Dear Derek Jeter,

I am writing to you, following the ceremonies honoring Mariano Rivera, to thank you for not announcing your retirement just yet. I enjoyed the ceremonies. Mariano is an important part of baseball history, a modern sports hero and he should be remembered for a long time. I found myself thinking, however: What will Derek Jeter’s next move be?

It seems as if you have gotten a little lost in the shuffle. Have Yankee fans forgotten their captain? As an Orioles fan, I have spent many hours belittling your accomplishments, claiming your defense was overrated and saying you would never be as good as Cal Ripken Jr. Yankee fans have always defended you. Watching the ceremony on Sunday, I was reminded how important you are to Yankee baseball.

You are at least as big a Yankee icon as Rivera is, and I would argue you’re even bigger. Rivera belongs to baseball. That is why he was named MVP of the All Star Game this year despite not getting a save. You belong, rightfully, to Yankee fans alone.

Yankee fans need to be given the chance to thank you, Mr. Jeter. You deserve it. You have gotten lost in the honors surrounding Mariano and the disappointing season your team is having and it is unfair to you. You cannot follow Rivera into retirement. You must come back for one more season.

I cannot imagine how hard this past season must have been for you. Since I am not a Yankees fan, there is a small part of me that is glad the Yankees have missed the leadership, clutch-hitting and other intangibles you bring with you to the ballpark every day. You deserve a better final season however, than the one Mariano Rivera is currently receiving, one where the Yankees might miss the playoffs. You cannot make this injury-plagued season your last.

I understand the temptation to hang up your jersey. You have put in a great deal of hard work.  You’ve brought New York five championships. You’re the Yankees’ all-time leader in not only hits, but also in games played, stolen bases and at bats. You’ve handled the intrusive New York media almost flawlessly. Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte, your “core four” colleagues, will all have retired and enjoyed their goodbyes. Why shouldn’t you join them at this moment? Why shouldn’t you ride off into the sunlight?

Look at the farewell tour Rivera is getting. He was honored at the All-Star game. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover one last time to say goodbye.  The Yankees retired his jersey on Sunday and made him the first active player to be honored in Memorial Park. Metallica performed the song no opposing team wants to hear, “Enter Sandman.” Did you know the Yankees even gifted him a chair partially made out of bats?  Even the Red Sox threw him a celebration on his last regular season visit to Fenway.

All of the honors bestowed upon Rivera were appropriate. He is the greatest closer of all-time. But shouldn’t you get a farewell tour all your own?

This last season was definitely a lost one. It hurt watching you struggle through just 17 games, but I greatly admired your effort and dedication. No one will be able to say that you quit on your team. Your effort was valiant, but the images of this season should not be the last ones Yankee fans see.

Baseball fans everywhere deserve one last look at you, Mr. Jeter. You are widely regarded as a hero and your farewell should not end in disappointment. You should get to lead  the team into one last October. You should get your own standing ovation at the All-Star Game and your own plaque in Memorial Park. You have inspired a generation of baseball fans, and you deserve recognition from them.

I will admit that it is difficult to imagine a world where you do not play shortstop for the New York Yankees. I have been as certain about longitude and latitude as I have been about your space occupying the left side of the infield. It has been that way for my entire adult life. The side of me that is an Orioles fan will be happy to see you go, but the baseball fan will be deeply saddened.

Mr. Jeter, the legend is that former Yankee manager Buck Showalter saw your potential for greatness when you were first starting out. He insisted that you be given No. 2 because all the truly great Yankees (Gehrig, Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle) wear single digit numbers.

Showalter was right. You are a truly great Yankee. Give us baseball fans one last chance to remind ourselves of that. Do not let the Yankee fans forget you. Come back for one more year.