like any other relationship (real, not real, whatever...), you would think the whole idea of it would become rather stale after a while. But everytime I've had to respond to someone with my thoughts on the documentary, I realize that I freakin' love him MORE THAN EVER! Seeing him at home with his friends, hearing him say "shit" a few times, and of course watching him rehab in in FL and NJ made him seem so normal...human, perhaps? Yes! We now know that he's a person, just like us (not really, but...) and that if we ever saw him just hanging out in NYC (say, dining in a Brazilian restaurant in mid-town Manhattan), we could totally walk up to him and say hey....right?? I'll let you know if it works...stay tuned.

2. Minka Kelly is not all that. Call me a hater - whatevs...but if I hear one more dude say (in the dumb guy voice), "who cares...she's hot!", I might barf. Where I stand. Preferably all over whoever is saying it. So, let's back up for a second. Why are we hating on MK more than ever?? Because she got two small clips in an HBO documentary about Jeter and had absolutely nothing decent to say. All they could vulture from, I'm sure, hours of interviews, was that she doesn't know jack about baseball and that her mom was a stripper...Ok, maybe not that last part, but I swear I read that somewhere. And as Dana or Uncle Tommy (can't quite remember who) would say, in so many words, "The documentary was about hits! And she don't even know what a hit is! So, Derek Jeter walks in that door at night, and..." Ok, I'm def. screwing it up and probably leaving out some profanities that would make those statements much more hilarious, but you get the point. Our manz DJ needs a lady who knows her baseball!! I'm right here, babe. Right here. This broad is so damn clueless, and oh BTW, she shares a bed with Jeter on a regular basis, so by default, we dislike the biotch.

3. DJ and I are soulmates. Where should we start? The obvious: we both love baseball, frequently wear Jeter shirts, and think everything looks good in pinstripes. The not-so-obvious: He appears funny/goofy/talkative but also terribly private. Friendly and polite, yet easily annoyed...kinda like me! And we both have referred to our childhood idols as "larger than life." We love our Ma and Daddy...and Jorge Posada. We think A-Rod is, at times, ridiculous. We bob our heads to Empire State of Mind. We travel to Tampa, FL every March for the same reason, where we also frequent the same Starbucks...the list goes on! Ok, anyone can have these things in common, but it's just those intangible Jeterian qualities that he's always had and that I may have acquired over the years that just blow my mind! Bottom line: Who doesn't think that me and DJ would have the bomb life together??

So, when we heard that HBO was doing this, we immediately planned to watch it together. But then, for whatever reason, Dana thought that I may not be able to handle it and was going to have to watch it in a separate room with my own Costco size box of Kleenex. What?! Me!? Not handle it?, I thought. Let me tell you - when I made the trek to the Jerz and actually heard Jeter's voice as he spoke with someone just feet away from me, yes - my whole Yankees life flashed before my eyes because I was so nervous to be in his presence. But there, and then after watching this documentary, I had a newfound appreciation for this guy. I KNEW we would be sitting here watching him hit #3,000 and that his early success with the Yankees wasn't a fluke. No doubts there...hell, his last name is on my license plate... But now, I think we can all just need to take a step back, enjoy his successes with him, feel blessed and grateful to have watched him play ball in our lifetime, and show mad, mad respect because you know they just don't make 'em like this anymore! So, love him because you thought that 1997 Sports Illustrated cover of him and A-Rod was blazin' hot. Love him because he's literally the only baseball player or Yankee you know. Love him because you admire his amazing ass attitude, ability to lead, and everything he's done for baseball. Just LOVE him! Amen.

Other notable DJ3K moments (in general):

-Me and Dana making homemade DJ3K shirts in her sweat shoppe/dining room. We're motivated when we wanna be...

-Me impusively purchasing Trenton Thunder tickets and driving to NJ in hopes of having a cameo in the documentary... no such luck.

-Jeter running in that pool thing during his rehab in Tampa in those white shorts. Wow. I define that as a life-changer.

-Me and Dana drinking heavily when the Friday game (day before 3,000th hit) got rained out. We had overpriced tickets.

-Me sobbing into a bath towel the day of the 3,000th hit. Bittersweet moment. I think Dana was drinking heavily again somewhere in East Haven.

-Me eating and drinking everything in Yankee Stadium on Sunday (day after 3,000th hit) when Dana and I visited the luxury box.

-The fact that Jeter has a telescope in his apartment and his own name carved into his hardwood floor. Amazing.

-Jeter admitting that he lied to the press regarding his anxiety about hitting 3,000 at home. He's literally the only dude that lies to us, and we actually love him even more!

-Jeter's car - it's actually a Ford. God, I love Fords. And telescopes. (My Dad always says I'd drink bleach if DJ's face was on the bottle...so dramatic!)

-Jeter talking about his unborn children and the importance of documenting his most recent special baseball moment. Hottest, most genuine thing we've ever heard him say. Funny... I always talk about his unborn children too. Ahhh, so in love with him!!!

Love,
G