TAMPA, Fla. Clayton Thorson Jersey . -- Derek Jeter spoke for 25 minutes, 44 seconds and answered 26 questions about his decision to retire at the end of this season. He said "its time," "the right time" and "the time is now." Twice more he added "the time is right." Jeter will be leaving the major leagues the way he entered: accessible, yet opaque; approachable, but distant. So why is Jeter retiring? "He just said its time, but he didnt really say," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman concluded after Jeter reported to spring training Wednesday for his 20th and final major league season. One week earlier, the Yankees captain surprised and saddened teammates with his announcement, revealed by posting a 15-paragraph, 644-word statement on his Facebook page, one relatively few people were aware he even had. "You cant do this forever. Id like to, but you cant do it forever," he said to a crowded room filled with Yankees management and players in addition to media. Jeter, who turns 40 in June, was limited to 17 games last season, hitting .190 with one homer and seven RBIs after breaking his left ankle in the 2012 AL championship series opener. While he returned last July, he wound up on the disabled list three more times because of leg ailments caused by a lack of strength after the ankle healed. "It wasnt fun because I wasnt playing. I think it forced me to start thinking about, well, how long do I want to do this? And thats how I came to my decision," he said. "It just became a job last year." He sounded much like Joe DiMaggio, who left the Yankees in December 1951 saying, "when baseball is no longer fun, its no longer a game." Just two years ago, Jeter led the big leagues with 216 hits. And after an off-season of intensive workouts, Jeter is confident he will regain his productivity this year and be an everyday shortstop -- only the fourth in big league history in the season they turned 40. Wearing a navy Yankees pullover and shorts, and a New York cap, he spoke directly and dispassionately, much like during every interview since he first reached the major leagues in 1995. He kept his arms crossed in front of him for much of the time, resting them on a table. He flashed those famous white teeth and smiled, displaying not a trace of melancholy. "Trying to get me to cry?" he said after one question. "I have feelings. Im not emotionally stunted. Theres feelings there, but I think Ive just been pretty good at trying to hide my emotions throughout the years. I try to have the same demeanour each and every day." Hes been clear that he doesnt reveal his deepest thoughts publicly, not in the tabloid, talk-radio and Twitter-driven tumult of the Big Apple. "I know I havent really been as open with some of you guys as you would have liked me to be over the last 20 years, but thats by design," he said. "It doesnt mean I dont have those feelings. Its just thats the way I felt as though Id be able to make it this long in New York." He made the announcement on Facebook to circumvent "cut-and-paste" media, to get out his full message and to draw attention to his Turn 2 Foundation -- a pun on middle infielders making double plays and on his uniform No. 2. He is a relic, the last of the single digits to wear a Yankees uniform, the last to be introduced before each at-bat by Bob Sheppard, the Yankee Stadium public address announcer from 1951-07. While Sheppard died in 2010, a recording is played when Jeter walks to home plate. In the second half of his life, Jeter could have a future in business or even baseball management -- hes earned enough to become an owner. Hes been among New Yorks most eligible bachelors. "Theres other things I want to do. I want to have a family. Thats important me," he said, without a hint of what "other things" might entail. Jorge Posada retired after the 2011 season, and Mariano Rivera spoke in the same pavilion behind the third base stands last March and said 2013 would be his final year. Andy Pettitte departed last fall, too, leaving Jeter as the last of the Core Four who helped New York win five World Series titles. Owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal watched Jeter from the front row, manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman in the second. Teammates, who said his decision shocked and saddened them, were in the rows after that. Cashman called Jeter "a Secretariat, so to speak, that you can run in as many races as you can and win a lot." "Right now its kind of surreal and its strange to think of the Yankees without him in the lineup. But were not there yet," said Hal Steinbrenner, the teams managing general partner. When he spoke with Jeter hours before the Feb. 12 announcement, he didnt lobby for a reconsideration. "I respect when an individual makes a decision like this because I know how much time and thought they put into it. Its not my place to second guess," he said. Jeter wouldnt put an exact date on when he made up his mind. "I wanted to make this announcement months ago. I really did. But people -- I dont want to say forced, but they advised me to take my time before I said it," he said. He kept getting asked about his future. "Even walking down the street," he said, "people ask because I missed last year: Are you playing this year? How much longer are you going to play? How many years to do you have? You get tired of hearing it." He enters his 20th big league season with a .312 average, 256 homers and 1,261 RBIs. Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson already has Tweeted "for those booking early" the 2020 induction ceremony is scheduled for July 26. For Jeter, the titles mean more than the statistics. And most of all, he treasures getting to wear the pinstripes. "The thing that means the most to me is being remembered as a Yankee, because thats what Ive always wanted to be, was to be a Yankee," Jeter said. "I have to thank the Steinbrenner family thats here today and our late owner, the Boss, because they gave me an opportunity to pretty much live my dream my entire life. And the great thing with being a Yankee is youre always a Yankee. So in that sense it never ends." Randall Cunningham Eagles Jersey .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. Miles Sanders Eagles Jersey . With his father watching from the stands, Harrison homered, doubled, single and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Pirates to a 8-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. http://www.theeaglesfootballauthentic.com/eagles-seth-joyner-black-jersey/ . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. KITZBUEHEL, Austria -- Bode Miller led a training session for the classic Hahnenkamm race by a huge margin on Thursday, leaving his World Cup rivals in awe just 17 days before the Sochi Olympics downhill. Miller was well ahead of the field from the first split time before finishing the challenging Streif course in 2 minutes, 2.93 seconds. Overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal came 0.96 back in second, while third-place Hannes Reichelt of Austria finished a massive 2.35 seconds behind the American. "Ive been focusing on this race all year," said Miller, who finished runner-up in 2008 and 11 but has yet to win the downhill in the Austrian resort. "I know its hard to win here. Ive put a lot of energy in being ready here ... And I think I had fast skis today, too. Obviously on this track you cant do much if your skis are not running." Last years winner Dominik Paris of Italy and Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago of Switzerland shared 10th, trailing Miller by 3.21 seconds. Canadas Erik Guay skipped the training run to rest his troublesome knee. The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., who leads Canada in career World Cup medals, underwent surgery in the summer to address a knee injury that bothered him at the end of last season. Conrad Pridy of Whistler, B.C., was the top Canadian in 24th. Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., was 25th, Ben Thomsen of Invermere, Que., was 39th and Morgan Pridy of Whistler was tied for 48th. Dustin Cook of Lac Sainte-Marie, Que., was 59th and Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 60th. It was the only training run before Saturdays race after mild temperatures softened the snow and made runs earlier this week impossible. Organizers had to change the bottom part of the course to avoid the Hausbergkante, one of the marquee sections, where snow conditions were still insufficient. Miller mastered the steep upper section by choosing a different race line, allowing him to take more speed coming out of the Steilhang curve. "I was higher through the Steilhang and exited it much better than where the tracks were," Miller said. Chuck Bednarik Eagles Jersey. "The tracks were done before me, no one was up high where I was. That makes a huge difference. You cut off the line but you also carry speed onto the road." Miller drew praise from his competitors, who acknowledged they had been left with some homework before Saturdays race. "Bode was fantastic," Reichelt said. "My run wasnt great and I am definitely going to watch a video of Bodes run." His Austrian teammate Max Franz added "Bode had a very clean run. We have something to analyze." Christof Innerhofer, who is chasing his first downhill podium of the season, said he was unable to ski like Miller did. "He is crazy, he raced a killer line. I tried that line as well but I just didnt succeed," the Italian said. "I am not having a great season so far. But I felt well on the snow today and I want to attack here." Even Svindal, winner of two downhills and two super-G races this season, said he was going to study footage of Millers performance. "You know Bode can pull off that kind of thing," the Norwegian said. "When I think about my run, I am not surprised that someone can be a lot faster from the top. I wasnt able to stick to my plan because I got bumped out of my line. I have the speed but I need to clean up the first part. I will definitely watch Bodes run on video." The changed bottom section caused many racers troubles. Where they usually go right into the Hausbergkante coming off a fast straight part, they now faced a sharp left turn left. To Miller, it didnt make much of a difference. "Its a different set of skills thats tested," the American said. "The cool thing is no one skies that so its pretty even for everybody. No one has had a change to ever have a run like that so I think its OK." Saturdays race is the penultimate downhill before the Olympic race on Feb. 9. The Hahnenkamm event starts with a slalom Friday and concludes with a super-G and a super-combined race Sunday. ' ' '