Derek Jeter was a great teammate and one of my closest friends on the team in my tenure with the Yankees. He took his role of captain of the team very seriously, and carried on that responsibility with a lot of dignity and class on and off the field.

He had a wonderful upbringing with his parents, and it really shows in the way he acts and treats other people, so I have always admired him for that. Throughout his entire career he had the invaluable support of his parents, his sister and his friends outside of baseball, and I think that kept him very grounded.

The one thing that I have respected most about Derek is that all his success and fame has never really changed him. His personality and the way he went about his business day in and day out, the way he respected other players, and always appreciated his fans, has remained the same in his life today, now a couple of years away from the game.

Working with his family to establish and run Turn 2 Foundation since he was a 21-year-old rookie has been remarkable. He has impacted the lives of countless thousands of youth for over 20 years. He is a great example for any boys and girls aspiring to do anything in professional sports to follow.

He always played the game with a remarkable sense of joy and gratitude. It was truly an honor to share the field with him as teammates and friends during my career and beyond — and it will be an honor to stand with him today as his number 2 is retired and he joins the Yankees immortals in Monument Park — only he became an immortal a long, long time ago.