Recommend the DVD "Nine Innings From Ground Zero".
People forget that every hit he gets has been a new Yankee record for a while now.
IMHO, the hard work of off-the-field preparation is what I really admire. Players like him, if adults point this attribute out to children, offer good role models for any walk of life, not only sports.
I think this is why he is such a desireable product pitch-man for any company trying to portray their product as being of high quality or integrity.
Also, he plays hard but is a gentlemen. I wonder if there’s a stat for how many times a player argues a call. Derek would undoubtedly have some of the lowest numbers.
His apparent characteristic of getting more calm in important or dramatic game situations, IMHO, stems from confidence gained in preparation and humility that keeps him from ever arrogantly assuming that he will give some spectacular performance and instead keeps him simply working towards producing results.