When he played for the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter had to be careful what he said about the Boston Red Sox and their fans. If he said something offensive, he might have gotten a fastball to the ribs. But now that he’s retired, the former Yankees captain can speak freely.
On Tuesday night’s Late Night, Jeter told Seth he’s a big fan of the city of Boston.
“I really don’t care if you’re a Boston fan” Jeter says. “You know, that’s fine. We’re not at the stadium. Just don’t yell at me at restaurants.”
While Jeter claims to still get called out for playing for New York when he’s in Boston now as a retired player, the calling out has “softened.”
“It doesn’t happen any more. You guys have really… I can say this now that I’m retired… the Boston fans have softened up since you guys have won,” Jeter said. “It pains me to say but I’m almost… I won’t say it… I’m not happy you won, but you treat me a lot better since you guys have.”
Boston has won three titles since the turn of the century in 2004, 2007, and 2013, but Jeter didn’t specify after which Red Sox fans softened. In 2004, Boston came back from being down 3-0 in the ALCS to beat the Yankees. In 2007, they came back from being down 3-1 in the ALCS against the Indians. The 2013 title is more recent than New York’s last championship in 2009.
While Boston fans may have eased up on Jeter, there’s no way of knowing if the same can be said about Alex Rodriguez. On the flip side, maybe after he retires after this season, David Ortiz will be able to shed some light on how he’s treated by Yankees fans compared to before he won a title in Boston.
[FOX]
