Day 318: So Long... Derek Jeter Announces Retirement.

There are baseball players that retire and you think to yourself, it's about damn time. There are some that retire and you never miss them. There are some that retire and you breathe a sigh of relief that you no longer have to face them again. And then there are some who will truly be missed. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Derek Jeter will be one player to miss.

I know I sound like a broken record when I talk about how much I hate the New York Yankees and how growing up a Red Sox fan, everything the Bronx Bombers did made me want to throw up. I hated how many times they thwarted chances and left Boston fans feeling empty and frustrated. But then I loved them in 2004... you know why.

Last year, the Yankees said good-bye to Hall of Fame closer and class act, Mariano Rivera. And after the upcoming 2014 season, they'll say farewell to another player destined for Cooperstown, shortstop Derek Jeter. If someone asked me how long I thought he's been around, I definitely would've guessed wrong. When he calls it quits this fall, Jeter will have turned 40 a few months earlier and will have logged 20 years of service with the same team. Impressive.

Jeter's list of accolades is long. He got off on the right foot when he took home the Rookie of the Year award in 1996. He was selected to the All-Star game 13 times and is a five-time Gold Glove winner. While Jeter has never been known as a power hitter, he is a consistent hitter with a 19-year average of .312 and he currently sits 10th on the all-time hits list with 3,316. He also has five World Series Championship rings to add to his collection of awards.

You can read his farewell statement HERE. And get ready for the good-bye tour of the American League and tributes at every ballpark.

The Yankees will end their 2014 regular season at Fenway Park the last weekend in September which means that if Jeter isn't injured, he could potentially play his last game at the home of his longtime rivals. If he can't finish at home, isn't Fenway the next best place?