February 22, 2005 - When you think baseball video games, one name, check that, one face comes to mind. Derek Jeter. The man has been on the cover of more baseball video games than any other player in history and is now forever remembered by fans in his polygonal pinstripes.

But what makes Jeter the perfect cover athlete?

Maybe it's the way he takes Superman dives into the stands, emerging out of the crowd with not only a bloody face, but the ball. Or maybe it's the way he seems to boost his way from first to third, like Steinbrenner is up in his box pressing turbo to give him that extra little bit of speed.

Either way, Jeter is at it again, striking a pose for MLB 2K5 and talking video games to anyone who dares pickup a controller.

IGN Sports: Do you realize that you've been on the cover of more baseball video games than any other player?

Derek Jeter: Really? It's an honor, especially being associated with 2K Sports because this game is by far the best one I've ever seen. It's unbelievable how realistic these games are getting. Back in my day, I thought Asteroids was the height of technology.[laughs]

IGN Sports: Do fans ever come up to you and tell you about a great play you made, but they're talking about a video game and not real life?

Derek Jeter: It's funny, because on-deck a lot of times, I'll hear fans yelling to me about the video game. I communicate with the fans sometimes when I'm on-deck, it depends where we are, and they've mentioned it before. It actually comes up more than you'd think.

Derek Jeter stars in MLB 2K5.

IGN Sports: Do more people talk about how you helped them win a video game or how you helped them win their fantasy league?

Derek Jeter: You don't hear about when you help them win. When I help them lose, that's when I hear about it. [laughs] I've heard about my character dropping grounders in the ninth or getting thrown out at the plate when the guy controlling me swears he didn't send me home. I'm like, sorry man, but that wasn't really me. People really seem to become attached to whatever team they're playing as, and I guess you have to if you're sitting down and playing 162 games.

IGN Sports: Since you only hear from people when you lose, did you tell the creators of MLB 2K5 to boost up your stats a little, especially since you're on the cover?

Derek Jeter: Already done. I'm trying to be as good as I can this year. I don't want to hear about any more errors.

The 2K5 champ.

IGN Sports: In real life, it seems like every year you make a trademark play. From the one-handed flip against Oakland to the head-first dive into the stands against Boston last year. Out of all of your plays, do you have a favorite or most memorable?

Derek Jeter: Ooh, favorite play? Any play that has helped us win a World Series. I don't know if I have a favorite, but I try to be in the middle of most of the big plays. We've had a couple of great plays in the World Series, like relay throws, that have been pretty memorable, but the Oakland one is the one that gets talked about the most, I think because it was so unexpected.

IGN Sports: When you flew into the stands like Superman last year after that ball, did you know you were going to pay the price with a little blood?

Derek Jeter: Yeah. I actually fell into the stands against Oakland that same year as the flip play. I fell into the first part, the photographer's pit, which is all cement. So this time I tried to jump over it, but I found out that hitting a chair isn't much better than hitting the cement. [laughs]