'Awesome' day of Yankees tributes for Jeter

By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Derek Jeter said it was a day he would never forget, adding that Sunday's tribute for him at Yankee Stadium as the team's soon-to-be retired captain was both emotional and surprising. Family, friends, former team mates and baseball dignitaries joined in Derek Jeter Day to salute the five-time World Series winner and 14-time All-Star as he winds down his 20th and last Major League Baseball season. One of the surprises for the 40-year-old Jeter was the participation of NBA legend and friend Michael Jordan. "MJ is like a brother to me," Jeter said after the Yankees lost 2-0 to the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals. "I've known him for quite some time. We first met when I was in the Arizona Fall League (in 1994) when he was playing baseball and our relationship has grown through the years. "He is like an older brother that I never had. We've had plenty of conversations about competing, about life both on the court and on the field for me, and away from it. I saw that he was in town and thought maybe something was up." Jordan had been caught in television shots watching Roger Federer play during the U.S. Open tennis championship. "It was great that he could be a part of it because I've learned quite a bit from him," the five-time Gold Glove winner said of Jordan. Jeter was happy that his family joined in the festivities on the field, including his grandmother who turned him into a Yankees fan at an early age, and pleased that kids who have been helped by his Turn 2 Foundation participated. HALL OF FAME SUPPORT Baseball Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Cal Ripken Jr., Dave Winfield and one-time manager Joe Torre were on hand, along with former team mates including Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill and Hideki Matsui as well as MLB commissioner-elect Rob Manfred. "It was awesome. It was something I'll always remember," said Jeter, who was saluted on the giant video screen by a trio of astronauts traveling in the U.S. laboratory above the International Space Station some 200 miles above the Earth. "The Yankees know how to throw a big ceremony." Jeter, considered a consummate professional focused on winning, said being honored with three weeks left in the season felt odd since the Yankees are struggling to stay in the race for a wild card playoff berth. "It was very strange, kind of a different situation," he said. "Three weeks left in the season, trying to win games." With Sunday's loss, the Yankees slipped to 73-68, 4 1/2 games back in the wild card race with 21 games left. Jeter, however, said he enjoyed every bit of the pre-game ceremony and admitted to feeling some nerves and emotions as he delivered his remarks at the end, thanking the fans. "I had to guard against being emotional. I think my hand was shaking a little bit," he revealed. "The fans are the ones that have made this fun. It's been an extremely fun 20 seasons. "When you're out there playing... you're doing it for the fans because the fans, Yankee fans in particular, they pay attention. It means something to them. "They push you. They pushed me. They're hard, they're tough but I think they've helped shape who I am." (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)