Hollywood ending closes the Jeter era

Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees' iconic number two, will always be number one to a generation of the team's fans.

His departure from the Bronx stage, which he commanded for 20 years, was nothing short of a Hollywood ending. The kid from Kalamazoo owned New York one last time.

"If I'm gonna be honest with you, these last few weeks have gotten tougher and tougher. I told you members of the media I didn't wanna talk about it because I try not to think about it, but it was very, very difficult. But it was all worthwhile," the Yankee captain said after delivering a walk-off RBI single Thursday night against the Baltimore Orioles.

For two decades, Jeter built the mystique of a champion - he owns five World Series rings.

"A lot of times those players don't live up to what you hear about them, but Derek does," said Joe Torre, who joined the Yankees in 1996 - Jeter's first full season - and managed the team to four championships.

Torre said he didn't know much about Jeter before, but one remark stuck in his head.

"I remember seeing him on TV being interviewed and then they asked him the question about being given the shortstop's job and he said, 'Well I'm going to get an opportunity to win the job,'" Torre recalled.

The Yankees won four World Series in five years, with Jeter collecting numerous big hits along the way.

But two fielding plays stamped his career.

"The flip," in 2001:

And "the dive," in 2004:

What makes him a special player, said Torre, is how he handles the pressure.

"The game doesn't speed up for him," Torre explained. "The game stays at the pace that you can handle it and that's unique 'cause you don't see many of those guys."

Even some of the best players don't have what Jeter has, said Torre.

"Jeter [is] not maybe the most talented player that's ever come down the pike. However, he finds a way to make things happen," Torre said.

Jeter defined his generation of players -- on the field, and off, as New York's most eligible bachelor.

As "60 Minutes" reported, Jeter set a standard for excellence and sportsmanship even as other athletes were spoiled by steroid use and bad behavior.

"There was something about him," former teammate Paul O'Neill said. "I mean, he has charisma, he has a personality about him. There was always a smile."

And even more important perhaps, he took the game seriously.

"In the 12 years that I managed him, never once did he ask permission to bring anybody in the clubhouse for a look around," Torre said. "Now that may not sound amazing to you, but to me, he was there to work."

Jeter and his team both struggled in his final season, but none of that mattered last night.

"I've lived a dream since I was 4 or 5 years old and part of that dream is over now," Jeter said.