If Your Birthday is June 26th...


...you share it with Derek Jeter. The captain of the most recent dynasty and the greatest shortshop to call the Bronx his home. You know the accomplishments for the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, 14-time All Star and five-time World Series champion: Mister November -- for hitting baseball's first home run ever in that month; reaching  the 3000 hit milestone by going 5-for-5; and becoming the first player with a 200 career post-season hits.
What I remember is his presence -- the instinctive baseball knowledge, the leadership, the mental focus, the uncanny sense that by the middle of his rookie year with the Yankees, he was the best player on the field. The lifelong Yankee fan with New Jersey grandparents exuded the cool, calm demeanor with a hint of a Di Maggio. Along with another uncommonly well-grounded legend, Mariano Rivera, Jeter personified his Yankee era. 
Without a doubt the greatest player ever born on June 26th, Jeter will become the first player with his birthday to be inducted to baseball's Hall of Fame. 
Here are some other notable names that share his birthday.
  • Jason Kendall spent 17 seasons behind the plate, most notably with the Pirates and A's.
  • Mike Myers, the well-traveled lefthanded relief pitcher, was Jeter's Yankee teammate during 2006 and '07.
  • Bill Robinson struggled during three seasons with the post-dynasty 1960s Yankees. Before living up to his promise first with the Phillies, and alongside Willie Stargell on the 1970s Pirates. Later, he was the hitting coach for the 1986 World Champion Mets.
  • Babe Herman  was a.324 lifetime hitter mainly with the struggling Dodgers of the 1920s and early-'30s.
  • Jean Pierre Roy pitched in just three games for the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers. This Montreal native made his mark as an Expos French language broadcaster for 15 years.

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