In America, you can tell just how wealthy a neighborhood is by the number of speed bumps on its streets. Derek Jeter's neighborhood is lousy with them. He resides behind guarded gates in a top Tampa development, but the house, a good-sized tan stucco job, is no vulgar display.Which is respectable, because this is a man who has the cash to be as vulgar as he wants.
The 33-year-old Jeter answers the door himself. He's wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "Did you have trouble finding the place?" he asks, referring to the dozen or so turns (and 30 or so speed bumps) on the way to this place.
"Nope, Mapquest has you pegged pretty good," I say.
"Aw, that's cheating," he replies, and I think he means it. He's taller and leaner in person than he looks on TV, and I remember that as good as he is, he's still five homers shy of a 200-homer career. With speculation about steroids and human growth hormone use at wildfire levels in baseball, it's refreshing to stand next to a future Hall of Famer who looks like a normal guy.
And who has a normal guy's house: The foyer is dominated by an indoor putting green, the kind you can adjust for break. Stacks of DVDs flank a big-screen TV tuned to ESPN. The only item that reminds you of the home's owner is the replica 1996 World Series trophy on a nearby shelf...
Continue reading the rest of the four page article at Men's Health Magazine Online.
