Peyton Manning Visits Derek Jeter During Batting Practice At Yankee Stadium
Peyton Manning, a legend of the gridiron and current quarterback of this year’s Super Bowl runner-up Denver Broncos, took some time on Sunday to visit with another legend and friend, New York Yankees star Derek Jeter. Peyton made his way to Yankee Stadium on Sunday to pay a visit to his his friend before the final game in a series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I came to see Derek play,” Peyton Manning told ESPN. “Derek and I have been friends — he’s a couple years older than me, but we’ve been pretty much professionals at the same time. So I wanted to pay my respects and see him play for the last time.”
ESPN reports that Peyton stood beside the cage and he and Jeter chatted it up in between batting practice turns. MLB tweeted out an image of the two in the midst of one of their conversations on the gorgeous spring morning.
Two global #icons hanging out in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/4n8pm3jsv6
— MLB (@MLB) May 4, 2014
Manning also took time out to visit others in Yankee Stadium, including Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Peyton also made time to sign a few autographs for fans who attended the batting practice.
Peyton Manning wins football games in October. @mroctober wins #WorldSeries. pic.twitter.com/OLvdC5MwAB
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 4, 2014
With the recent disappointment Manning and the Broncos experienced with their poor performance in Super Bowl XLVII, perhaps Peyton was there to help Jeter work through his own recent struggles, as Derek comes off of a 0-7 performance on Friday night that ranks as perhaps the worst night of his career.
According to Manning, among the things the two talked about was retirement. Jeter is playing in his final season before he retires from baseball, and retirement talk is constantly surrounding Peyton Manning who is now 38, and two years removed from neck surgery which was potentially career ending, and still has him evaluating his situation year-to-year.
“I feel a lot better than I thought I would coming off that surgery a couple years ago,” Manning said. “When you miss a year for an injury, when you get back out there, boy you really feel rejuvenated and really just feel glad to be back out there. So I’ve really enjoyed the past two years, and I’m excited about this season.”
“As long as I’m still enjoying the preparation part of it, as long as I can still produce and help a team — I don’t want to just be out there hanging on — then I’m gonna keep doing it.”
Peyton Manning will be staying in New York through Monday, as he’s scheduled to make an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.
Peyton passed all his physicals during the off-season and will be returning to help the Broncos make another run at the Super Bowl.
[Feature Image courtesy of New York Daily News]
