Derek Jeter is about to embark on his first season as Miami Marlins owner, following a winter that saw him criticized from one coast to the other due to a series of questionable trades.
Before Jeter heads into his first Opening Day, however, he partook in an interview on Tuesday night with Jeff Glor, anchor of "CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor."
Among the most notable things Jeter said? That he's still a fan of the New York Yankees:
JEFF GLOR: You still a Yankee fan?
DEREK JETER: I am. Yeah, I-- just not if we're playin' 'em. Right? I mean, this is an organization where I owe everything to. And-- you know, I have a great relationship with the Steinbrenner family, I will continue to do so. You know, Hal has been very helpful and said he's there if any advice that I may need. But it's-- it's-- yeah, it's-- it'll be strange when we play the Yankees, because there hasn't been a day in my life that I've rooted against 'em.
JEFF GLOR: And you will this year.
DEREK JETER: You have to root for your own team. (LAUGH)
Of course, Jeter has good reason to be fond of the Yankees, as he notes. But admitting he continues to root for New York does have a different feel to it now that Jeter is responsible for trading the National League MVP to the Bronx Bombers in exchange for a scrutinized package.
Jeter, for his part, continues to preach that he's in it for the long haul with the Marlins -- and that they intend to build a sustainable winner:
JEFF GLOR: When you look back 20 years from now, you see these kids who are here now, who are five years old, what do you want them to say about you, Derek Jeter, the owner?
DEREK JETER: That we made this a fun place to come. That we built somethin' that-- they can be proud of. Built somethin' that's sustainable over time // I didn't get into this to-- to have an-- an exit strategy. I'm-- I'm here to do it.
Marlins fans sure hope, because -- in 2018, anyway -- Jeter's vision seems to be a shaky one.