Jeter nominated for Hank Aaron Award
08/01/2006 10:00 AM ET
Jeter nominated for Hank Aaron Award
Captain putting together one of his finest seasons in the Bronx
By Ryan Mink / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Asked just before the All-Star break who his team's first-half MVP would be, Yankees manager Joe Torre would seem to have a multitude of candidates. But he didn't hesitate.
Derek Jeter was his answer.
Now the Yankees' captain could win more than a hypothetical honor as Jeter is a candidate for this year's American League Hank Aaron Award.
Since 1999, the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has recognized the best offensive performer from each league with the Hank Aaron Award presented by CENTURY 21.
Past recipients include Barry Bonds (three times), Alex Rodriguez (three times), Manny Ramirez (twice), Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado. Last year's winners, selected during balloting during the regular season's final month on MLB.com, were Boston's David Ortiz and Atlanta's Andruw Jones.
"It's nice any time you can have your name mentioned with Hank Aaron," Jeter said.
Jeter is having one of his finest offensive seasons in his 11th year. He was hitting .352 with seven homers and 63 RBIs as the week began. Jeter had the second-highest batting average in the Majors, only behind Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer. His .456 on-base percentage was fourth-highest in the AL.
"Even when you're not feeling good, your job is to try to find a way to get on base," said Jeter, who has missed only five games so far this season.
"That's what separates good years from average years. When things are going bad, you can't buy a hit. But when things are going good, you may get a bounce here or a bloop there."
Jeter has gotten much more than bounces or bloops. Still, he is on pace to hit a career season-low in home runs in a full season since 1997, his second year as a starter. Jeter hit just 10 homers in 2003 but played in only 119 games.
But Torre feels what enables Jeter to have such a high batting average may hinder his ability to club the ball out of the park -- hitting to the opposite field.
"Hitting to the opposite field, you're not going to get fooled very often because you're not looking to pull the ball," Torre said. "He hasn't hit as many home runs as he has in the past, but that doesn't mean he's not knocking in as many runs -- or more."
Jeter is on pace for a career high in RBIs. He had 70 last year and has only once notched more than 100. But projections are merely that, and as Jeter said, there's many more games to be played.
"We've got two months left -- the two most important months," Jeter said. "It's hard to comment on my year until it's over with. But I try to stay consistent day in and day out."
And that consistency was exactly Torre's reasoning for voting for Jeter as first-half Yankees MVP.
Ryan Mink is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Jeter Is Getting Even Better With Age
Jeter Is Getting Even Better With Age
Baseball
By TIM MARCHMAN
August 7, 2006
The shame of Derek Jeter's career is, basically, that he's Derek Jeter. At 32, an age when most star ballplayers are notably declining, he's having probably the best season of any player in the American League and the second-best season of his entire career, and yet the main story line of his season has revolved around fan reactions to Alex Rodriguez.
Jeter's many years of being Derek Jeter have taken their toll on public perceptions in two ways. The first is that his decade of refusing to say anything at all interesting has, while lending him an aura and mystique unrivaled by any contemporary other than perhaps David Ortiz, naturally has inspired a fair amount of Kremlinology; a slight grimace while discussing the fans' silly and self-defeating treatment of Rodriguez can inspire hours of drivetime ranting.
The second is that so many inflated claims have been made for his ballplaying prowess that when he is having a truly magnificent season, the praise comes off as hollow. If his intangibles, after all, have made him the best player in baseball as a .290 hitter and indifferent defender, what is he as a .350 hitter and vastly improved defender? The best player of all time? The vocabulary isn't quite there to describe what he's doing. In the realm of praise, good currency drives out bad.
This is too bad, because Jeter deserves all the praise New York can muster this season. We'll see how things play out — Ortiz's monstrous clutch performances are a great argument on his behalf, and if the Red Sox beat out the Yankees for the division that argument will be still stronger — but right now, Jeter is the league's MVP, and you don't need to give him an ounce of credit for either aura or mystique to tell it's so. Compared with hitters at his position, he's a more effective offensive player than anyone else in baseball, and he's playing shortstop. That's his case, and it's backed up by the numbers. What's a bit more interesting is how he's doing it.
Qualitatively, Jeter isn't doing anything much different this year than he always has done. His hands seem a little bit quicker, his swing's slightly more level, and he's serving the ball into shallow left a little bit more than he usually does, but there hasn't been some radical change in his approach. He's hitting essentially how he always does, just a bit more so or less so.
He's not hitting essentially what he always hits, though, which is the difference. He's on pace for 14 home runs, which would be his lowest full-season mark since 2000; and for 40 doubles, which would be the second-highest total of his career and vastly above his established level of 25 or so (a total he's already exceeded); and of course that .348 average is 32 points above his already excellent .316 career mark. So what gives?
Digging a bit deeper into the numbers, there are a couple of substantial changes — not huge ones, but notable ones. His groundball to flyball ratio is 3.28, a very high mark by his standards — it's more than twice his 2004 ratio, for instance.He's also striking out much less than he usually does, in just 15.4% of his at-bats, and thus posting a strikeoutwalk ratio identical to the one he put up in 1999, the best year of his career. There's a chicken-and-egg question here: Does his high average drive those ratios that show an improved batting eye, or does the improved batting eye cause the high average? But the overall picture is of a slightly more patient Jeter swinging a bit less for the bleachers.
What's unusual about this is that of course most 32-year-olds show just the opposite pattern. They show improved batting eyes, improved power, and lessened ability to place the ball, which you'd naturally expect because as players age, their reflexes begin to slow, and they begin to rely more on their knowledge of the game than their physical skills. Why is Jeter an exception?
I think we're seeing a bit of development in Jeter — the one flaw in his offensive game has always been his habit of overswinging.This reminds us that baseball is not a linear game. Tiny changes in a batter's approach can have enormous consequences.That slight bit of improvement in Jeter's ability to yank the ball has an impact on his overall game, in everything from how often he puts the ball in play to how often he pops a double into the left-center gap.
That slightly more level swing influences everything from how often he hits the ball in the air to how often it goes over the fence when he does. These things can make the difference between an exceptional player having his usual exceptional season to having an MVP-level year. It's not someone stepping his game up because the guy to his right is having a down year; it's a great player changing in his baseball middle age, and it's fascinating enough in its own right without turning a ballplayer into the Sphinx.
tmarchman@nysun.com
© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC. All rights reserved.
Williams, Jeter each homer twice as Yanks avoid sweep
Williams, Jeter each homer twice as Yanks avoid sweep
- August 27, 2006
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Bernie Williams stood in the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium last October after his Yankees lost in the AL division series, unsure whether he'd play another game for New York.
The Angels are sorry he played in this one.
Williams homered twice and drove in six runs, and Derek Jeter also hit two home runs Sunday as the Yankees ended their longest road trip of the season with an 11-8 victory over Los Angeles.
"At this stage of my career, I just wanted to come out here and have fun," said Williams, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract in December to play a 16th season with the Yankees.
"This year has taught me a lot. So obviously, I've got to be ready for anything. It was a great day because I've been playing a limited amount of time over the last couple of years. So in my mind, I was due for a day like this," he said.
Jeff Karstens earned his first major league win, helping the AL East leaders salvage the series finale. The Yankees went 7-4 on their three-city swing, which started with an emotionally-draining five-game sweep at Boston.
Williams had four hits in his first multihomer game since Aug. 26, 2005, against Kansas City. He also doubled home two runs in the seventh and singled in the fourth.
"Bernie accepted the fact that if he was back, he was going to take on a role like this, and it took him a little time to come to terms with that," manager Joe Torre said. "But Bernie had expressed interest to be back, and I knew financially, it wouldn't be a burden for the Yankees."
Jeter homered twice in a game for the eighth time in his career and first time since June 18, 2005, against the Chicago Cubs. Robinson Cano also had four hits for New York.
Adam Kennedy had three hits for the Angels, who trailed 8-0 by the third inning.
"I'm a little angry with the Angels. At least they can let us have one once in a while without making us work so hard," Torre said. "They don't quit. They keep coming at you. The score doesn't matter to them."
Karstens (1-0) won in his second major league start, allowing three runs and six hits over six innings. The 23-year-old righty was born less than three years before Williams signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent on Sept. 13, 1985.
"I'm just trying to soak it all in right now," Karstens said. "I wasn't too nervous. I was kind of relaxed and was just trying to be myself and not try to do too much -- because that's when I usually get in trouble."
Reliever Mariano Rivera got the final six outs, retiring Vladimir Guerrero on a grounder with two on in the eighth and the Yankees ahead 11-7.
Joe Saunders (4-2) lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his ninth big league start, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks.
"My arm felt good. I just didn't execute my pitches when I needed to," Saunders said. "I got behind a lot of guys, and at times when I needed to make a good pitch, I didn't."
Alex Rodriguez, 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in the three-game series, singled during the Yankees' five-run third inning.
"I'm happy we won the game today. I'm happy Bernie Williams had a great game, I'm happy Jeter had a great game. This is about winning," Rodriguez said. "Sure, I'm disappointed about going 1-for-15 or whatever the line may be, but you've got to move on and keep grinding. It's important for me to play well down the stretch for this team and in October. And I still have that chance."
Melky Cabrera was supposed to bat second in the Yankees' starting lineup, but was scratched because of tooth problems. So everyone moved up one notch behind Johnny Damon, who opened the game with a double. Jeter followed with a home run.
Williams made it 3-0 in the second with a towering drive into the rock formation in left-center. Cano hit a two-run, bases-loaded single and Williams made it 8-0 with his 11th homer. It was the 18th career multihomer game for the five-time All-Star center fielder.
"Bernie's more an artist than he is a baseball player," Torre said.
Game notes
Yankees 1B Jason Giambi did not start, but grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. He left Saturday's game because of cramping in his hands and legs. "It's happened before," he said. "I mean, I'm taped from head to toe, so I'm sure that didn't help." ... Angels rookie C Mike Napoli threw out Bobby Abreu trying to steal second base in the first inning. That ended Abreu's streak of 18 straight successful attempts since he was last caught on June 5 with Philadelphia. ... Williams started in left field for the fifth time this season.
Copyright ©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures.
Jeter glows in spotlight; A-Rod melts
Jeter glows in spotlight; A-Rod melts
August 18, 2006
New York - The most intriguing one-sided rivalry in sports ventures back onto the big stage in Boston today and you can't wait to see just what kind of cruel fate will befall one side thanks to the other.
You can't help but be mesmerized and amused by it any more, gawking at the twists and turns that forever cement one side's dominance.
No, not Yankees-Red Sox. That one balanced itself out a while ago and promises to be as evenly matched and exciting as ever throughout the five-game series at Fenway Park.
We're talking about Alex Rodriguez vs. Derek Jeter.
This one's getting as wickedly wild as Yankees-Sox used to be.
So maybe A-Rod will book the best restaurant in Boston only to find Jeter sitting at his table. Maybe he'll save a kid from an onrushing car only to hear Jeter snatched triplets from a lion's jaws. Maybe A-Rod will finally hit a big grand slam ... while Jeter smashes two.
And maybe this will be the weekend A-Rod finally has a "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!" styled meltdown to match his inferiority complex as poor little Jan Brady once did.
To his credit, Rodriguez managed to avoid doing just that yesterday though he had plenty of reason to after the Yankees' 12-2 loss to the Orioles. Instead he simply offered a joking "mercy, mercy" as he ended his interviews.
But it could be coming soon since A-Rod will be in the spotlight that usually seems to scald him even as it shines on Jeter.
Especially since yesterday's game provided one more example of just how far under Jeter's shadow Rodriguez has found himself.
Even when A-Rod does nothing wrong in a low-pressure situation.
Even when — and this is the best part — Jeter makes the error.
Such was the case in the sixth yesterday with the Yankees down 10-2 when A-Rod had a popup hit his glove ... only to have Jeter come charging over and bump into him, knocking the ball out.
The fans booed — A-Rod, of course. The official scorer ruled the play an error — on A-Rod, of course. And so it continued.
Only later would scorer Howie Karpin review the tape and give Jeter the error for impeding Rodriguez on the play.
Only it wouldn't matter.
Because Joe Torre would indicate it was Rodriguez's mistake by saying, "If Jeter called it, it's his and Alex didn't get out of the way."
Because Jeter seemed as calmly confident as ever in discussing the play and dismissing any sense of wrongdoing as well as any concern over the ruling of the play.
"What happened?" Jeter said, repeating the question. "It was dropped. That was pretty much it. It was hit. I was calling it. I guess he didn't hear me. ... But that's it. That's all the story you can do with a popup."
Uh, I wouldn't go running to Paul Lo Duca with a wager on that one just yet ...
If it was about any other players on any other team in any other town, sure, that would be it. And, granted, we would have felt a little silly making any more out of this than that if not for what soon happened after that.
Because when Jeter was told the play was changed to be called his error, the Yankees' captain offered a blunt, honest response of "Really? I didn't touch it ... I mean, I don't know how ... I don't care." Except, that apparently wasn't the case.
Because a few minutes later, Jeter was spotted in a stairwell outside the clubhouse speaking to the official scorer. Which usually means a player is trying to get a play changed in his favor.
Especially since Karpin had already made a point of getting Jeter's take on the play in the clubhouse prior to the meeting in the stairwell.
You can't help but wonder if it was any other teammate other than the man who once questioned his leadership and skills so long ago, Jeter might have just eaten the error without a second thought. You can't help but wonder if Jeter — who has been called overrated and was expected by many to take a backseat to A-Rod when he first arrived in town — doesn't take some pride in his star actually growing thanks to A-Rod's often inept behavior.
But even if that's the case, Jeter has done a much better job of keeping such feelings from becoming evident and from affecting his performance — unlike Rodriguez, who always wants to show he's a leader so badly he does the opposite.
"I mean, it's a popup," Jeter said, laughingly dismissing the play. A-Rod tried to be just as dismissive, saying it was a "goofy play" that "kind of epitomized the day."
But the way it all went down captured a lot more than a bad day. It gave one more glimpse into the most one-sided rivalry in sports — where one high-profile teammate can't ever seem to catch up with the other.
Dave Buscema's column appears regularly. Contact him at buscema@hotmail.com.
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Jeter’s Secret? It’s Simple: Play to Win
August 18, 2006
Jeter’s Secret? It’s Simple: Play to Win
By TYLER KEPNER
Derek Jeter was the host of “Saturday Night Live” in 2001, and he was nervous about it all week. He had no acting or comic background, and certainly had never performed on live television at Rockefeller Center.
Jeter thought he might make a fool of himself, but the feeling subsided when he took the stage for his monologue. Everything happened so fast that 90 minutes seemed like 10. The task was remarkably easy.
“They have everything on cue cards for you,” Jeter said. “So as long as you can read, you can do it.”
For all of Jeter’s skills, the most useful is his ability to boil down any job to its essence. In a Yankees season marked by injuries to big hitters and the mystifying mind games of Alex Rodriguez, Jeter’s simple approach has stood out more than ever.
“I think that’s where people get in trouble, when they start complicating things,” Jeter said. “It’s really not that complicated. The more complicated you make it, the more difficult it is on you. You’re playing a game where you fail more than you succeed. You’ve got to try to keep it as simple as possible.”
Jeter has often been hailed for his intangibles, the kind of praise that can come off as a way to excuse his numbers. But this season, especially, Jeter has no need to apologize.
With a .338 average, he is second in the American League to Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. He has the best on-base percentage on the Yankees, at .415, and has a better average with runners in scoring position than Boston’s David Ortiz.
Jeter is hitting .373 with runners in scoring position, compared to .300 for Ortiz, who will try to help the Boston Red Sox wrest first place from the Yankees in this weekend’s five-game series at Fenway Park. Ortiz may be the leading candidate for the A.L.’s Most Valuable Player award, but Jeter is in the discussion.
“He’s definitely been our guy,” said the hitting coach Don Mattingly, who won the award in 1985. “He’s been as consistent as anybody, and he’s done everything you can to win games. So I don’t think there’s any question you can make a case for him.”
Jeter’s home runs are down this season — he has only 10 — but he leads the team in doubles and is on pace for 97 runs batted in. He has 26 steals, 6 shy of his career high. Before his error on Thursday, an ugly one in which he collided with Rodriguez on a pop-up, he had a better fielding percentage (.980) than he did last season, when he won his second Gold Glove at shortstop.
Monday’s game against the Angels was typical for Jeter. In the third inning, with a runner on third and one out, he hit a fly ball to center field. Four innings later, with a runner on first and no outs in a tie game, Jeter bunted the runner over.
In both cases, he got more than he was trying for: the fly ball turned into a homer, and the bunt went for a single. The important thing was that Jeter recognized what each situation demanded, which is easier said than done.
“I wish I could do it a lot more like him,” Johnny Damon said. “I get out of my game sometimes. I’ll go a long time without attempting a bunt, and it’s like, ‘That’s always been part of my game, so why don’t I do it more often?’ ”
Sometimes, Damon admitted, he lets the cozy dimensions of Yankee Stadium seduce him into swinging for homers. Jeter is more disciplined, and it makes him harder to prepare for.
“He may drag bunt one time, and the next time he might try to drive it out of the field on you,” Baltimore Orioles catcher Chris Widger said. “It’s hard, because there’s no one way to pitch him to get him out. He’s one of those rare guys that could bat leadoff or bat third, and he could be very successful anywhere because he’ll adapt his game to whatever the team needs for him to do.”
Jeter had his best statistics in 1999, with a .349 average, 24 homers and 102 runs batted in, all career highs. Asked if this year was his best, Jeter predictably said his best seasons were 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 — the years that ended with World Series parades.
Better than any player, perhaps, Jeter lives by the now famous Herman Edwards credo: You play to win the game. That is how he keeps it uncomplicated.
“It’s simple if you look at it as: Try to win,” Jeter said. “That’s the bottom line. If you win, everybody benefits. It’s not like, ‘I won, I lost.’ It’s, ‘We win, we lost.’ That’s the only way I’ve thought about it.”
Jeter talks like this all the time. He says he knows reporters get tired of boring answers, but sometimes there is nothing much to say. He responds politely to questions, but objects to the premise of most.
“People say, ‘Are you more motivated now because you lost?’ ” Jeter said, referring to the Yankees’ years without a title. “How could you be more motivated if you want to win all the time? You’re not extra-motivated. It’s the same thing.”
Widger said he recognized the same attitude in his White Sox teammates last season.
“I just think winning means more to him than all the other stuff does, and if more people did that, your team is better,” Widger said. “In Chicago last year, we had a lot of guys that played the game that way, and that’s why we won. We weren’t the most talented, but everybody played to win.”
Jeter helped create the Yankees’ modern mentality, in which only championship seasons are considered a success. It is an all-or-nothing mind-set that, for some, creates a joyless, pressurized environment.
But for Jeter, it is simply a fact. Every team wants to win as often as possible, so the goal must be a title every season. It is not like this everywhere, but for Jeter, it would be.
“I don’t know what it would be like, but I wouldn’t change,” he said. “Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand it’s a game of numbers and people are going to pay attention to your numbers, say you did this or did that. I would love to hit .400. That would be a lot better than .200. You take pride in how you play. But that shouldn’t be your main focus. Your main focus should be whether you win or lose.”
Closer Mariano Rivera, another straightforward thinker, grew up with Jeter in the Yankees’ organization. Veteran teammates helped form his makeup, Rivera said, and so did early success.
“We won all those championships, and that helps a lot,” Rivera said. “That helps your mental game.”
Jeter has mastered the mental game and continues to make the most of the physical. His skills are exceptional, but a one-dimensional approach controls every move.
“If you constantly sit around worrying about your stats, once you get in a funk, you’ll never get out,” Jeter said. “Because all you’re worried about is yourself. If you’re worried about how we can win today, that’s your only concern.”
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Do you smell like Danielle Steel or Derek Jeter?
Do you smell like Danielle Steel or Derek Jeter?
Aug. 12, 2006. 01:00 AM
PARIS—A skin-deep brush with fame is now just a spritz away.
You can douse yourself with eau de Britney, Paris or JLo, as stars jump on the lucrative fragrance bandwagon by creating their signature scent.
With even romance novelist Danielle Steel and shock rocker Marilyn Manson brewing their own concoctions, celebrity fragrances are the fastest-growing segment of the $2.9 billion (U.S.) perfume market, according to market researcher NPD Group.
Offerings in the pipeline include scents from New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, teen queen Hilary Duff and singer Mariah Carey.
Elizabeth Taylor was the first to capitalize on her brand status with a perfume line. Despite her absence from movie screens, Taylor's fragrance White Diamonds remains a top seller.
Now, even prestigious brands are falling over themselves to sign high-profile talent. Guerlain has secured Hilary Swank to promote its new fragrance Insolence.
Robin Krug, editor of the fragrance blog NowSmellThis, said that the glut of celebrity may be met with skepticism.
"When it comes to celebrity perfumes, it is doubly hard not to be cynical. One wonders how many times the industry simply churns out a minor variation on an existing big seller, and then attaches a celebrity name after the fact."
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Fenway fan hurt by Jeter foul appears to be OK
Updated: Aug. 19, 2006, 3:18 AM ET
Fenway fan hurt by Jeter foul appears to be OK
Associated Press
BOSTON -- A woman sitting in a second-row box seat was hit in the head by Derek Jeter's foul ball and driven away from Fenway Park in an ambulance Friday night.
Boston Red Sox spokesman John Blake said she was taken to the hospital as a precaution and the injury did not appear to be serious.
Jeter said after the game that he would check on her condition. "I hope she's OK," he said.
No further information was released about the fan, who was struck on the right side of her forehead. She was taken by wheelchair from the stands to the first aid room. She appeared to be alert, with a bandage covering her entire forehead, when she left the ballpark.
Red Sox owner John Henry visited the woman in the first aid room and brought her a baseball.
The accident occurred in the second inning of the second game of the New York Yankees-Red Sox doubleheader.
The woman was sitting on the first-base side of the foul screen behind home plate. Those around her motioned worriedly for medical attention, while other fans carried away their children, shielding their eyes.
Jeter stepped out of the batter's box and paused to look over at the woman. During the rest of the at-bat, he glanced over in between pitches. After striking out, the Yankees captain looked back on his way to the third-base dugout.
"I probably should have paid more attention to that at-bat," he said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
Jeter gets MVP looks
08/15/2006 8:13 PM ET
Notes: Jeter gets MVP looks
Yankees captain enters Tuesday with a .344 average
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- In recent weeks, fans at Yankee Stadium have chanted "MVP! MVP!" every time Derek Jeter gets a big hit or makes a great play in the field.
Although the Yankees captain doesn't possess the gaudy power numbers of some of the league's other top candidates, Jeter may find himself in the mix when it comes to this year's American League's Most Valuable Player race.
"I think they have to consider him," Joe Torre said, referring to MVP voters. "I don't see why he shouldn't be able to win it. I think it's how valuable someone is to their team and where that team goes."
Among the other candidates in the AL are Boston's David Ortiz, Chicago's Jim Thome, Minnesota's Justin Morneau and Cleveland's Travis Hafner, each of whom have at least 30 home runs and 89 RBIs.
Jeter entered Tuesday's game with a .344 average (second to the Twins' Joe Mauer, who is hitting .361) with 10 home runs and 70 RBIs. Jeter also ranks among the AL leaders in runs (80), on-base percentage (.421), hits (152), stolen bases (26), multihit games (46) and batting average with runners in scoring position (.380).
"How much weight does defense and baserunning carry? I think we get so blinded sometimes by offense that nothing else really matters," Torre said. "You sit here in the dugout and it's the ninth inning, and you want a double-play ball hit somewhere and you want the thing turned, then you realize how precious defense is."
Jeter's best MVP finish came in 1998, when he placed third behind Juan Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra. That year, Jeter hit .324 with 19 homers, 84 RBIs, 30 steals and 127 runs scored during New York's 114-win regular season.
"The consistency of what he's been able to do so far has been very, very impressive," Torre said. "The consistency has always been important to me, even as a player. When I was a player, I thought the most important thing I could contribute to a team was consistency as far as being there every day."
Waiting game: Bernie Williams has seen his playing time diminish since the Yankees acquired Bobby Abreu and Craig Wilson, but Torre believes that the veteran is fine with the new arrangement.
"Bernie and I talked about it the other day. He said, 'Just give me a little time to get a lay of the land,'" Torre said. "That's the toughest thing for me right now, figuring some kind of regular work for him."
Torre plans to use Williams as the DH from time to time, also using him in center field on days that Johnny Damon is the DH. With Abreu firmly cemented in right field, Wilson playing a lot of first base and Jason Giambi seeing most of the time at DH, Williams is the odd man out.
"Bernie is sort of the one who's up in the air right now," Torre said. "He's come in and asked me and just wanted to get my thinking. I told him, 'I'm trying to formulate that right now.' He accepts that."
Double duty: With a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Friday, the Yankees may need to bring up another pitcher to bolster the bullpen. Sidney Ponson appears to be the likely starter for the second half of the twinbill, taking an arm out of the bullpen in the process.
"Sidney right now seems like the likely guy who will pitch the second game of that doubleheader, but we have three games here," Torre said of the Orioles series. "If we need Sidney to help us win a game here, we'll not hesitate from using him."
Torre said that he and general manager Brian Cashman have discussed the idea of bringing up another pitcher for the weekend series, but no decision has been made.
"We've talked about it and we'll continue to talk about it," Torre said. "We'll be ready to pull the trigger; Cash is not asleep at the switch. I can tell you that right now."
Pavano update: Carl Pavano made another rehab start for Class A Tampa, his second on his current assignment.
Pavano, pitching against Brevard County (Brewers), threw four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, striking out five.
Pavano faced 13 batters, throwing 56 pitches, 37 for strikes.
He is scheduled to make his next rehab start Sunday.
All-American boy: J.B. Cox was taken off the active roster of Double-A Trenton, as the right-hander will play for Team USA in the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Cox, one of four Eastern League players on Team USA's roster, is 6-2 with three saves and a 1.75 ERA in 41 games for the Thunder this season. Opponents are hitting just .196 against Cox, who did not allow a run in 15 games between June 4 and July 23.
Coming up: The Yankees and Orioles meet Wednesday in the second game of the three-game series, as Cory Lidle takes on Adam Loewen. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.
Jeter nominated for Hank Aaron Award
08/01/2006 10:00 AM ET
Jeter nominated for Hank Aaron Award
Captain putting together one of his finest seasons in the Bronx
By Ryan Mink / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Asked just before the All-Star break who his team's first-half MVP would be, Yankees manager Joe Torre would seem to have a multitude of candidates. But he didn't hesitate.
Derek Jeter was his answer.
Now the Yankees' captain could win more than a hypothetical honor as Jeter is a candidate for this year's American League Hank Aaron Award.
Since 1999, the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has recognized the best offensive performer from each league with the Hank Aaron Award presented by CENTURY 21.
Past recipients include Barry Bonds (three times), Alex Rodriguez (three times), Manny Ramirez (twice), Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado. Last year's winners, selected during balloting during the regular season's final month on MLB.com, were Boston's David Ortiz and Atlanta's Andruw Jones.
"It's nice any time you can have your name mentioned with Hank Aaron," Jeter said.
Jeter is having one of his finest offensive seasons in his 11th year. He was hitting .352 with seven homers and 63 RBIs as the week began. Jeter had the second-highest batting average in the Majors, only behind Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer. His .456 on-base percentage was fourth-highest in the AL.
"Even when you're not feeling good, your job is to try to find a way to get on base," said Jeter, who has missed only five games so far this season.
"That's what separates good years from average years. When things are going bad, you can't buy a hit. But when things are going good, you may get a bounce here or a bloop there."
Jeter has gotten much more than bounces or bloops. Still, he is on pace to hit a career season-low in home runs in a full season since 1997, his second year as a starter. Jeter hit just 10 homers in 2003 but played in only 119 games.
But Torre feels what enables Jeter to have such a high batting average may hinder his ability to club the ball out of the park -- hitting to the opposite field.
"Hitting to the opposite field, you're not going to get fooled very often because you're not looking to pull the ball," Torre said. "He hasn't hit as many home runs as he has in the past, but that doesn't mean he's not knocking in as many runs -- or more."
Jeter is on pace for a career high in RBIs. He had 70 last year and has only once notched more than 100. But projections are merely that, and as Jeter said, there's many more games to be played.
"We've got two months left -- the two most important months," Jeter said. "It's hard to comment on my year until it's over with. But I try to stay consistent day in and day out."
And that consistency was exactly Torre's reasoning for voting for Jeter as first-half Yankees MVP.
Ryan Mink is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
© 2001-2006 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.
Jeter cologne not for those who think Yankees stink
Updated: Aug. 1, 2006, 11:06 AM ET
Jeter cologne not for those who think Yankees stink
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter cologne is on the way.
Avon Products Inc. has signed the New York Yankees shortstop to a deal in which it will create a men's fragrance called Driven -- "reflecting the unique personality of one of the most driven men in America," according to a news release from the company.
The fragrance, the first in a line of men's grooming products bearing Jeter's name, goes on sale in November.
"I have been very involved with creating this fragrance -- everything from the blend of scents to the design of the bottle and logo," Jeter said in the news release. "I did have some help, however. Because women buy a large percentage of the men's grooming products sold in the U.S., I asked my mother Dot and sister Sharlee to be part of the project.
"I wanted to make sure the final product was something men would like to wear -- and that women would want them to wear."
The fragrance is a blend of chilled grapefruit, clean oak moss and spice.
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