I sure wish there was some kind of periodical that’d let me know if it’s possible to be fabulous at 40.In the meantime, Derek Jeter will have to suffice. He’s pushing 40, and is getting written off by every New York Yankee hater who thinks he’s lost a step, and that is nonsense.
You see, I was born in the Bronx, just a couple miles from Yankee Stadium, and I grew up at that ballpark, going to games with my dad and my brothers. And nowadays I watch the TV broadcast of every Yankee game on either my computer or iPhone, and this past week, Derek Jeter, who busts his ass as much as he ever did, was approaching the 3000th hit of his career, a very rare milestone for a big leaguer. I was damn well not going to miss it.
On Saturday morning, Derek got the 3000th hit, and it was a doozey: a home run, against all odds for the guy people think is too old. It was dramatic and amazing and once in a lifetime. And I missed it.
While Derek rounded the bases, I was in the middle of a scene in a casting workshop. He did the unthinkable on the biggest stage – Yankee Stadium – and that’s where I wanted to be more than anywhere else. But a close second for me was to be on another stage, in a theater in Los Angeles, performing a scene for a big casting director. A sacrifice, early on a Saturday morning for my career, with my iPhone, and the game’s TV feed, in my back pocket. It sucked a tiny bit, but I’d like to think the old Yankee would approve.
