Derek Jeter to critics: “We're trying to fix something that's been broken”

MIAMI — We’re not even halfway through February, but one tantalizing sign of spring is here: pitchers and catchers for all 30 Major League Baseball clubs report this week. This year, one of the all-time greats finds himself in a new city – with an entirely different job. Derek Jeter — The Captain — has gone from leading a team to running one.

We caught up with Jeter in Miami, where his new team is the Marlins and his new position is CEO. Since assuming partial ownership, one of the most beloved baseball players in history has gone from getting hits to taking them.

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Jeff Glor: “The narrative has been, Derek has gutted the team, they have no chance, no one is going to show up. What’s he doing?”

Derek Jeter: “Is that it?”

By trading away the team’s best veteran players and removing many long-time employees, Jeter may have set himself up for short-term pain before any gain.

Glor: “How much has the criticism stung?”

Jeter: “Honestly, I don’t really pay much attention to it, man. I’m an optimist. You know I get it, the fans are frustrated because it’s a complicated history but the bottom line is we’re not changing something here that’s been working. “

Glor: “You say you don’t pay attention to it, but you care about it.”

Jeter: “It could become irritating if it affects your business, it could become irritating. I’ll get calls from friends and family and say, ‘How you doin’ down there?'”

For the Marlins, it’s been better. They haven’t made the playoffs in 15 years, or had a winning season in eight. That’s in stark contrast to the New York Yankees, where Jeter won five World Series Championships in 20 years.

Glor: “You still a Yankee fan?”

Jeter: “I am. Yeah, I — just not if we’re playing them, right? I mean, this is an organization where I owe everything to. 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 them.”

Glor: “And you will this year.”

Jeter: “You have to root for your own team.”

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He’s also doing everything he can to court the next generation of Florida fans.

Glor: “When you look back 20 years from now, you see these kids who are here now, who are 5 years old, what do you want them to say about you, Derek Jeter, the owner?”

Jeter: “That we made this a fun place to come. That we built something that they can be proud of. Built something that’s sustainable over time. I didn’t get into this to have an exit strategy. I’m here to do it.”

Glor: “In Miami.”

Jeter: “Yes. In Miami.”