Derek Jeter Farewell Ceremony: Highlights, Comments and Twitter Reaction

Derek Jeter may still have (at least) another 21 games remaining in his big league career, but that didn't stop the New York Yankees from sending their captain off in style. In a ceremony before Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees held a lengthy ceremony in Jeter's honor highlighting the accomplishments of No. 2. 

The ceremony featured former manager Joe Torre, teammates Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill and Mariano Rivera, members of Jeter's immediate family and even surprise guests like Cal Ripken Jr. and Michael Jordan. New York rightly dubbed the day "Derek Jeter Day," with the Yankees caps and jerseys featuring Jeter's retirement logo. The baseballs and flags in Yankee Stadium were also given the special Derek Jeter Day treatment.

Torre and former Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez offered glowing quotes before the game, per the Yankees' Twitter feed:

The day began with the introduction of former teammates and coaches, along with the kids from his Turn 2 Foundation standing alongside the podium set up in the infield. That was followed by a video package featuring testimonials from teammates, rivals and others, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

At the end of the video package, Jeter took the field, taking time to hug and shake hands with every person who came to New York for the ceremony, visibly holding back tears as fans chanted his name. With Jeter on the field, the Yankees began bringing out the big guns—starting with Ripken, Dave Winfield and Jordan, along with the presentation of multiple gifts in his honor.

Of course, all the presentations were merely a precursor to the main course: Jeter's speech. The Yankees captain, in his typically subdued fashion, deflected attention away from himself. He thanked the Steinbrenner family, his family and friends, along with nearly every other member of the organization who helped him through the years. He saved the fans for last, thanking them for allowing him to "feel like a kid" for the last two decades:

Jeter's speech was typically appropriate and heartfelt. What it wasn't, however, was prepared. Jeter told reporters Saturday that he was planning on speaking from the heart despite having ample time for preparation. 

"You have ideas of what you want to do, but I always think things come across better if you just say it from the heart," Jeter said. "A prepared speech is when you start fumbling, you lose track of what you are saying. I just try to speak about how I feel at that particular time."

The plan obviously worked. As the camera panned around Yankee Stadium, fans of all ages and types could be seen blaming a suddenly dusty Bronx Sunday for their teary eyes. The moment featured as much solemnity at times as celebration, with Yankees fans realizing this will be one of the last times they see Jeter in pinstripes. 

Of course, it's far from the last time Jeter will be at Yankee Stadium. New York still has 11 home games remaining and another weekend homestand against Toronto coming in two weeks. The team seemed to be planning the retirement fest now to get it out of the way and return to concentrating on an important stretch run. 

Jeter, who announced in February he'd be retiring after the 2014 season, is batting .260/.304/.311 with three home runs and 40 RBI. The elongated farewell tour and the 162-game grind has seemingly begun to wear on him of late, as he hit just .207 in the month of August after a promising first couple of months. Jeter has a career-low .051 isolated slugging percentage and is on pace to post his first below-zero WAR in a full season (h/t FanGraphs).

The Yankees have followed that inauspicious pattern, entering Sunday's game 4.5 games out of the final wild-card spot at 73-67. New York has actually been outscored by its opponents by 24 runs, meaning it's been a little lucky to stay in contention even to this point. It ranks in the bottom half of baseball in nearly every meaningful offensive and pitching category.

It's hard to say how much Jeter's ongoing retirement party has helped or hurt the club—if it's had any effect whatsoever. The Yankees came into 2014 with glaring weaknesses in their pitching staff and lineup despite a payroll of over $200 million. High-profile signings Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran have performed well below expectations, and injuries have cropped up at inopportune times. 

Perhaps Jeter's farewell ceremony will prove a catalyst for a late-season renaissance. Perhaps it'll be viewed as a too-early funeral that sucked the life from the Yankees' season. When he was stepping away from the mic, his parting words were, "We've got a game to play."

Either way, the people in the stands, clubhouse and the field will remember Sunday forever. Jeter might not wind up going out on top, but it's hard to conjure images of a more fitting sendoff.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter