DEREK JETER IN THE NEWS

Sheffield calls out Torre, Jeter, Bonds in HBO interview

2007-07-14T01:03:00.000-04:00

ESPN.com: Baseball
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sheffield calls out Torre, Jeter, Bonds in HBO interview
ESPN.com news services

Gary Sheffield has strong words about New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter, San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds and steroids in an interview with HBO's "Real Sports" that will air next Tuesday.

Sheffield says Torre treats black players differently from white players and says Jeter, who is from a mixed-race marriage, "ain't all the way black," during the interview with Andrea Kremer, as reported by Newsday.

As for Bonds, Sheffield says "if I took what Barry Bonds took, why don't I look like him?" He also says that he never took steroids because "the bottom line is steroids is something you stick in your butt -- period."

He added that he would be willing to talk to baseball's steroids investigator, former Senator George Mitchell. "I don't feel like it's all that much of a threat to me," he said.

A copy of the interview was made available to Newsday, the newspaper reported. The show airs for the first time on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Sheffield, who was traded to the Detroit Tigers during the offseason, claimed that a "couple of blacks that were there" had an issue with Torre.

"They weren't treated like everybody else. I got called out in a couple of meetings that I thought were unfair," Sheffield told Kremer.

Sheffield later added: "He had a message to get across to the whole team, so he used me to get the message across." Sheffield said Torre didn't use the same method with white players.

"No ... I'd see a lot of white players get called in the office and treated like a man. That's the difference."

Sheffield said he doesn't consider Torre a racist. "No. I think it's the way they do things around there," he said. "Since I was there I just saw that they run their ship different."

At that point, Kremer says to Sheffield that the Yankees most high-profile player is black. "Who?" Sheffield says.

Told Jeter, Sheffield says: "Derek Jeter is black and white."

Later, he said there was no real significance to Jeter's bi-racial heritage, but added: "Derek Jeter used to come to me and try to tell you what Joe Torre is all about, he's a good man, he's this, he's that, but like I tell Derek Jeter, that's you. It's one thing that they treat you a certain way; you don't feel what other people feel."

Torre, asked about Sheffield's comments prior to Friday night's game in Tampa Bay, said: "I don't even want to answer those kinds of questions. I'm more comfortable not answering."

As for Bonds, a former workout partner and friend of Sheffield's, the Tigers' outfielder says Bonds scoffed at him when he was using vitamins. Sheffield says he then got substances from BALCO, claiming not to know they were steroids.

"In a million years, I don't care what anybody says, steroids is something you shoot in your butt. I do know that ... The bottom line is steroids is something you stick in your butt -- period."

Sheffield allegedly told a grand jury that he used steroid cream on his legs and "clear" under his tongue, but didn't know they were steroids.

He said his relationship with Bonds deteriorated because of a lack of trust.

"I trusted this man, he allowed me to stay in his house," Sheffield says. "I started seeing the control factor. I started seeing, wait a minute, you aren't going to tell me what to do."

Sheffield reportedly began the interview by saying: "I tell myself every offseason I'm not going to say anything crazy. I'm just going to have a peaceful season ... Can't do it. I'm cut from a different cloth."

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A-Rod, Jeter, Posada head to All-Star Game

2007-07-14T01:02:00.000-04:00

A-Rod, Jeter, Posada head to All-Star Game
BY KAT O'BRIEN
July 9, 2007

While most of the Yankees were headed home for a three-day break, their top three performers from the season's first half were boarding a plane for San Francisco to take part in the All-Star Game.

Alex Rodriguez had the best first half of his career (.317, 30 homers, 86 RBIs), and accordingly was the top vote-getter for tomorrow night's game. It was his eighth straight All-Star selection, the second-longest active streak behind Manny Ramirez's 10. It is Rodriguez's 11th selection, Derek Jeter's eighth and Jorge Posada's fifth. All three are taking family members with them to California.

"Some people say, 'Oh, it's no big deal. I'd like to have three days off,"' Jeter said. "When you don't go, the years I don't go, I wish I was there. It's a privilege, it's an honor, and I look forward to it."

Said Posada, who was picked for the first time since 2003: "The players voted me in, that's what I liked the most. They respect what I'm doing."

On the way back

First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz heads to Tampa today for rehab. He has been on the disabled list since breaking his wrist June 2 in Boston.

"I've almost got all my strength back," he said. He hopes to be cleared for baseball activities at his July 19 checkup and aims to play for the Yankees in the first week of August.

Extra bases

Joe Torre has not been fond of ESPN for years. Yesterday, when asked if he will tune in tonight to ESPN's "The Bronx Is Burning" miniseries, he said he didn't think he had gotten an invitation. Then, noting it will air on ESPN, Torre said: "I burned long before the Bronx did in their eyes." ... Torre said the Yankees will likely drop to seven relievers and add a bench player after the break. Their rotation will be Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Kei Igawa ... Igawa brought gift bags for every teammate from his hometown of Ibaraki, Japan. When he gave the bag to Jeter, the captain said he would bring Igawa a present from his hometown of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Jeter gets lots of hits; takes them away, too

2007-07-14T01:00:00.000-04:00

Jeter gets lots of hits; takes them away, too
BY BOB HERZOG
July 8, 2007

He is on pace for more than 3,000 hits, but three of Derek Jeter's career highlights are spontaneous and spectacular fielding plays.

There was the backhand flip to catcher Jorge Posada that nailed Jeremy Giambi at the plate to save the Yankees against Oakland in the 2001 ALDS. There was his perilous running leap into the stands after catching Trot Nixon's pop, saving two runs, on which he lacerated his chin and bruised his cheek and shoulder in the 12th inning of a tense 2004 regular-season game against Boston. There was his pivot and blind relay throw to the plate that nailed Timo Perez of the Mets in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, an early turning point.

And yet even with Gold Glove Awards for the previous three seasons, Jeter's defense frequently is questioned. Respected critics such as statistics guru Bill James and ESPN baseball columnist Rob Neyer say Jeter's range is limited and his arm is erratic. They rank him near the bottom defensively among major-league shortstops.

Jeter had made 13 errors through Friday, and his slow start in the field this season forced Joe Torre to be defensive about his shortstop's defense when the errors were coming in bunches in April. "I don't even worry about it," the Yankees' manager said. "You judge somebody like that by watching the plays he makes after the errors, and he made a couple with runners trying to score without any problem. As long as it's not in his head, it's not going to bother me."

Jeter scoffs when asked about the charts and statistical analysis that critics use to disparage his play. "The computer stuff? It's impossible to figure out defense with a mathematical equation," he said. "You can't do it. You've got different people pitching, you've got different people running, you've got different people hitting. You can use a mathematical equation if everything is the same. But it's impossible to do it when everything is different."

Jeter has become known for the jump throw from the hole, and he said he started doing it in high school because "I thought it was quicker and easier to get rid of the ball that way than coming to a full stop and planting. It just evolved." As for those wide receiver-like grabs of pop flies to the outfield, he said he never practices them. "I just go for it until someone else calls it. It's something I've always done. You have to be aggressive."

Torre, who managed Ozzie Smith, said the Cardinals' wizard used to practice fielding pop flies daily, but he called Jeter "as good as I've ever seen going out there and sometimes making acrobatic plays."

He also said Jeter does two things better than any other current shortstop: "One of them, Torre noted, "is coming in on the topped ball and making the off-balance throw. And we've all seen that jump throw out of the hole. Derek is a presence out there and he seems to be in control all the time."

NY GOLD

New York's Gold Glove winners

DODGERS

Gil Hodges, 1B 1957

GIANTS

Willie Mays, OF 1957

METS

Tommie Agee, OF 1970

Carlos Beltran, OF 2006

Ron Darling, P 1989

Doug Flynn, 2B 1980

Bud Harrelson, SS 1971

Keith Hernandez, 1B 1983-88

Rey Ordoñez, SS 1997-99

Robin Ventura, 3B 1999

YANKEES

Scott Brosius, 3B 1999

Wade Boggs, 3B 1994-95

Chris Chambliss, 1B 1978

Ron Guidry, P 1982-86

Elston Howard, C 1963-64

Derek Jeter, SS 2004-06

Mickey Mantle, OF 1962

Roger Maris, OF 1960

Don Mattingly, 1B 1985-89, 91-94

Thurman Munson, C 1973-75

Bobby Murcer, OF 1972

Mike Mussina, P 2001, 03

Graig Nettles, 3B 1977-78

Joe Pepitone, 1B 1965-66, 69

Bobby Richardson, 2B 1961-65

Bobby Shantz, P 1957-60

Norm Siebern, OF 1958

Tom Tresh, OF 1965

Bernie Williams, OF 1997-2000

Dave Winfield, OF 1982-85, 87

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Jeter second most popular athlete

2007-07-08T01:56:00.000-04:00

Jeter second most popular athlete
BY ANTHONY RIEBER
June 27, 2007

BALTIMORE -- Derek Jeter, who turned 33 yesterday, was named the second most popular athlete in America in a survey conducted by the Harris Poll organization.

Jeter is behind only Tiger Woods on the Top 10 list, which Harris puts out annually for no discernible reason. Alex Rodriguez did not make the list, nor did any other baseball player.

Not surprisingly, the news of his standing in the hearts and minds of Americans - or at least the 2,372 adults nationwide who were polled from June 5-11 - did not seem to complete Jeter's life.

"Really, honestly, it's not something you sit down and think about," Jeter said before the Yankees played the Orioles at Camden Yards. "I've never sat down and looked at a poll."

The Harris Poll

Most popular athletes in America

1. Tiger Woods

2. Derek Jeter

3. Michael Jordan (retired)

4. Brett Favre

5. LeBron James

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

7. Tim Duncan

8. Peyton Manning

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Tom Brady

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A-Rod In Lineup; Jeter Thrives At No. 3

2007-07-08T01:35:00.000-04:00

A-Rod In Lineup; Jeter Thrives At No. 3
By JOE GERGEN Newsday
July 4, 2007

NEW YORK - By the time he reported to Yankee Stadium Tuesday, A-Rod was A-OK.

And he wasted no time proving it. Alex Rodriguez, who left Monday's game with a strained left hamstring, went through his usual preparation, then informed Yankees manager Joe Torre he was ready to play the Twins.

Not only was Rodriguez fit to hit, but he was back at third base. "He had the option of [being the designated hitter]," Torre said. "He wanted to play [in the field]."

Rodriguez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the Yankees' 8-0 win. But he looked comfortable in the field, starting a double play with a pickup on the backhand side before leaving in the sixth.

Rodriguez was removed in the sixth Monday after colliding with Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau while stretching to beat a double-play relay.

Rodriguez was replaced by pinch runner Miguel Cairo with Hideki Matsui up after advacing to second on a walk.

"Alex said he wasn't going to try to score on a base hit," Torre recalled. "That's why I took him out then. It was a strategic substitution. I thought he might miss a day or so. Certainly, we wouldn't be taking any risk."

Torre had the same order as Monday, leaving Derek Jeter to bat third in front of Rodriguez and Jorge Posada.

Once again, the move worked as Jeter had three hits and two RBI. Monday, Jeter's two hits and two RBI were the first by a Yankee third-place hitter on the homestand.

"I hope [Jeter] has fun with it," Torre said. "I think he's pretty oblivious to where he hits. He's just himself."

Hughes' Rehab On Track

Two months after he made an overnight trip from emerging star to the disabled list, Phil Hughes appears to be on the road to recovery. The rookie righthander threw 30 pitches in live batting practice at the Tampa facility yesterday and may make his first rehab start early next week.

Hughes, the pride of the organization's minor league system, dazzled in his second start for the Yankees at Texas on May 1. But he sustained a hamstring injury in a one-hit performance and was knocked out of the rotation. After spraining an ankle in Florida, he was bumped from the 15-day to the 60-day DL.

Wire reports included

Newsday staff writer Ken Davidoff contributed to this story.

More articles

Copyright © 2007, Newsday, Inc.

A-Rod, Posada, Jeter only Yankees All-Stars

2007-07-08T01:31:00.000-04:00

A-Rod, Posada, Jeter only Yankees All-Stars
BY BOB HERZOG
July 2, 2007

A hollow victory is about all the Yankees can get these days, and that was the case after the results of the American League All-Star voting were released late in yesterday's 11-5 loss to Oakland.

Alex Rodriguez, for the first time in his career, was MLB's top vote-getter in earning his 11th All-Star spot; Derek Jeter was second to A-Rod and will start at shortstop for the third time, and catcher Jorge Posada was elected as a reserve on the player ballot.

"It's what you hoped for, and especially Jorgie," Joe Torre said, expressing affection for Posada, who is having a career season but often is overshadowed by the exploits of his high-profile teammates on the left side of the infield.

Jeter seemed especially pleased for his close friend, too. "He's having a great year, a terrific year," Jeter said of Posada. "He's one of our most consistent players and he deserves to go."

Posada couldn't fully enjoy the honor. "I'm happy about it, but I can't really think about that," he said. "It's really frustrating right now."

A-Rod and Jeter said essentially the same thing. "It's kind of hard to have a smile on your face, but obviously, it feels good that people recognize how you play the game," Jeter said. "You do appreciate it. It makes you feel good. But it's tough right now."

Rodriguez, perhaps because he wasn't certain about the New York vote at the start of the season, recently said several times that it would mean a lot to him to be No. 1 in the balloting. But yesterday, he barely smiled when asked about it.

"It's hard to think about that right now, but it's a pretty neat experience," A-Rod said. "It's a lot of votes, a lot of fans, so it's pretty cool. You have days like today that remind you how hard this game can be. To be so consistent for a long time is something that I'm proud of."

Torre was pleased for his third baseman, too. "I think it's significant," he said of A-Rod's vote total of 3,890,515, "because he's worked hard to get this. Alex has come a long way since last year and I'm happy for him."

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JETER AIMS TO PLAY THROUGH THE STRAIN

2007-07-02T00:04:00.000-04:00

JETER AIMS TO PLAY THROUGH THE STRAIN
By GEORGE KING

June 24, 2007 -- SAN FRANCISCO - Joe Torre said there is a chance Derek Jeter may have to sit out today’s game against the Giants with a strained left hip flexor muscle. As usual, Jeter scoffed at the idea he can’t play.

“I wasn’t able to move too well but it’s not a problem, no big deal,” said Jeter, who was removed from yesterday’s crushing 6-5 loss in the 13 innings in the eighth inning. “I plan on playing.”

Jeter suffered the injury running out a double in the first inning but stayed in the game.

“It had gotten to the point where he if he had gotten on [in the eighth] we would have had to run for him,” Torre said of his captain, who went 2-for-5 and extended a hitting streak to 17 games. “Dr. [Allen] Miller is here and he said it shouldn’t be long. I know he wants to play.”

Because the Yankees are off tomorrow, Jeter may benefit from not playing today and getting two days of rest. But that’s not the way to bet.

Jeter has a 25-game interleague hitting streak going, the second longest in history.

*

No wonder Alex Rodriguez digs this city.

Rodriguez went 4-for-6 with a homer that led off the ninth and tied the score, 5-5. He is 22-for-33 lifetime in San Francisco. It was his seventh ninth-inning homer this year. Rodriguez has nine homers in the last 19 games and has reached base in 11 of his last 13 plate appearances. In the ninth inning he is batting .550 (11-for-20) after batting .143 (5-for-35) in the ninth last year.

*

Torre said no decision will be made regarding whether to put Johnny Damon on the disabled list until Tuesday. Torre said Damon’s abdominal muscle problem was better yesterday, but the manager won’t try to speed up the recovery process after watching Damon ground out as pinch-hitter yesterday.

*

Torre saw enough positives from Kei Igawa’s outing Friday night to keep the lefty in the rotation, but didn’t know when the left-hander’s next start would be.

“That box is open,” Torre said of pitching coach Ron Guidry’s chart.

If the Yankees stay in rotation, Igawa’s next start would be Thursday against the Orioles in Baltimore. Because of tomorrow’s off day, however, the Yankees could use Chien-Ming Wang, yesterday’s hurler, Thursday. Torre was waiting to see how Wang came out of yesterday’s effort. This time the Yankees gave Wang an extra day of rest after he threw 113 pitches against the Mets in his prior outing Sunday.

*

When the Yankees summoned Andy Phillips from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Torre said he was going to give the infielder substantial playing time at first base. However, since arriving Tuesday, Phillips has started one game. Yesterday, Torre stuck with Miguel Cairo at first and said he was tempted to play Jorge Posada there today before Posada caught all 13 innings yesterday.

“With Derek we will probably start like we finished today,” said Torre who had Cairo at short and Phillips at first for the final six innings.

*

When Bud Selig instructed Jason Giambi to talk to George Mitchell or risk disciplinary action, reliever Mike Myers was critical of the commissioner’s edict. Now, that Giambi has agreed to meet with Mitchell, Myers doesn’t expect the former senator to learn much new.

“Jason will be smart about it,” Myers said. “He probably won’t go into a lot more detail that he has already said.”

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Jeter: What, me worry?

2007-07-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

Jeter: What, me worry?
05/14/2007 12:27 PM ET
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Derek Jeter flicked the lapels of his sharp silver blazer -- exceeding the standard for team charter flights -- and turned to the gathering of television cameras and notebooks waiting by his locker.

After tough losses, this practice has become a steady standard for the Yankees captain. It has also been far too common an occurrence in the early going, as the 17-19 Yankees sank two games below the .500 mark following their defeat to the Mariners at Safeco Field on Sunday.

So Jeter, the most consistent Yankee this year, coolly dissected the latest installment of a season that has been implicit in its inconsistency. The state of the Yankees address contained an underlying message of hope.

Sure, the Yankees were eight games back of the Red Sox, but, as Jeter cracked, it's better than nine.

"I think what you've got to try to do, when there's a lot of things going on, is try to stay positive," Jeter said before Sunday's game. "I think that's the biggest thing. It's real easy to get caught up in that everything is so negative, negative, negative. That's all anyone's asking about, that's all anyone's talking about.

"I just try to stay positive, regardless of what happens. Even if we're not playing well, you can still try to draw some positives from an individual day. That's what I try to do. I'm still optimistic by nature."

Perhaps so, but the first six weeks of the campaign have presented circumstances difficult for even the most ardent Yankees supporters to swallow.

A starting rotation plagued by inconsistency and injuries seems to finally be rounding into form, but now the red flags have shifted to the offense, which has been held to two runs or less in three of four games leading into Monday's off-day in Chicago.

After Sunday's loss, Johnny Damon fretted that nobody would catch the Red Sox if their current pace continued. Even Yankees manager Joe Torre showed concern that the team was wasting pitching and had lost its swagger.

Yet Jeter kept his brave face, offering compliments to the Mariners' pitching staff and stating that the Yankees would worry about the Red Sox when they unpacked their belongings in a clubhouse across the hall. It was a course of action learned long ago.

"I remember being young, and you'd get caught up in the, 'Here we go again,' thing," Jeter said. "The thing you have to realize is, when we're going poorly, the only way you can get out of it is to forget about what's happened. Once you keep talking about it and keep dwelling on it, it's pretty difficult to get out."

In a lineup plagued by outages among many key contributors, including Bobby Abreu (2-for-22), Robinson Cano (9-for-63), Jason Giambi (0-for-18) and Alex Rodriguez (2-for-17), Jeter's reliability strikes even more of a chord.

The veteran shortstop has never finished a season leading the American League in hitting, but right now he paces the AL with a .375 batting average. His teammate, catcher Jorge Posada, is second with a .365 mark, and neither player appears particularly interested given the Yankees' struggles and the calendar month.

"I'm not chasing him," Posada said. "It's May."

"Individual awards, if I led the league, are great, but you don't think about that," Jeter said. "Especially in May. We're trying to win games. We've got a long way to go."

If nothing else, the statistics reflect a consistent approach. Jeter hit in 25 consecutive games in '06 and opened the 2007 campaign with a 20-game hitting streak, a string that was snapped on May 4, ending a run of 29 at-bats in which he'd batted .552.

Undeterred, Jeter picked up where he'd left off, hitting in his ninth straight game on Sunday.

"He knows what his capabilities are," Torre said. "He's not swinging and missing as much as the first couple of years. The fact that he uses the whole field, he's not going to hit a lot of home runs. Basically, he hits a lot of line drives."

Including the final 37 games of '06, Jeter has hit in 60 of his last 62 regular-season games and has reached base in 67 out of 68 games dating back to last season.

Perhaps most valuable, Torre said, was Jeter's production when pitchers tried to escape innings. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Jeter's success rate has been a staggering .625 (10-for-16) with 11 RBIs.

"That's the bonus, as far as I'm concerned," Torre said. "[With a] man at third base, less than two outs, you're supposed to knock in the run. With two outs, that's what turns into a great at-bat -- two-out RBIs. That's something that really deflates the opposition and perks up your team."

The production might be a bigger statement than any rah-rah speech Jeter could give behind closed doors.

"You don't always have to say something," Jeter said, "and when you say something, guys don't have to know about it. I get a big kick out of people saying that I don't say too much. How do you all know? You don't just run your mouth for the sake of running your mouth. I think you can lead by example, first and foremost.

"We've got 100-something games left. The sky ain't falling yet."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

JETER IS ALREADY ONE OF THE GREATS

2007-06-23T23:05:00.000-04:00

JETER IS ALREADY ONE OF THE GREATS
May 24, 2007 --

THE old-timers don't want to hear this, of course, because the sacrilege is so extreme as to knock them out cold where they stand. It doesn't matter that the final sentence the great Red Smith ever wrote spoke of his belief that he would one day see another Joe DiMaggio.

"There was only one DiMaggio," is what they tell you.

Of course, every year there are fewer and fewer eye-witnesses to the feats of the great DiMaggio. Mostly, we rely on oral history and tales told from father to son.

And here's the thing: If you listen closely to those words, if you follow closely to those stories, they all have a familiar ring to them. They speak of an athlete of such grace that he seemed to be playing in 3/4 time while everyone else was at 4/4. They talk of effortlessness while playing a game that demands supreme effort out of most mortals.

"The thing about Joe," Phil Rizzuto once told me, "is that you could bring someone to the stadium who'd never seen baseball in his life, and the first thing they'd do is point to him and say, 'Who's that one?' "

Derek Jeter collected a couple of base hits in his first two plate appearances last night, part of the Yankees' assault and battery on Curt Schilling, part of the early crush that helped salt away this 8-3 victory before it could ever reach a critical moment. The first one was the 2,214th hit of Jeter's career. That tied Joe DiMaggio on the Yankees' all-time list.

The second was No. 2,215. That put Jeter alone in fifth place in Yankees history. He is a month away from his 33rd birthday, and it's becoming clear that he's not only a cinch to cruise to 3,000 hits - becoming, quite remarkably, the first Yankee to ever reach that forever milestone - but has a wonderful chance to become only the third man ever born to reach 4,000.

It's always been fashionable to say that the numbers don't define Jeter, but the fact is they do define him, they have to. His lifetime batting average entering last night was .318. In club history the only men north of him on that list have names like Ruth and Gehrig and Combs and, yes, DiMaggio.

"I won't lie," Jeter said. "When you hear your name mentioned with Joe's . . . that's pretty incredible."

What may be most remarkable is the season he's strung together in 2007. With warnings of a falling sky every few days, with everyone else on his roster suffering bouts of self-doubt and self-loathing (save for Jorge Posada - no coincidence they are the most inseparable Yankees), Jeter has been an absolute beacon of consistency. He has played 44 games. He has hits in 41 of them, and in one of the three hitless games he was forced to leave after the first inning with a wrist injury.

It's enough to hearken to DiMaggio, again. It was DiMaggio's brother, Dominic, who described best what it was like to watch Joe during May, June and July of 1941, when he assembled his fabled 56-game hitting streak.

"Most people who play this game, good as they are, it's still something of a pleasant surprise when you see them get a hit," Dominic said last year. "But in '41, whenever my brother made an out, that was the surprise. That's the kind of groove he was in."

And that's how Jeter looks, and has looked, all season long. He is never going to be as spectacular as Alex Rodriguez was in April, not even for a little while. But there really is something magnificent in the simple things he does so well, and so much better than most of the other people who play this game. There is something joyful about watching all of that.

Leading off the seventh inning last night, Jeter hit a ball to the left-center gap. When Jose Reyes hits one there, you see flames on the basepaths. With Jeter, there was just an easy glide. But he wound up on third base, too, career hit No. 2,216. And you get the sense, if someone was at Yankee Stadium watching his first baseball game, he would have pointed to Jeter, and he would have had to ask his neighbor a question.

"Who's that one?"

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

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Jeter Sees Sunshine Amid Clouds

2007-05-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

Jeter Sees Sunshine Amid Clouds
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: May 13, 2007

SEATTLE, May 12 — Most days, a few hours before the Yankees play, Derek Jeter will stroll into the clubhouse sipping a grande cappuccino from Starbucks. No endorsements, though; Starbucks does not need a pitchman, and he already hawks Gatorade and Propel fitness water.

Three hours before Friday night’s game, Jeter stood in the middle of the visiting locker room at Safeco Field with a different kind of treat: a soft-serve ice cream cone from the players’ lounge. As an accessory, it made him look carefree, which in many ways he is.

“You can tell he enjoys every aspect of the game,” said first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who is playing on a team with Jeter for the first time this season. “The good, the bad and the ugly, he thoroughly enjoys all of it.”

For the Yankees this season, there have been plenty of bad and ugly. But aside from a brief fielding slump in early April, not much of it has been caused by Jeter. He leads the American League in batting average (.376) and hits (53), maintaining a sunny outlook despite the Yankees’ erratic start.

That part comes easy to Jeter, the team captain, who said he always tried to take the long view, and the positive one.

“I’m optimistic by nature,” Jeter said. “Even when things are going poorly, you’ve got to find something positive. You have to. Because if you get caught up in being negative all the time, you’ll never get out of any kind of funk.”

Jeter is not immune to slumps, of course. He went 0 for 32 early in the 2004 season, and when Mientkiewicz struggled in April, Jeter often reminded him of his own slow starts.

But he has been remarkably consistent over the past two seasons. At one point, from Aug. 20, 2006, through May 3, he had at least one hit in 59 of 61 games. The stretch began with a 25-game hitting streak, followed by a hitless game. A 14-game hitting streak followed that. Then, after another hitless game, Jeter ripped off 20 in a row.

According to Trent McCotter of the Society for American Baseball Research, only one other player since 1900 had as many as 59 games out of 61 with a hit: Joe DiMaggio, who hit safely in 60 of 61 in 1941, when he had a record 56-game streak.

For superstitious reasons, Jeter does not like talking about hot streaks as they happen. But when he stays in one all season, it is sometimes hard to avoid.

“I don’t think about it, really,” he said. “All I try to do, pretty much, is to be consistent. I don’t try to overanalyze anything, I don’t try to sit back and say, You’re doing this or that. I just try to consistently help out every day.

“You look at it that way, especially when things are going bad, you’re able to get out of it, because you’re not concerning yourself with how you’re doing individually.”

In a short time around Jeter, Mientkiewicz already understands the essence of what makes him succeed. Mientkiewicz said it was obvious to him that Jeter kept everything simple and took each at-bat with a clear head, never letting one plate appearance affect the next.

As a hitter, Jeter reminds Mientkiewicz of the Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, his former teammate with the Minnesota Twins. Both are exceptional hitters who make their own luck.

“He’s got that Paul Molitor knack,” Mientkiewicz said. “Even in batting practice, Molly never hit a ball right to the shortstop or right to the second baseman. They always had that knack of always hitting the ball where somebody wasn’t.

“Tony Gwynn had it, too — they just find holes. When he rolls a ball over, it’s never right to somebody. Then he tops one off the plate, and it’s right in front of the plate and he beats it out. Then he barrels it up and hits it 440 in the gap, and it’s a homer.”

There is a tendency toward hyperbole when discussing any hot hitter, and Jeter is no exception. But history shows that he does not vary much from the way he starts a season. Only once has Jeter’s season-ending batting average been more than .013 below his average May 11. And that year (1999), he finished second in the league in hitting at .349.

Jeter is now batting third, behind the struggling Bobby Abreu, because Manager Joe Torre said he felt more comfortable with Jeter in a position to drive in runs.

“He’s gotten an awful lot of two-out hits,” Torre said. “That’s the bonus, as far as I’m concerned. Yeah, man on third base, less than two out, you’re supposed to knock in the run. But with two out, that’s what turns into a great at-bat. When you get two-out R.B.I.’s, that’s something that really deflates the opposition and perks up your team.”

With two outs and runners in scoring position, Jeter had a .600 average through Friday, with nine hits in 15 at-bats. It does not always work this way, but for now Jeter is living up to his reputation of giving the team what it needs. He said he was not thinking of anything else.

“When the season’s over, you get a chance to reflect on what happened during the season,” Jeter said. “Once you sit around and start talking about what you’ve done, that’s when you’re in trouble. You always strive to do something better.”

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Jeter: What, me worry?

2007-05-14T22:02:00.000-04:00

05/14/2007 12:27 PM ET
Jeter: What, me worry?
Yanks captain staying positive and his play shows the way
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Derek Jeter flicked the lapels of his sharp silver blazer -- exceeding the standard for team charter flights -- and turned to the gathering of television cameras and notebooks waiting by his locker.

After tough losses, this practice has become a steady standard for the Yankees captain. It has also been far too common an occurrence in the early going, as the 17-19 Yankees sank two games below the .500 mark following their defeat to the Mariners at Safeco Field on Sunday.

So Jeter, the most consistent Yankee this year, coolly dissected the latest installment of a season that has been implicit in its inconsistency. The state of the Yankees address contained an underlying message of hope.

Sure, the Yankees were eight games back of the Red Sox, but, as Jeter cracked, it's better than nine.

"I think what you've got to try to do, when there's a lot of things going on, is try to stay positive," Jeter said before Sunday's game. "I think that's the biggest thing. It's real easy to get caught up in that everything is so negative, negative, negative. That's all anyone's asking about, that's all anyone's talking about.

"I just try to stay positive, regardless of what happens. Even if we're not playing well, you can still try to draw some positives from an individual day. That's what I try to do. I'm still optimistic by nature."

Perhaps so, but the first six weeks of the campaign have presented circumstances difficult for even the most ardent Yankees supporters to swallow.

A starting rotation plagued by inconsistency and injuries seems to finally be rounding into form, but now the red flags have shifted to the offense, which has been held to two runs or less in three of four games leading into Monday's off-day in Chicago.

After Sunday's loss, Johnny Damon fretted that nobody would catch the Red Sox if their current pace continued. Even Yankees manager Joe Torre showed concern that the team was wasting pitching and had lost its swagger.

Yet Jeter kept his brave face, offering compliments to the Mariners' pitching staff and stating that the Yankees would worry about the Red Sox when they unpacked their belongings in a clubhouse across the hall. It was a course of action learned long ago.

"I remember being young, and you'd get caught up in the, 'Here we go again,' thing," Jeter said. "The thing you have to realize is, when we're going poorly, the only way you can get out of it is to forget about what's happened. Once you keep talking about it and keep dwelling on it, it's pretty difficult to get out."

In a lineup plagued by outages among many key contributors, including Bobby Abreu (2-for-22), Robinson Cano (9-for-63), Jason Giambi (0-for-18) and Alex Rodriguez (2-for-17), Jeter's reliability strikes even more of a chord.

The veteran shortstop has never finished a season leading the American League in hitting, but right now he paces the AL with a .375 batting average. His teammate, catcher Jorge Posada, is second with a .365 mark, and neither player appears particularly interested given the Yankees' struggles and the calendar month.

"I'm not chasing him," Posada said. "It's May."

"Individual awards, if I led the league, are great, but you don't think about that," Jeter said. "Especially in May. We're trying to win games. We've got a long way to go."

If nothing else, the statistics reflect a consistent approach. Jeter hit in 25 consecutive games in '06 and opened the 2007 campaign with a 20-game hitting streak, a string that was snapped on May 4, ending a run of 29 at-bats in which he'd batted .552.

Undeterred, Jeter picked up where he'd left off, hitting in his ninth straight game on Sunday.

"He knows what his capabilities are," Torre said. "He's not swinging and missing as much as the first couple of years. The fact that he uses the whole field, he's not going to hit a lot of home runs. Basically, he hits a lot of line drives."

Including the final 37 games of '06, Jeter has hit in 60 of his last 62 regular-season games and has reached base in 67 out of 68 games dating back to last season.

Perhaps most valuable, Torre said, was Jeter's production when pitchers tried to escape innings. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Jeter's success rate has been a staggering .625 (10-for-16) with 11 RBIs.

"That's the bonus, as far as I'm concerned," Torre said. "[With a] man at third base, less than two outs, you're supposed to knock in the run. With two outs, that's what turns into a great at-bat -- two-out RBIs. That's something that really deflates the opposition and perks up your team."

The production might be a bigger statement than any rah-rah speech Jeter could give behind closed doors.

"You don't always have to say something," Jeter said, "and when you say something, guys don't have to know about it. I get a big kick out of people saying that I don't say too much. How do you all know? You don't just run your mouth for the sake of running your mouth. I think you can lead by example, first and foremost.

"We've got 100-something games left. The sky ain't falling yet."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 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.

Wang nearly misses perfect game; Yankees roll, 8-1

2007-05-05T23:44:00.000-04:00

Wang nearly misses perfect game; Yankees roll, 8-1
Posted by The Star-Ledger May 05, 2007 6:50PM
Categories: Sports
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

New York Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang delivers against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in Major League Baseball action. at Yankee Stadium in New York.NEW YORK - Derek Jeter likes to greet Yankees teammate Chien-Ming Wang with a cry of, What up Wang? - purposely mispronouncing the pitchers last name to rhyme with clang instead of song.
What was up yesterday was a lot of nothing.

As in, almost all zeros for the Seattle Mariners.

Wang came within five outs of the 18th perfect game in major-league history, retiring 22 straight before settling for eight two-hit innings in the Yankees' 8-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.

It was a welcome performance for a team that had allowed 15 runs the night before and had seen its starters combine for a 5.73 ERA. Wang was the first Yankees starter this year to pitch into the eighth inning and the first in 17 games to finish the seventh.

With one out in the eighth inning, Seattle's Ben Broussard hammered a 0-1 pitch over the fence in right. The Yankee Stadium fans gasped in disappointment, then gave Wang a standing ovation for his effort.

During the middle innings, the crowd was often hushed - as if the fans were nervous about seeing history and afraid of jinxing Wang. But the cheers grew louder for every out he recorded.

It was just the third start of the season for Wang. He was in line to be the Yankees opening-day starter - an honor he earned last year by winning 19 games and finishing second in Cy Young Award voting - before he suffered a strained hamstring late in spring training.

Wang came off the disabled list April 24, and in his first two outings was 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA.

The Yankees blew open a 1-0 game with five runs in the sixth inning off former Yankee Jeff Weaver (0-5). The Yankees had four hits in the inning and were helped by a bases-loaded hit batter and a bases-loaded walk. Derek Jeter capped the rally with a two-run double.

Contributed by Ed Price

©2007 nj.com. All Rights Reserved.

Baseball 'Call Stars' Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Cal Ripken, Jr. are on the Phone from XM

2007-05-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

Newswires
Baseball 'Call Stars' Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Cal Ripken, Jr. are on the Phone from XM
Viral Marketing Campaign Invites Baseball Fans to Send Personalized Voice Messages from Baseball Greats to Friends
By: PR Newswire
Apr. 9, 2007 02:57 PM

WASHINGTON, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM, the official satellite radio network of Major League Baseball, is offering baseball fans the opportunity to send personalized voice messages from baseball greats Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Cal Ripken, Jr. to their friends and family.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070409/DCM003 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070313/XMLOGO )

The marketing campaign "Call Stars" is geared to enhance baseball fans' awareness of XM's comprehensive coverage of Major League Baseball. XM airs every MLB game for every team from Opening Night to the World Series.

Fans can visit the web site http://www.xmradio.com/mlb to send a customized voice message from the New York Yankees' Jeter, Boston Red Sox slugger Ortiz, or Hall-of-Fame-bound Ripken. When fans arrive at the site, they choose a ball player and enter a friend's name, favorite team, hobbies, and other details. Friends will receive the voice message on their phone, email or by AOL Instant Messenger.

"Call Stars" offers the baseball fan a wide variety of choices for creating a personal message from Jeter, Ortiz, or Ripken. Messages from Ortiz are available in Spanish or English. This campaign marks the first time that this type of audio service has been available in Spanish.

"With baseball season underway, XM is truly thrilled to provide fans an interactive way to get excited about the game," said Vernon Irvin, Chief Marketing Officer at XM. "This viral marketing campaign engages fans in a way that is fun and effective, and it provides XM an ideal platform to communicate directly to consumers."

In addition to carrying the games, XM has the nation's only 24-hour talk radio channel dedicated to Major League Baseball, MLB Home Plate (XM Channel 175). The channel covers every aspect of the sport 365 days a year with call- in shows, round-the-clock news updates, specials, and classic games. Ripken, who will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July, hosts the XM show "Ripken Baseball" on MLB Home Plate with his brother and fellow major league veteran Billy Ripken.

XM also offers Spanish play-by-play game coverage and baseball talk on the channel MLB En Espanol (XM Channel 174).

MLB is part of XM Radio's 170-channel package of sports, music, news, entertainment, and talk radio. XM subscribers can listen to the games live and nationwide on satellite radio receivers for the car, home, office, and portable use.

About XM

XM is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 7.6 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2007 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.

XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2007. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-9-06. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department. Programming is subject to change.

XM Satellite Radio
CONTACT: Carrie Kreiswirth, +1-212-643-1068 ext. 241,
carrie@pyramidpr.net, John Totaro, +1-212-643-1068, ext. 258,
jtotaro@pyramidpr.net, both of Pyramid Public Relations for XM Satellite
Radio; or Marie Farrar of XM Satellite Radio, +1-202-380-4151,
marie.farrar@xm.com

Web site: http://www.xmradio.com/mlb

Published Apr. 9, 2007 — Reads 270
Copyright © 2007 SYS-CON Media. All Rights Reserved.

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Jeter: Joe MUST NOT go

2007-05-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

Jeter: Joe MUST NOT go
Posted by Staten Island Advance April 30, 2007 1:49AM
Categories: Dean Balsamini

For all those folks who say Derek Jeter, as Captain of the Yankees, should speak up once in a while, well, your wait is over.

With the Yankees dropping yesterday's rubber game, 7-4, in the weekend series against the Red Sox, Derek clearly sees the walls closing in on manager Joe Torre.

The drumbeat for Joe's ouster are growing louder.
From the media.
From bloggers.
Most importantly, from the man who signs his checks.

And Jeter, who knows how to read signs (i.e. George Steinbrenner's silence -- save for those sources who report the Boss "is not happy") made sure to step up for his once-again beleaguered manager.

You, know, that guy who has led the Yankees to four World Series titles and 10 Eastern Division titles.

"It's unfair to even be talking about it, and it should stop," Jeter said yesterday afternoon.
The Yankees hit the road to Texas having lost eight of their last nine games. And five of six to Boston since April 21.

Any sane person would say it's way too early to even think about firing Joe. But tell that to Yogi Berra, who was fired by Steinbrenner after 16 games in 1985.

"It's unfair," Jeter said. "It shouldn't be questioned. His job should never be questioned. Like I said, he is in no way responsible for us not playing well. He puts the best players out on the field for every game, and then it's up to us."

Derek may not go to bat for A-Rod, but he definitely has Joe's back.

General manager Brian Cashman also defended Torre, saying: "As far as I'm concerned, I take full responsibility for this start, just because that's my job. If you're looking for blame, blame me."

Don't worry, Brian, I do.

As maddening as Joe's in-game managing can be, I do not want him fired. Nor should he be fired.

But Cashman is the guy who gave Joe a team with NO bench. I said this nearly three weeks ago and some people laughed. Now everybody is pointing it out.

Cashman is the guy who signed busts Carl ("Operation") Pavano, Kyle ("Can't pitch back-to-back") Farnsworth, Kei Igawa (trust me) and Doug "Every squirrel finds an acorn" Mientkiewicz.

That said, this will not be 1965 revisited. That was before free agency and before the advent of the wild card, the two sweetest words in the vocabulary of any Red Sox fan (see every year THEY make the playoffs.

Remember this: The Red Sox looked like worldbeaters last June when they owned the best record in baseball and swept the Mets. How did that work out?

There is plenty of time for the Yankees to regroup and Joe should be the man to lead them. The Yankees need to get healthy and Cashman needs to give Joe a few more players.

And if that doesn't do it, there's always our secret weapon.

Hilary Swank.

©2007 silive.com. All Rights Reserved.

Jeter Fired Up Over Torre

2007-05-01T00:16:00.000-04:00

Jeter Fired Up Over Torre
Captain Speaks Out In Manager's Defense
April 30, 2007

By DOM AMORE, Courant Staff Writer NEW YORK --

Derek Jeter rarely shows emotion, rarely lets on when he is angry. But Sunday, he raised his voice for Joe Torre.

"It's not fair," the Yankees captain said in reference to questions about Torre's job security. "He doesn't play, that's the bottom line. He puts the best team out there on the field and gives us an opportunity to win. We haven't gotten the job done. His job is something that shouldn't ever be talked about."

Jeter was asked if this was intended as a message to owner George Steinbrenner.

"I was just responding to the person who asked the question," he said. But if asked by anyone in the Yankees' hierarchy, "I would say the same thing," Jeter said.

Except for a handful of games for Buck Showalter in 1995, Jeter has played his entire career under Torre, whose 11-plus years are the longest anyone has lasted as manager of the Yankees since Casey Stengel's tenure of 1949-60.

Talk of Torre's job being in jeopardy began in earnest Friday night after the Yankees' 11-4 loss to the Red Sox, their seventh loss in a row and fourth in a row to the Red Sox. Torre aired out the team after the game, and the Yankees responded with a 3-1 victory Saturday, easing the tension. There was confidence Sunday that the Yankees, with their No.1 pitcher, Chien-Ming Wang, going against the Red Sox's No. 5, Julian Tavarez, could win, take two of three in the series and get to a manageable 41/2 games behind.

But the Yankees lost 7-4 to fall to 9-14 and 61/2 games back.

"I take full responsibility for this start," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I put this team together. If you're going to blame anyone, I say blame me."

Torre moved about his office and the clubhouse, preparing for the upcoming trip to Texas, without showing any sign of concern about being fired. "I can't control that," he said. "I just do what I can do."

Players talked as if there were a real fear of something happening.

"We all came here because Joe Torre was the manager," Jason Giambi said. "This has nothing to do with him. He can't do anything about injuries. It's not something we talk about because nobody thinks it's anything valid."

Said Alex Rodriguez: "It's frustrating that it's an issue."

Torre, 66, has managed the Yankees since 1996, guiding them into the playoffs each year, including 2005, when they started 11-19 and finished 95-67. His teams won the World Series four of his first five years, but they have lost in the playoffs each of the last six years. He was nearly fired last October. At that time, Steinbrenner put out a statement saying he expected a team that has "fighting spirit and worked together." That was perceived as a warning that Torre would be in trouble if the Yankees got off to a bad start.

Organization insiders were of divided opinions Sunday. Some suggest Steinbrenner, 76, is alert, angry and considering a move; others believe Steinbrenner's age and health are such that he is no longer making such decisions. The ownership is in turmoil, with general partner Steve Swindal getting divorced from Steinbrenner's daughter, Jennifer, so it's unclear who would go to bat for Torre and have the power to save him if the Boss insisted he go.

Steinbrenner's spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, said after the game that the Boss had no comment. Rubenstein said he had just spoken to Steinbrenner.

Contact Dom Amore at

damore@courant.com.

courant.com is Copyright © 2007 by The Hartford Courant

Jeter comes out strong for Torre

2007-04-30T23:52:00.000-04:00

Jeter comes out strong for Torre
April 30, 2007
New York

Once again, Yankees fans were silenced in their own stadium, allowing a building roar from the invading Red Sox fans to take over the place the way the Sox have threatened to take over the American League East.

Surely, many of you will find your voice again today, hitting the airwaves with angst and vigor and once more screaming for Joe Torre's head, demanding the manager pay for this unsightly start to the season with his job.

You will crow about the same serenity that once represented his success, labeling it as indifference.

You will beg for a manager with a kick-in-the-butt temperament, having never once seen for yourselves the glare Torre can offer when he is displeased, or having never heard the terse speech he gave his team the other night.

That is your right.

You can dismiss the qualities that have helped earn 11 straight playoff appearances, four World Series rings and have steadied the Yankees through so many crises like these so effectively that we often forget they had them.

But now comes the time you must make an admission to yourself you won't necessarily want to make.

If you're railing against Torre's steady presence, you should have a problem with someone else on this team.

Derek Jeter.

Because all the even-keeled qualities that Torre possesses, that allow him to keep his head while millions around him lose theirs, are the same traits that make Jeter so great.

If you think Torre is too laid back or unemotional, you'd better say the same thing about Jeter, whose ability to stay on a straight line is exactly what makes him the game's best clutch player.

Which is why it was nice to see the Yankees captain finally offer more than a cursory response when asked yet again about Torre's job security.

It was nice to see Jeter — intentionally or not — deliver a message not only to the reporters asking questions but the fans and anyone in the Yankees organization who thinks their mounting problems can be solved with a shift in the manager's office.

"It's not fair," Jeter said. "There's no way he's responsible for this. He's not hitting for us. He's not fielding for us. He's done a great job. It's unfair. It shouldn't be questioned. He is in no way responsible for us not performing.

"It should stop."

Jeter was as animated as he gets, still cool, but irritated by the mere thought of replacing the manager.

He was asked if he meant to address anyone in the organization with those statements and said he was simply answering reporters' questions.

But when asked if he would repeat those thoughts if he was asked by someone with the club, Jeter immediately snapped "yep."

"Same answer," he said. "I would say the exact same thing."

This is the strongest voice the Yankees have in their clubhouse and hearing such a passionate speech from the captain could even resonate all the way to the top, back in Tampa.

George Steinbrenner knows Jeter wants to win as much as he does and has to respect the man's opinion, even if he doesn't agree with it.

That doesn't mean Jeter's words will keep Torre safe, but they can't hurt.

Regardless of Jeter's words, his actions provide one more reason why all the people screaming for more fire are missing the point.

He has thrived under the biggest pressure spots for the same reason Torre has — he knows how to stay calm and confident.

Leadership doesn't come from some kind of show for the fans or media. Plenty of managers worried about their jobs make sure they show their fire for the cameras, losing players' respect in the process.

Torre is stronger than all of them because he takes care of his business behind closed doors and takes all the heat he must, regardless of the situation.

Which is why he again may have seemed to lack passion yesterday when he said "if that happens, it happens" when asked about being fired.

That is no different than Jeter once starting a season 0-for-32 and saying with a shrug, "I'm going to get a hit."

So Torre's made a few more mistakes this season than in years past. But when he says he's going to keep doing what he does, that's no different than Jeter's M.O.

And ask yourself who would do a better job right now? Who could handle the circus of New York while barely having any starting pitchers, no less?

As Brian Cashman has repeated several times the past two days, if you want to blame anyone, put it on the general manager.

Of course, you can still put it on the manager if you want.

But if you want to be consistent about what you don't like in Torre, you should be screaming about Jeter next.

Dave Buscema's column appears regularly. Contact him at buscema@hotmail.com.

Record Online is brought to you by the Times Herald-Record, serving New York"s Hudson Valley and the Catskills. Phone: (845) 341-1100

Derek Jeter's Top 10

2007-04-29T23:35:00.001-04:00

Derek Jeter's Top 10
April 29, 2007
Compiled by Patrick Dunne

The Yankees All-Star shortstop appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" Thursday night and read the "Top 10 Little-Known Facts About Derek Jeter"...

10.) In 2002, I set a major league record of 97 consecutive games without scratching myself.

9.) I can put five baseballs in my mouth.

8.) Remember I missed a game last year with a "pulled hamstring"? I actually had Streisand tickets.

7.) When Johnny Damon cut his hair, I put it in my scrapbook.

6.) I'd trade my four World Series rings for a spot on Late Show's "Impressionist Week II"

5.) When Red Sox fans shout, "Yankees suck," it really hurts my feelings.

4.) The thing I love most about being a baseball player is seeing a child's eyes light up big when I give him an autograph. ... Oh, and the crazy paycheck.

3.) Between you and me, I don't get all the [butt]-slapping either.

2.) So I'm not bothered by fans, I check into hotels under the name "Dave Letterman."

1.) Rosie quit "The View" so we could spend more time together.

From Late Show with David Letterman, WorldWide Pants, Inc.

Every Reason To Be Peeved

IPHRERBBSOERANPPeavy 720 0 3161.67116Jake Peavy was about as dominant as any pitcher could be Wednesday night but came away without a victory to show for it. Among the Padres righthander's 16 strikeouts against the Diamondbacks were nine in a row. Only a walk to Eric Byrnes on a 3-and-2 check swing call kept Peavy from tying Tom Seaver's record of 10 strikeouts in a row, set for the Mets in a 19K performance against the Padres in 1970. Worse than missing the record was what happened after Peavy left the game. Stephen Drew took all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman deep for a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 D'Backs victory. His performance wasted, Peavy took it in stride. "That bullpen has picked me up time and time again, and they're going to have nights like this," he told The Associated Press. "We can't expect all of them to be perfect." Peavy should be used to it. Last May, he also struck out 16 (the franchise record) in a 3-1 loss to the Braves.

Lefthanders And Carbon Dating, Part II

The night before Peavy's gem and less than two weeks after graybeards Jamie Moyer, 44, and Tom Glavine, 41, hooked up in the oldest major league matchup of lefthanders, a pair of old ex-Yankees got together Tuesday night to put that record out to pasture. David Wells and Randy Johnson, dissimilar body types but the same age (43), were a combined 87 years, 300 days old when they squared off, and pitched like it. (Moyer and Glavine were a mere 85 years, 163 days old.) Johnson was hit hard in his first start in his return to Arizona after two turbulent seasons in the Bronx. Wells, who knows all about turbulent years as a Yankee, was hit almost as hard but he and the Padres came away with a 10-5 victory.

Oh, Those Amazing Four-Homer-In-A-Row Coincidences

1

The number of players who twice have been part of quartet that hit four consecutive home runs in an inning: a.k.a. J.D. Drew. Four homers in a row has only been done five times and Drew was in the middle of the past two. The Red Sox right fielder was No. 2 both in the sequence Sunday night in the third inning against the Yankees and late last season (Sept. 18, 2006) for the Dodgers against the Padres. One also describes the number of managers of a team that pulled off the feat whose father was part of a four-homer-in-row-group. Red Sox manager Terry Francona's father, Tito, was the third in a group of Cleveland Indians that went deep consecutively, all off the Angels' Paul Foytack, on July 31, 1963. ... Oh, and who ended the Braves' home run streak the night they pulled the four-peat against the Reds (June 8, 1961)? Joe Torre, then the Braves catcher, who grounded out after Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas had homered. Sunday night, Torre, watching from the dugout as Yankees manager, saw rookie starter Chase Wright join Foytack as the only pitchers to give up four consecutive homers in an inning. Contacted by Newsday, Foytack, now 76 and living in Tennessee, said: "Well, he tied me. And I thought I was going to have that record forever!"

courant.com is Copyright © 2007 by The Hartford Courant

Gameloft Celebrates The Success Of The Derek Jeter Franchise

2007-04-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Gameloft Celebrates The Success Of The Derek Jeter Franchise

New York – Highlighting its worldwide leadership position, as well as the creative strength of its internal development studios, Gameloft®, a leading publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones, today announced that its Derek Jeter franchise of mobile games is the best selling baseball game franchise on the market to date. The company is also pleased to announce the newest mobile baseball game offering in the series, Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2007.

“We are extremely satisfied at the sales success achieved by our line of Derek Jeter mobile games, and believe that the newly implemented changes for Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2007 will continue that legacy,” said Gonzague de Vallois, vice–president of Publishing, Gameloft. “Additionally, the success of the entire franchise further validates our strategy of ensuring high quality games by internally controlling the development process.”

“I am excited to continue working with Gameloft as their cover athlete for the game,” said all-star shortstop, Derek Jeter. “It has been a great experience to watch the progression of the game over the years and see it get even better with each new version.”

Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2007 once again captures the exciting challenge of the classic pitcher vs. batter duel, and intensifies it with new, intuitive controls, new view of the diamond and a more vibrant baseball crowd. Now, baseball fans can keep the action going between innings, during rain delays, or anywhere they take their phone.

About Gameloft

Gameloft is a leading international publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones. Founded in 1999, it has emerged as one of the top innovators in its field. The company creates games for mobile handsets equipped with Java, Brew, or Symbian technology. The total number of mobile handsets with this technology is expected to exceed two billion units in 2008 (ARC GROUP).

Thanks to partnership agreements with leading licensors and personalities such as Ubisoft Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Touchstone Television, Viacom, Sony Pictures, FifPro, Paris Hilton Ent., Lamborghini, Derek Jeter, Reggie Bush, Vijay Singh, Andrei Schevchenko, and Djibril Cissé, Gameloft has formed strong relationships with international brands. In addition to the partnerships, Gameloft owns and operates such brands as Block Breaker Deluxe, Asphalt: Urban GT and New York Nights.

As a result of agreements with telecom carriers, handset manufacturers, specialized distributors and its online store, Gameloft now boasts a distribution network covering 75 countries.

Gameloft has worldwide offices in New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Paris, London, Düsseldorf, Milan, Madrid, New Delhi, Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. Gameloft is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN: FR0000079600, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA) For more information, visit www.gameloft.com.

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Jeter remains positive

2007-04-27T22:39:00.001-04:00

04/27/2007 8:23 PM ET
Notes: Jeter remains positive
Despite skid, Yanks captain not ready to push panic button
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- One day after being scratched from the Yankees' lineup with a sore left thigh, Derek Jeter said he had no qualms about trotting onto the wet diamond to welcome the Red Sox to town.

Jeter left Tuesday's game against the Rays after being hit by a first-inning Scott Kazmir pitch, and though Jeter insisted the bruise left by the 91 mph fastball wouldn't cause him to miss any time, manager Joe Torre wiped Jeter from the slate for Thursday's loss.

An idle spectator for the Yankees' 6-0 blanking at the hands of A.J. Burnett and the Blue Jays, Jeter said he was ready to go for the weekend against the Red Sox -- a string that, with the Yankees having lost six straight entering play Friday, was already being viewed by some as a pivotal stretch.

"I don't like to watch," Jeter said. "I don't like to sit out games, especially when we're not playing well. But then again, you've got to be smart. I don't want to go out there and hurt the team. It's a long season and we've lost six games in a row, but I wouldn't push the panic button yet."

With the exception of Thursday's shutout -- the first time New York has been blanked this season -- Jeter said he felt as though the Yankees have remained close in every game.

That may not have eased the sting of walking out of both Fenway Park and Tropicana Field winless, but the mostly veteran Yankees have experienced these stretches before. The most important goal right now is to break the string, and with Boston in town, it would be an ideal time to do so.

"You have to be positive," Jeter said. "I think that's the biggest key. It's a long season and there are going to be stretches when you're playing well and you're playing bad. I don't think we played all that poorly over the last week.

"We lost three games in Boston and a couple in [St. Petersburg], and we could have easily won a few of them. It didn't happen, but it wasn't like we played poorly. As long as the effort is there, the wins will come."

With the Yankees' offense coming off a sputtering effort, Jeter's bat was a welcome presence. The shortstop extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a first-inning single off Daisuke Matsuzaka and has hit in 18 of 19 contests to open the season. Including the final 37 games of 2006, Jeter has now hit safely in 54 of his last 56 regular-season games.

Good news, good Hughes: As Torre took the baseball from 20-year-old Phil Hughes in the fifth inning on Thursday night, the manager patted the rookie on the shoulder and told him, "We'll see you out there again."

Torre didn't necessarily mean to indicate that Hughes was going to receive a follow-up start the next time around the rotation, but less than 24 hours later, the Yankees were ready to commit. Hughes is expected to make his second Major League start on Tuesday against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Hughes said that he didn't know if the change in venue would help quell any nerves that irked him in the first inning on Thursday, but said the experiences of his first 91 pitches in The Show could make a difference.

"It's still a hard game to play," Hughes said. "But as far as the nerves I was feeling in the first game, I don't anticipate that being too much of a factor."

Hughes said that after leaving Yankee Stadium, he and his parents went searching for a late-night eatery, a low-key celebration to cap a memorable evening. The only place they found open in the area was an all-night diner in the Bronx, but Hughes said it did the trick.

"It was definitely a night I'll never forget," Hughes said.

He'll be O-Kei: Kei Igawa, who is being skipped this turn through the rotation after allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday against the Rays, said he will draw upon videotapes of his pitching performances with the Hanshin Tigers to identify flaws.

Igawa, 27, is just 1-1 with a 7.84 ERA in his first four Major League starts, and the Yankees have been irked by the Japanese left-hander's inability to repeat his mechanics.

"My confidence hasn't been shaken," Igawa said through an interpreter. "I need to work on my style of pitching that I had in Japan."

In the meantime, Igawa will remain available for the Yankees as a reliever. He said that pitching coach Ron Guidry, who worked with Igawa in a bullpen session Thursday, told the hurler that he needs to throw strikes ahead in the count like he did sporadically in Spring Training and at times in his Major League appearances.

"We're all trying to find the solution, him included," Torre said. "He certainly isn't lazy about it."

Igawa also said that he has been skipped over in the rotation before due to performance-related issues. In Japan, he explained, the custom is for a pitcher to be bypassed after successive poor outings.

"I'm trying to adjust to Major League batters," Igawa said. "I have to step up to the plate and be on the same level."

Moose on call: Mike Mussina saved some mileage on Friday, bypassing a scheduled rehab start for Double-A Trenton in favor of pitching a simulated game at Yankee Stadium.

Mussina worked with catcher Wil Nieves and threw more than 60 pitches under game conditions, pitching with a batter in the box while sitting down and warming up to simulate the changing of innings.

"He looked perfect," Nieves said. "No pain."

The 38-year-old right-hander, on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, will be back on the field Saturday to work on fielding drills and test himself covering bases. If all goes well, the Yankees expect to have Mussina available to start Thursday at Texas.

"Everything went as planned," Mussina said. "I feel good and I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I have the chance to do some things I didn't have the chance to do today because of the weather conditions."

Right-hander Carl Pavano, on the disabled list with right forearm tightness, also soft-tossed Friday with Guidry and Reggie Jackson. The Yankees still have no projection for Pavano's return, but are encouraged that he continues to report no further setbacks.

"We're counting on him, sure," Torre said. "But there's no timetable on when that is."

Numbers game: Jeff Karstens nearly made the Yankees' Opening Day roster wearing No. 58 on his back, so when he struggled at Fenway Park last Saturday wearing No. 17, the right-hander didn't completely disregard the connection. Thus, when Karstens walks to the mound Saturday against the Red Sox, he'll have restored his uniform number to its Spring Training status.

"It's what worked for me in the spring," Karstens said. "With [No.] 17, it kind of went away. I'm not trying to be superstitious, but why change it?"

Laundry aside, Karstens said he would need to do a better job getting ahead of the Boston batters and keeping the ball down, particularly avoiding damage from Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Karstens allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings at Fenway.

Rain date announced: The Yankees and Devil Rays will make up their April 4 rainout on July 21 as part of a split-admission doubleheader. Fans holding tickets for the rained-out April 4 contest will be admitted to the 7:05 p.m. twin-bill nightcap, pending the Yankees' rainout policy.

Mass transit encouraged: The Yankees are reminding fans who plan on attending this weekend's series against Boston to consider mass transportation. Because of various construction projects around the stadium, parking spaces are limited.

Coming up: The Yankees and Red Sox face off for the second game of their three-game weekend tilt on Saturday, with Karstens (0-1, 14.54 ERA) making his second start of the campaign for New York.

The Red Sox counter with a familiar foe for the Yankees, right-hander Tim Wakefield (2-2, 2.08 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 3:55 p.m. ET on FOX.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 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 out in 1st; Yanks activate Wang from DL

2007-04-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

Updated: April 24, 2007, 10:06 PM ET
Jeter out in 1st; Yanks activate Wang from DL
Associated Press
Jeter

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter left Tuesday night's game against Tampa Bay with a bruised left thigh after being hit with a first-inning pitch by the Devil Rays' Scott Kazmir.

Jeter was plunked on the side of his left leg, just above the knee. After being checked by a trainer and talking to manager Joe Torre, the Yankees captain walked to first base and remained in the game until New York took the field for the bottom of the first.

Jeter was replaced at shortstop by Miguel Cairo.

The Yankees activated right-hander Chien-Ming Wang from the 15-day disabled list to start.

Wang, who won 19 games last season, had been out since March 23, when he hurt his right hamstring while running. He pitched in two minor league games while rehabbing, including a five-inning outing last Thursday for Class-A Tampa.

"Physically, he's fine," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "They've said all his stuff has been good."

The Yankees optioned outfielder Kevin Thompson to Triple-A Scranton.

New York pitcher Mike Mussina, on the DL with a strained left hamstring, threw 50 pitches off a bullpen mound and is scheduled to make a minor league rehab start Friday for Double-A Trenton at Harrisburg.

"The leg is good," Mussina said. "I think it will be fine."

If all goes well, he could pitch against Texas on May 2 or 3.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Copyright ©2007 ESPN Internet Ventures.

JETER JUMPS TO HONOR JACKIE

2007-04-13T00:13:00.000-04:00

JETER JUMPS TO HONOR JACKIE
By GEORGE KING
April 12, 2007 --

MINNEAPOLIS - Joe Torre, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano will join Mariano Rivera wearing "42" Sunday in Oakland against the A's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major-league debut.

"It was an easy decision for me," said Jeter, who asked to wear the number when he found out multiple players from teams were going to don it. "It will bring attention to what Jackie stood for, not only in baseball but society. If there is one player I would have wanted to play with and talk to it would be Jackie."

Torre grew up a Giants fan in Brooklyn so Robinson was the enemy. Nevertheless, Robinson the man certainly impressed Torre.

"When I realized other people called to do it, being from New York and shaking the man's hand one time," Torre said of his decision. "Knowing that the game was completely different and that he opened the door."

Cano's father named him after Robinson.

Rivera, the only active player to wear "42" because he had it before MLB retired it in 1997, said he believes every player in the big leagues should wear it Sunday.

"The whole team should wear it because it's something special," said Rivera, who was given the number upon his return from the minor leagues in 1995. "That's a special day for a special player. Make it special. The legacy Jackie left for us and for me to be the last one to wear "42" to me it's an honor I wear it as an honor."

*
Yankees pitchers were thriving in the clutch going into last night's game. In the previous four tilts, opposing hitters were batting an anemic .194 (6-for-31) with runners in scoring position. In the previous two tilts (both wins), they were batting .167 (3-for-18). That remained intact through the first five frames last night when the Twins went 0-for-5 against Mike Mussina and Sean Henn. But the Twins finished 4-for-7 in the clutch against Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.

*
Cashman said yesterday that Jeff Karstens will need "at least one rehab start but not more than two." Karstens is on the DL with a right elbow problem. The GM said staff ace Chien-Ming Wang will need at least two rehab games.

*
According to Cashman, pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras has changed Humberto Sanchez's arm action on his curveball to take the stress off the elbow.

"Nardi tweaked his curveball because he was hyper-extending his elbow when he threw it and that led to the problem," Cashman said of the right-hander who is on the DL with elbow tendinitis. Acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade, Sanchez is throwing bullpen sessions in Tampa.

NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.

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Jeter, Cano, Torre to sport No. 42

2007-04-12T23:12:00.000-04:00

04/11/2007 9:25 PM ET
Jeter, Cano, Torre to sport No. 42
Trio to honor 60th anniversary of Robinson's big-league debut
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- Mariano Rivera may be the last active player to wear No. 42 on a daily basis, but he will have some company as the Yankees take the field Sunday at Oakland.

Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Joe Torre have jumped at an opportunity to honor Jackie Robinson and by wearing No. 42 for one day, the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's April 15, 1947, debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

"I think it brings attention to what Jackie stood for, not only for baseball, but for society as a whole," Jeter said.

Jeter recalled meeting Robinson's widow, Rachel, at the 1996 Baseball Writers Association of America Awards dinner, and being charmed by her presence.

A rookie and a World Series champion then, Jeter has strong memories of the stories told by Rachel Robinson that evening, and has also performed mutual charitable efforts with Robinson's daughter, Sharon.

"I've always had the utmost respect for her and her daughter," Jeter said. "I've gotten to know them over the years. It's a great family. If there's one player I could play with and talk to, it'd be Jackie Robinson."

Rivera, the 37-year-old Yankees closer, has faithfully worn No. 42 since he found it hanging in his locker during the 1995 season, scrapping the original No. 58 he had once been issued.

It was just a uniform then, but Rivera said that as time went on, he began to grasp the greater significance of the digits.

As Major League Baseball prepared to universally retire the number in 1997 -- grandfathering in those players who had been wearing it -- Rivera said he learned more about Robinson's journey as a barrier-breaking athlete, an inspirational tale that struck a chord with the Panamanian-born Rivera.

"The legacy that Jackie left for us," Rivera said. "Being a minority player and being the last player to wear No. 42, to me, it's an honor. I do carry it with honor; I'm blessed."

While Rivera said it would be "strange" to see the uniform number on three other Yankees uniforms, Rivera said he wouldn't mind seeing the tribute go one step further. He suggested that every player in the Major Leagues could don No. 42 on April 15.

"I think if they're doing a national day on Jackie Robinson, everybody should wear it -- the whole Major League Baseball," Rivera said. "That's a special day for a special player -- let's make it special."

Cano's father, Jose, pitched briefly in the Major Leagues and, in 1982, named his son after Robinson. That alone made it an easy decision for Cano to accept the opportunity to wear No. 42 for the Sunday game at Oakland -- though Cano acknowledges Robinson on a daily basis just by the virtue of his given name.

"The first colored guy to play in the big leagues -- great numbers, MVP, Rookie of the Year," Cano said. "He was such a good player."

His No. 24 is a reversed image of the digits Robinson wore for the Dodgers, a switch he made before this season.

"I think a lot of people are going to wear it to show support to him and his family," Cano said.

Torre was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but he grew up as an ardent follower of the crosstown New York Giants, which he said automatically made him dislike Robinson -- one of the top players on his favorite team's most bitter rival.

A chance meeting after Torre had started his playing career changed that opinion. Robinson was working for the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company at the time and shook hands with Torre.

"He was remarkable," Torre recalled recently. "He was a great athlete -- he played first, played third, played second, and wore No. 42.

"When we were kids growing up and you'd play in these amateur baseball leagues, every trophy you'd ever get had a likeness of Jackie Robinson. They used his batting stance as the model. Jackie was very prominent."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 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.

Yankees Stars Help YES Push HD Network

2007-04-09T03:47:00.000-04:00

Yankees Stars Help YES Push HD Network
Jeter, Rodriguez, Damon, Giambi, Pettitte Appear in Promos
3/30/2007 4:06:00 PM

Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network and its affiliates are taking out the promotional lumber in support of the regional sports network’s dedicated HD channel.

YES HD, which debuts April 1, is being backed by customized on-air promos featuring such New York Yankees stars as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte. The channel will showcase 125 Bronx Bombers Major League Baseball games this season, starting with the season-opener versus the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Monday, in the enhanced format.

Manager of affiliate sales and marketing Moria Kelley said the network made two kinds of spots available through its affiliate site: the first, replete with quick-hitting Yankees action, touts the HD service, while the second is educational in nature. The latter tells the viewer the steps needed to get a true HD picture.

© 2007 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Yankees' Channel Marks Anniversary With Multiplatform Push

2007-04-09T03:45:00.000-04:00

Yankees' Channel Marks Anniversary With Multiplatform Push
By Mike Reynolds 3/19/2007

This Thursday, Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network will present a fifth-anniversary special originating from the Bronx Bombers' spring training home in Tampa, Fla. Five Years of YES will feature many on-air commentators and showcase reminiscences and highlights of the New York Yankees, the New Jersey Nets and its other programming.

After starting its rookie campaign with a major hole in its distribution lineup, YES, which officially threw out its first pitch on March 19, 2002, has registered plenty of off-camera and business highlights of its own. Since then, YES has significantly grown its subscriber base, revamping its Web site, building its advertising roster and expanding into high-definition TV, wireless and interactive realms.

“YES wants to continue to maximize its presence in different media,” said chief operating officer Ray Hopkins, who joined YES in December 2004 after heading affiliate sales and marketing for Gemstar TV Guide.

“YES is more than [ a regional sports network]; the Yankees are a worldwide brand and many distributors want to do business with us.”

Indeed, with affiliate and advertising revenues approaching $300 million annually, the value of the regional sports network is estimated by some in the sports community at around $2.5 billion.

Engaged in a nasty and public-license fee and positioning dispute with Cablevision Systems, YES was shut out during its first season on the New York market's largest carrier, before gaining arbitration-guided entry just hours before the 2003 season opener.

Today, YES, even with EchoStar's Dish Network remaining on the distribution bench, counts almost 12 million cable and satellite subscribers.

Indeed, Hopkins said the network has long-term pacts in place with the other distributors and is poised to launch on April 1 a standalone YES HD that will be carried by DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, among others.

As for the linear network, 2006 marked the fourth straight year YES ranked as the most-watched RSN in total day and primetime viewing.

Working with MLB Advanced Media, YESNetwork.com was relaunched last June, sparking a 76% rise in unique users from July through October 2006, over the same period the prior year, according to YES officials.

With increased traffic on both screens, YES has expanded its base of advertisers from 90 in late 2004 to over 400. Many of the network's top advertisers like, Infiniti, Lojack, Suzuki, Ford and Cablevision are also taking enhanced positions in its digital-media offerings, according to Hopkins.

The second season of YES Interactive on DirecTV debuts with the Yankees season opener on April 2. Continuing as the only RSN offering this package, it will showcase new features like in-game “Rivals Alerts,” real-time in-game pitching statistics and “Wild Facts” about the Yankees of today and yesterday.

Additionally, the bonus cam, providing viewers with a second feed, will be available for all contests this season, not just the home games.

DirecTV executive vice president of entertainment Eric Shanks was pleased by last year's results. “About 42% of YES DirecTV viewers with access to the application used one or more features on a weekly basis,” he said of the service that launched last July 25. “And 82% with the application used the features more than one time per telecast.”

He expects bigger things this season. “We worked with YES to refine our approach. We have more features that are faster and simpler to use.”

Late last fall, YES became the first RSN to connect on a deal with Google Video, resulting in a “dedicated” channel on YouTube proffering highlights and clips of such YES original fare as CenterStage and Ultimate Road Trip.

More recently, it launched a mobile score and news alerts with a company called 4Info.

Looking ahead, Hopkins sees more innovation.

“We're just getting started with our wireless business and Google Video. Who knows what will develop over the next few years. But YES is committed to being on whatever platforms emerge.”

© 2007 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Jeter back in lineup

2007-04-08T01:07:00.000-04:00

04/07/2007 2:00 PM ET
Notes: Jeter back in lineup
Shortstop says he is 'fine' after fouling ball off right foot
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Just as he'd promised, Derek Jeter was in the Yankees' starting lineup Saturday, one day after fouling an Adam Loewen offering off of his right foot.

"It feels fine," Jeter said.

Jeter played eight innings in the Yankees' 6-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday with what was later diagnosed to be a bruised middle toe.

Noticeably limping and grimacing as he ran the bases, Jeter was lifted in the ninth inning for defensive replacement Miguel Cairo and was sent for X-rays, which came back negative.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said Jeter is being considered day-to-day and that the team was fortunate nothing had been found structurally wrong with Jeter's foot, though there wouldn't have been much the club could have done to prevent that circumstance.

"The good news is that it's not something where there's a strained muscle or something like that," Torre said. "This is going to be pain, [and] it's not a matter of if it's something that's going to get worse."

Jeter refuted a New York Post report that claimed the shortstop had pulled third-base coach Larry Bowa aside during Friday's defeat, informing Bowa that Jeter's back was also bothering him.

Jeter, who went 2-for-5 in the game -- including his 2,154th career hit, surpassing Don Mattingly for sixth place on the Yankees' all-time hits list -- said his only physical issue was the bruised toe.

"My back's good," Jeter said. "My back's fine, thanks."

Doug's icy hot: Doug Mientkiewicz hitting has been a bit of paradox since Spring Training -- he's cold when it's hot, and hot when it's cold.

After batting a paltry .157 in 62 Grapefruit League at-bats, the first baseman began his 2007 campaign on a warm note, going 3-for-5 through temperatures dipping into the 30s.

While Mientkiewicz said it's too early to emphasize his batting statistics, he noted that his .600 average could be cut by more than half after Saturday's game, when he got the nod against Baltimore right-hander Steve Trachsel.

The beginning of the season isn't the right time to judge a player, he said.

"You just give yourself a chance, and I've done that for the at-bats I've had this year," Mientkiewicz said. "Hopefully it stays, but as soon as you think you've got it licked, it comes back and bites you. You just try to work hard every day, go to the plate and have a plan and have good at-bats. Success will be there."

With Baltimore slated to throw a left-hander Sunday, Mientkiewicz will likely find himself back on the bench, with platoon partner Josh Phelps getting the nod at first base.

"We both have a job to do and we're there for each other to help each other out," Mientkiewicz said. "Josh has been in the bigs before. He's had success here. He knows what it takes to be successful."

The upcoming series at Minnesota will showcase three right-handers, though, a trip that could prove enjoyable for Mientkiewicz, a former Twin.

In the Henn house: Left-hander Sean Henn made the Yankees' roster after a strong spring, outpitching non-roster invitee Ron Villone.

He made his 2007 debut in strong fashion on Friday, twirling three scoreless innings at the Orioles, but the former starter said he's still continuing to adjust to his newfound relief role.

"What I've learned being in the bullpen is not to get too high on the highs and not too low on the lows," Henn said. "You're going to be stuck in there again soon. It definitely feels good just to be throwing like that early, because it gives you a little kick in the [rear] to start the season. It reassures you that you belong here."

Henn said that the recent frigid temperatures have not -- contrary to popular belief -- been beneficial to the pitchers. Thirty-seven runs were scored in three games at Yankee Stadium this season, with seven more runs coming home in the first two innings Saturday.

"The balls are rock-hard and it's tough to get a grip," Henn said. "The wind is blowing and it dries your hand out. It's like there's baby powder all over the ball."

Almost ready: Center fielder Johnny Damon, who has been sidelined since Monday with a right calf strain, may be close to returning to action.

Damon was considered available to the Yankees in a pinch-hitting or reserve role for Saturday's game, and could return to starting action on Sunday or Monday.

Torre said that he would consider the lefty-lefty matchup with Baltimore slated to pitch Erik Bedard on Sunday, but is pleased with the progress Damon has made -- particularly because a disabled list stint had been considered a realistic possibility earlier in the week.

"He's very close right now," Torre said.

Take a day: Torre said that the Yankees would try to stay away from using right-hander Scott Proctor in Saturday's contest. Proctor finished up Friday's loss to the Orioles with 1 1/3 scoreless innings and -- one season after leading the American League in appearances -- has now appeared in two of New York's first three games.

"If you asked him, he'd be available for us," Torre said.

Coming up: The Yankees play the third and final game of their weekend series against the Orioles on Sunday, with right-hander Darrell Rasner (3-1, 4.43 ERA in 2006) making the start for New York. Left-hander Erik Bedard (0-1, 11.57 ERA) makes his second appearance of the campaign for Baltimore, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 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 Makes His Mark as Captain Away From the Media’s Spotlight

2007-04-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

April 1, 2007
Jeter Makes His Mark as Captain Away From the Media’s Spotlight
By TYLER KEPNER

TAMPA, Fla. — From his first spring training as the Yankees’ manager, in 1996, Joe Torre knew that Derek Jeter gets it. The front office had decided that Jeter, then a rookie, would be the Yankees’ starting shortstop. Torre anointed him as such to the news media. Then he read what Jeter said.

“Derek answered the same question better than I did, because he said, ‘I’m going to get an opportunity to become the shortstop,’ ” Torre said. “And that little thing, it may have been a throwaway line for other people, but I thought: ‘You know what? You’re right.’ In his mind, he had to earn the right to be the shortstop. In mine, I was giving him the right to be the shortstop. It’s different. That impressed me.”

Jeter was 21 years old then, but he quickly emerged as a leader on a veteran team that would win the World Series. Seven years later, George Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ principal owner, named him captain.

Much of what Jeter learned about leading came from Don Mattingly, who once encouraged a young Jeter to jog — not walk — across the field of an empty stadium.

One night during spring training this year, the veterans had been removed from a game and were eager to leave Legends Field. They were off the next day, the only day off for the team during camp. But there was running to do, and Jeter made them do it.

“None of us wanted to go, and he’s like, ‘Let’s go,’ ” Johnny Damon said. “He makes sure we get our work in. That’s why he’s him.”

A crucial component of leadership, Torre said, is that those being led cannot resent the leader. On a team of veterans, the players tacitly accept Jeter’s status. He is a link to the title teams of the late 1990s, he plays the game correctly and he does not betray their confidence.

“He’s very private about what he does,” said Jorge Posada, adding that Jeter never shares details of meetings. “That’s not the way you lead.”

But if off-the-field communication — in a group setting or one on one — is vital, then there is one player who seems to confound Jeter as the captain. That, of course, is Alex Rodriguez, who in many ways is everything Jeter is not. Their differences were evident during camp this year.

Rodriguez reported to camp and immediately addressed his friendship with Jeter, finally admitting it had cooled over the years. Telling the truth seemed cathartic to Rodriguez.

Jeter did not roll his eyes in response, but he might as well have. He talked about the topic the next day, but not much, insisting it was a private issue that had nothing to do with baseball.

Weeks later, both players made a trip to Sarasota. Rodriguez left the Tampa clubhouse first, trailed by a dozen reporters asking him about another flap over his contract, which offers the promise of more riches or a change of scenery because of an opt-out clause after the season.

After Rodriguez had slipped into the parking lot, Jeter strolled through the same corridor undisturbed. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. Jeter also has a mammoth contract, but it includes no loopholes, and no one asks about it.

Jeter and Rodriguez exist with no open hostility and probably no hostility at all. Their relationship is scrutinized, and while neither player likes it, each understands the interest. What bothers Jeter is the theory that by not helping Rodriguez through the regular booing he faced last season, he had failed in his role as captain.

“It was unfair,” Jeter said of criticism of his captaincy. “I’m not going to please everybody with everything I do, and that’s fine. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. But it’s a role I take very seriously, I do the best I can with it, and when people say that, I think that’s unfair.”

The author Michael Shapiro, who wrote extensively about Pee Wee Reese’s captaincy of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 2003 book “The Last Good Season,” said he believed a captain like Reese would have found a way to help an uncomfortable teammate.

“But by the same token, this is not Duke Snider, who was younger and deferential,” Shapiro said. “This is different. Alex Rodriguez is Jeter’s peer and rival. What Jeter would have to be saying is, ‘I am your superior officer here, and I’m going to make things easier for you.’ It’s a tricky thing.”

The pitching coach Ron Guidry was a captain of the Yankees at the end of his career. He said a captain must read the personality of each player, knowing when to cajole and when to coddle.

“The team captain is a friendly shoulder,” Guidry said. “He’s the guy you want to come talk to you, unless you go and talk to him first.”

Jason Giambi, who told Sports Illustrated last year that he had challenged Rodriguez in the clubhouse during a slump, played down the idea that Jeter needed to help Rodriguez. Jeter and Rodriguez get along fine, Giambi said, and there is no controlling the fans in any case. Torre agreed.

“The way I look at it, if Derek felt that he needed to do something to make this team better, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it,” Torre said. “So I don’t think he felt that he needed to do any more than he was doing at that point in time, least of all to tell the fans to lay off Alex. These are New York fans. They’re about as knowledgeable as any sports fan, and they don’t want to be told what to do.

“When you ask me how I think they’ll receive Alex, well, they’ll cheer him because they’ll want to support him, but if he hits into a double play, they’ll boo him. That’s what happens, and it wouldn’t have changed if Derek had said, ‘Don’t boo him.’ They weren’t going to listen to Derek, because they’re still there to be entertained.”

Yet no Yankee’s voice carries as much weight with the fans as Jeter’s. The news media report anything he says about Rodriguez, and a strong call for support could, in theory, sway some fans.

Asked if he believed he could influence fans, Jeter, who will turn 33 in June, did not answer directly. Maybe yes, maybe no, he seemed to say. The point was that it was not up to him.

“It’s not my job to change the way fans act,” Jeter said. “Fans can do what they want to do. I’ve never heard somebody in any sport tell the fans how to act. Why would you even get caught up in that? It’s not your job to tell fans what to do, bottom line.”

Jeter uses that expression — bottom line — frequently. It is fitting for a player who maximizes his talent by keeping things uncomplicated. He almost never creates distractions for himself, deftly walking a fine line.

Jeter probably conducts more interviews with reporters than any other Yankee. He pitches video games and Gatorade, and he dates celebrities. Yet there is much about him that fans do not know, and that extends to his role in the clubhouse.

“A lot of the things that Derek does go unseen,” Giambi said. “He does talk to guys on the side, but he doesn’t make it a media thing.”

In his new autobiography, the former Yankee Gary Sheffield said Jeter’s biracial background helped him relate to everyone, and he praised him for his even temperament. In meetings, Sheffield wrote, “he talks in positive terms. Maybe even clichés.” Sheffield said Mariano Rivera was more likely to be blunt in meetings.

Jeter said he felt responsible for answering questions about games and for representing the Yankees in public. He knows he has an image as a quiet leader who rarely speaks up, and it seems to amuse him.

There is much about his captain’s role he leaves unsaid, and that is how he wants it.

“I always find it interesting when people say, ‘Well, he’s a lead-by-example guy, he doesn’t ever say anything,’ ” Jeter said. “How do you know? I don’t do things through the media, but that doesn’t mean I don’t say things or I’m not vocal. You guys maybe don’t know about it. But you don’t have to know about everything.”

Torre would probably approve of that comment, too.

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Jordan Brand and Derek Jeter Join Forces to Create the Ultimate Baseball Training Shoe

2007-04-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Jordan Brand and Derek Jeter Join Forces to Create the Ultimate Baseball Training Shoe

Jumpman Jeter Vital Combines the Best in Shoe Technology and Pays Tribute to the All-Star Shortstop

BEAVERTON, Ore., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jordan Brand announced the launch of the Jumpman Jeter Vital shoe inspired by Team Jordan athlete Derek Jeter. Jeter was one of the original members of the inaugural group of Team Jordan Athletes and is currently one of the only marquee baseball athletes with a signature shoe. This will be Jeter's seventh shoe for Jordan Brand, with the first being launched in May of 2001.

Categorized as a turf and field trainer, the Jumpman Jeter Vital takes its design cues from the seven-time All Star shortstop for his specific training and performance needs. Whether running wind sprints or pumping iron in the weight room to prepare for the upcoming 2007 season, the Jumpman Jeter Vital is engineered to increase performance, while ensuring comfort ability and optimal support. Officially available in retail stores on Saturday, March 31, 2007, the shoe possesses a combination of synthetic and full grain leather, a foam backed collar lining and heel that offers optimal interior comfort and protection. A symmetrical toe provides better protection against toe drag to enhance bursts of speed. The lateral window cut out supplies Jeter with the freedom of movement to assist in running while allowing his foot to breathe.

"Derek Jeter has been with the Jordan Brand family for more than a decade and continues to epitomize our brand by always aspiring to improve, demanding the best from himself while staying true and understanding that winning is always earned," said Larry Miller, Vice President and General Manager, Nike Basketball. "The Jumpman Jeter Vital combines the best in shoe technology with odes to Jeter's amazing career and creates a training shoe that will help others reach their athletic goals."

The Jumpman Jeter Vital features the redesigned Jeter logo, a glow in the dark painted wing, a top cap reinforcement that mimics a steel protective toe cap, four stripes on the heel pull tab representing Jeter's four World Series victories and Jeter's number two on the shoe's outsole and upper alongside a quote "Respect Earned When No One is Looking." On the bottom of the Jumpman Jeter Vital are five key hidden messages that showcase the five tools necessary to become a baseball star: hitting for average, hitting for power, running with speed, throwing power and accuracy and fielding with an intricate design.

Since earning the 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year Award Jeter has gone on to perfect and hone his talent while achieving several key awards including three Gold Gloves for his defensive skills at shortstop. In 2000, Jeter became the first player to win the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the World Series MVP in the same season.

The Jumpman Jeter Vital will be supported by a national print and online marketing campaign. The thematic behind the campaign is to showcase just how hard Jeter works in an effort to become the best. The campaign will communicate Jeter's personal philosophy on training harder than anyone else to overcome aspects of his game that need improvement while enhancing his strengths in an effort to become the best. The campaign's tagline is "Losing Hurts More."

About Jordan Brand

A division of Nike, Inc., Jordan Brand is a premium brand of footwear, apparel and accessories inspired by the dynamic legacy, vision and direct involvement of Michael Jordan. The Jordan Brand made its debut in 1997 and has grown into a complete collection of performance and lifestyle products for both men and women. The Jordan Brand remains active in the community by donating a portion of its proceeds to Jordan Fundamentals, an education grants program for teachers.

For more information on Jordan Brand, visit http://www.jumpman23.com/

Copyright © 1996-2003 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.
A United Business Media company.

No title means no happiness in Bronx

2007-04-05T22:41:00.000-04:00

No title means no happiness in Bronx
By The Associated Press
Saturday, March 31, 2007 11:36 PM EDT

NEW YORK - Six years, no championships. They haven't even won the AL pennant since 2003.

This is not the Yankees way. George Steinbrenner doesn't spend $200 million a year for a measly AL East title.

They can go 162-0 during the regular season, and it won't matter unless they add 11 victories in October. Since that 2001 night when they blew a ninth-inning lead at Arizona in Game 7 of the World Series, baseball's most famous franchise has been in decline.

“We can't look back. It's now time to look forward,” Jorge Posada said. “It's now time to accomplish a lot of things as a group.”

In many ways, the New York Yankees resemble an empire past its prime, with memories of triumphs but no new ones to add. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Posada are the only remainders from the glory days, with Bernie Williams the latest hero jettisoned for getting old.

Following last October's first-round debacle in Detroit, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Jaret Wright were traded. Pettitte returned after three years in Houston, and Kei Igawa and Doug Mientkiewicz signed up.

After wavering for a few days, Steinbrenner decided to let Joe Torre stay for his 11th season as manager. General manager Brian Cashman asserted his authority, saying the team had to get younger, more athletic - and as a byproduct, less expensive. Steinbrenner appeared to recede from all player decisions.

Alex Rodriguez, coming off another poor postseason that sticks to him as much as his record contract, arrived at spring training and finally admitted he's no longer best buddies with Jeter. Mike Mussina said Carl Pavano had to prove to teammates that he's not a malingerer.

They still dominate the tabloids, but they no longer control the postseason. Rivera and Posada are entering the final years of their contracts, Rodriguez can opt out of his $252 million deal following the World Series and become a free agent, and Bobby Abreu could be cut loose. Even now, it already appears the 2008 team will be much different.

“I think we've got a bunch of professionals that have a job to do,” Torre said. “I have a sense that we're going to be pretty serious about getting it done.”

For Chicago Cubs fans, not winning the World Series since 1908 feels like an eternity. For Yankees fans, not winning every year is unacceptable.

“When we go to spring training every year, we talk about getting to the World Series. We don't talk about having a good year, let's have a good record and all that stuff, it's getting to the World Series,” Torre said after last fall's failure. “So you know going in what the requirements are.”

Despite raising the price of their box seats closest to the field by $40 to $150, the Yankees have sold 3,475,000 tickets, 205,000 ahead of last year's pace. They've sold the equivalent of 35,000 season tickets.

“In my opinion, we really have to perform well for the fans,” Steinbrenner said through spokesman Howard Rubenstein. “We're selling more tickets than ever before. We're more popular than ever before, and we really have to win.”

The starting pitching still seems shaky.

No. 1 starter Chien-Ming Wang, coming off a 19-6 season, is out until at least the end of April because of a strained right hamstring. That left the opening-day start to Pavano, who hasn't pitched in the major leagues since June 27, 2005, because of injuries to his - let's count - shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and ribs. His first test will come Monday against Tampa Bay before 55,000 not-too-patient fans.

“Not everything goes as planned,” said Pavano, thus far a Bronx bust after signing a $39.95 million, four-year contract. “You're going to have times of adversity. You're going to have times that challenge you. It's how you rise to those occasions.”

A-Rod has come to wearing controversy as naturally as the gold-tinged hair on his head. He's 4-for-41 (.098) without an RBI in his last 12 playoff games dating to 2004.

“Winning is the only thing that matters,” he said. “I can go out and hit .350 and do all these individual things. If we don't win, nobody cares, and neither do I. I've already done everything personally in the game that there is to do. The only thing that's left is winning a world championship, and that's why I'm in New York. I'm pretty obsessed with it.”

The Citizen Copyright © 2007
A division of Lee Publications, Inc.
25 Dill Street
Auburn, NY 13021

'HITTING' THE GYM

2007-04-02T00:21:00.000-04:00

'HITTING' THE GYM
SWEAT LIKE A-ROD AT YANKEE HEALTH CLUBS
By HOLLY M. SANDERS

April 1, 2007 -- You may not be able to swing like Derek Jeter, but starting next year at least you can work out like him.

Fans of Jeter and the New York Yankees will soon be able to huff and puff at one of three planned Yankees-themed 24 Hour Fitness clubs slated to open in the city starting in 2008, The Post has learned.

The Bronx Bombers and the national fitness chain are expected to announce as soon as tomorrow a 10-year deal to bring the Yankees brand directly to fitness buffs.

The deal is said to be worth at least $10 million. Potential gym locations are being scouted.

The gyms will be decked out in Yankee memorabilia and pinstripes and may include batting cages and sliding areas to mirror the game as closely as possible, a fitness-center executive told The Post.

The fitness chain also hopes to reach an agreement with the team to let members watch game highlights on TV while they use treadmills and elliptical trainers.

"As we go forward, we will design the clubs with them," said Brad Fogel, chief financial officer of 24 Hour Fitness. "We want people to feel like they're in Yankee land."

Although the details are still being worked out, Fogel said the membership cost will be competitive with places like New York Sports Club, where fees range from $79 to $89 a month.

"We expect the Yankees and 24 Hour Fitness to become synonymous - this season and in the future - as we relocate into the new Yankee Stadium," Michael Tusiani, the team's senior vice presi dent of corporate sales and sponsorships, said.

24 Hour Fitness is one of the biggest health club chains in the nation but doesn't have a presence in New York City. The expected deal will also give 24 Hour Fitness a presence at Yankee Stadium and at the new ballpark slated to open in 2009.

The fitness chain, based in San Ramon, Calif., just completed renovating the Yankee workout facilities and will staff it with seven trainers.

The players will get their first glimpse of the renovated fitness center today when they arrive for a workout at the Stadium and are told about the deal for Yankees gyms.

24 Hour Fitness will also create a fitness center at the team's spring training facility in Tampa, Fla.

While the Yankees deal is the first of its kind with a pro team, 24 Hour Fitness has opened signature clubs with star athletes such as Andre Agassi, Magic Johnson and Lance Armstrong. The company is also a sponsor of the Olympics and has set up training centers for the U.S. Olympic team.

holly.sanders@nypost.com

Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Upper Deck Ad Campaign to Feature Derek Jeter

2007-04-02T00:15:00.000-04:00

Upper Deck Ad Campaign to Feature Derek Jeter & New Online Site for Kids to Predict Which Players Will Help Them Win the Scoreboard Challenge Each Week

CARLSBAD, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- At the breakfast table as a kid, you'd steal your dad's morning paper before he got there, quickly going to one place: the baseball box scores. Pouring the milk over your corn flakes -- in turn -- you poured over every stat. Who had the most homeruns that day, the most steals, the most strikeouts?

That spirit for statistics has carried over to adulthood for many fans, as fantasy leagues have become increasingly popular among the 30-and-over set. But where does that leave kids today? With a majority of their time spent trading MP3s, playing video games on their PCs, do they even care about RBIs and ERAs?

Trading card leader Upper Deck thinks so, and starting next week the company is launching an ad campaign to introduce an online prediction league for kids in support of its 2007 UD MLB Series One baseball product. "The online site will allow kids to predict which player will hit the most home runs, steal the most bases or knock in the most RBIs," adds Louise Curcio, Vice President of Marketing for Upper Deck. The 15- and 30-second spots for the Baseball Scoreboard Challenge -- featuring New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter -- will air on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network beginning April 2, running through the end of May.

Print ads will follow in Sports Illustrated for Kids and in game programs in all 30 Major League Baseball markets.

"We have been extremely successful with reaching a new generation of collectors," emphasizes Upper Deck's Curcio. "With all of the other activities jostling for kids' attention, we had to revisit how we attract youngsters. Upperdeckkids.com allows us to change our approach to social collecting -- we have added a technology component to our cards -- the alpha-numeric codes, since most of today's kids are online or playing computer games with their friends." Upperdeckkids.com enables kids to collect and trade player codes, chat in a safe environment about sports and how to start a collection. In addition, each player card -- with the alpha-numeric code -- now has a value associated with it making it highly sought-after.

This is only the second broadcast push for Upper Deck in the last decade, following last year's successful spots. Those commercials unveiled a kids online initiative -- http://www.upperdeckkids.com/ -- which, has registered nearly 22 million cards, winning prizes and connecting with others in this unique, interactive community.

According to Upper Deck, kids continue to be their main consumer focus, a departure from the last decade when the company -- and the entire industry -- was intent on catering to the 35-plus crowd. Now looking to grow a new generation of collectors, Upper Deck said its ad-dollar allocation to capture the kid market in 2006 was more than it had spent in the previous 10 years combined.

And the results have been immediate. Besides the number of kids, cards registered on their rewards site, Upper Deck has seen overall growth in this age category. In February, Kids Trend Tracker reported 42 percent of boys aged 8-11, and 33 percent of boys 12-15, are now collecting sports cards, up from single digits just a year ago.

Creative Behind New Upper Deck Jeter/Scoreboard Challenge TV Spots

As with last year's ads, the commercials feature real kids in real-life collecting situations. However, Jeter has been added to the creative mix in 2007 for three of its four spots.

In one titled "Steals," the all-star shortstop is off-screen, the final piece to the protagonist's collection, another young collector adding a Jeter card as an afterthought in a trade -- thinking the protagonist is trying to rack up weekly fantasy league points for steals. The protagonist's response, to the camera: "Bonehead. Next week he'll [Jeter] be hitting."

Two other commercials feature the real-life Jeter, asking the audience which major league star will be the tops in two categories, hits and strikeouts. He also speaks to Upper Deck's philosophy: the need to trade cards with friends to build your collection, not merely get lucky in pulling a rookie or insert. At the end, he gives the company's new tagline, "Get more than lucky."

Upper Deck's latest broadcast ads were created by Posnick+ Advertising, New York, the agency behind the company's entertainment products, including Yu-Gi-Oh! and Vs. System (Marvel).

About the Upper Deck Company

Founded in 1988, The Upper Deck Co. is a premier global sports and entertainment-publishing company that delivers a portfolio of relevant, innovative and multi-dimensional product experiences to collectors, sports and entertainment enthusiasts.

Website: http://www.upperdeckkids.com/

Copyright © 1996-2003 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Baseball card of Jeter shows President Bush, Mickey Mantle

2007-03-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Baseball card of Jeter shows President Bush, Mickey Mantle
Posted 2/27/2007 2:12 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP) — As President Bush smiled and waved from the stands and Mickey Mantle looked on from the dugout, Derek Jeter swung his bat.

Talk about pressure.

The game never happened, of course. It was just someone's idea of a visual gag — pulled off in a recent Topps baseball card through digital manipulation.

"We saw it in the final proof and we could have axed it," Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "But we decided to let it run, we wanted to print it. We thought it was hilarious."

The card will be changed when Topps issues a complete set at midseason, Luraschi said.

Jeter said he had not seen the card.

"I don't know anything about it," the All-Star shortstop said after New York's workout Tuesday in Tampa "I can't tell you anything."

Luraschi did not identify the person at Topps who made the alteration on Jeter's card, No. 40 in the set. Luraschi said that fixing it before it was released would have caused shipping delays.

It's not the first card to have silly errors or odd prints, said T.S. O'Connell, the editor of Sports Collector's Digest.

"For collectors, there's a real giggle factor for something like this," he told the Daily News.

The Daily News put the story on its front page Tuesday and Newsday also reported it.

The Jeter card could join other famed oddball cards, like the 1969 Topps of Aurelio Rodriguez. That card featured a photo of a bat boy instead of the infielder.

Another collector said the joke would raise the price of the card, which currently goes for $2 on eBay.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted 2/27/2007 2:12 PM ET

Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

It's just like old times

2007-03-13T22:55:00.000-04:00

SPRING TRAINING
It's just like old times
BY BOB HERZOG
March 13, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- When Andy Pettitte strode out to the mound at high noon yesterday at Legends Field, he might have blinked in the bright sunlight and done a double-take. There was one captain, shortstop Derek Jeter, fielding a practice grounder and firing across the diamond to his predecessor, first baseman Don Mattingly.

But Pettitte had been briefed beforehand. He knew that for this simulated game he would be reunited on the field with Donnie Baseball, who was Pettitte's teammate in 1995 - Mattingly's last big-league season and Pettitte's first.

"When he told me that, I loved it!" Pettitte said after his four-inning, 56-pitch stint. "Guys were giving me a hard time about staying back here . But I told them, 'Cap's coming out for me.' It was funny."

Seeing Mattingly play the field was part of what made yesterday's simulated game a little different. There also was the sight of Andy Phillips trying to make up for some lost time by taking nine at-bats against Pettitte.

Phillips was the first batter Pettitte faced and he grounded out, Jeter to Mattingly. That at-bat lasted four pitches. Phillips started toward the dugout but was told to go right back to the plate, where he struck out on three pitches. Phillips went 2-for-9, including an opposite-field double to right.

"It's hard to get used to grounding out and then running back and hitting again," Phillips said with a laugh. "I felt like I was in the old Bugs Bunny cartoon where the same guy keeps swinging."

The lighthearted nature of yesterday's exercise was further apparent when, in the third of Pettitte's innings, a ground ball scooted past Mattingly's glove side for a single.

"He gave me a bad break on a ground ball to first. He's not moving quite like he used to. His reaction time's not real good," Pettitte joked. "I was thinking, 'Just don't get hit with a bad hop.' I'd feel terrible."

In fact, though, Pettitte was beaming after his third "start" of spring training. The finger that was hit with a bat shard last time out didn't bother him and catcher Jorge Posada said his fastball hit 91 mph.

"Mechanically, it felt good. Got some good fatigue in my shoulder. It was a good day," Pettitte said. "I feel like I'm getting stronger. It's spring training. I'm just trying to build my endurance up. I'm not throwing too many cutters - that's arm strength. But I threw a few more today."

Phillips was serious about facing live pitching in preparation for today's starting assignment, his first since leaving the Yankees after his mother was badly hurt in a car accident two weeks ago. "His stuff was pretty good. There was life on his fastball and his breaking ball was sharp," Phillips said.

Mattingly's glove was sharp, too, even if his feet aren't as quick as they used to be. In Pettitte's final inning, Mattingly easily fielded a chopper and expertly flipped to Pettitte covering first for the out. On the next-to-last batter, Jeter sidearmed a throw that short-hopped the nine-time Gold Glove winner. Mattingly made the clean scoop for the putout.

Later Jeter joked that he deliberately tested Mattingly. The old captain passed one test. Pettitte passed another.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Clever gag slips through onto Derek Jeter's baseball card

2007-03-11T16:06:00.000-04:00

Clever gag slips through onto Derek Jeter's baseball card
Story Published: Feb 27, 2007 at 10:14 AM PST
Story Updated: Feb 27, 2007 at 4:03 PM PST
By Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - As President Bush smiled and waved from the stands and Mickey Mantle looked on from the dugout, Derek Jeter swung his bat. Talk about pressure.

The game never happened, though. It was just someone's idea of a visual gag - pulled off in a recent Topps baseball card through digital manipulation.

"Somewhere in between the final proofing and its printing, someone at our company - and we won't name names - thought it would be funny to put in Bush and Mantle," said Clay Luraschi, a spokesman for Topps in Tuesday's edition of the Daily News.

The president's image is superimposed on the picture, while whoever played the trick took some time blending Mantle into the background of Jeter's card, No. 40 in the set.

Luraschi said that the gag was discovered during proofing of the card, but that it was already in the set. "We couldn't do anything but laugh," he said.

It's not the first card to have silly errors or odd prints, said T.S. O'Connell, the editor of Sports Collector's Digest. "For collectors, there's a real giggle factor for something like this," he said.

The Jeter card could join other famed oddball cards, like the 1969 Topps of Aurelio Rodriguez. That card featured a photo of a bat boy instead of the infielder.

Another collector said the joke would raise the price of the card, which currently goes for $2 on eBay.

Jeter told the News said he didn't know anything about the card. A White House spokesman declined to comment.

Luraschi said he doesn't know whether the card would be corrected in the future.

KOMO-TV140 Fourth Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98109

Focus for Jeter is on winning a title

2007-03-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

03/07/2007 9:00 AM ET
Focus for Jeter is on winning a title
Yankees' captain says getting to the playoffs isn't good enough
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- A cursory glance at the Yankees' last campaign reveals promising highlights and opportunities for the members of the 2006 squad to thump their collective chests and look back with some fondness.
Yes, the Yankees' season ended too early for the organization's taste, abruptly coming to a close by dropping the American League Division Series to the Detroit Tigers. But the Yankees brought home their ninth straight division title, tied for the Major League lead with 97 wins, and led the big leagues with 930 runs scored.

Shouldn't that count for something? It's not good enough, Derek Jeter says.

"A lot of guys who haven't won might say that," Jeter said. "A lot of guys with other teams might say that. Here [in New York], it was a wasted year. That's the bottom line, and that's how it goes. Nobody is walking around saying, 'Oh, we had a great year last year.' It was a wasted year, because we play to win."

As Jeter spoke, he sat at his Legends Field locker, stuffing items into a midnight blue duffel bag for an afternoon road trip. Even with his attention diverted and three exhibition at-bats at St. Petersburg on tap, it's clear that Jeter's focus never wavers.

Jeter arguably gave the Yankees his finest all-around season last year, finishing second in the AL Most Valuable Player voting, while bringing home a Silver Slugger Award and his third consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Those sorts of personal achievements might play in other locales or organizations where playing in October isn't considered an annual right, but Jeter is wise enough to understand that the street credibility of such honors loses quite a bit of value within the city limits of New York.

Perhaps more than ever, with a six-year title drought hanging over the Yankees' heads, the ring is the thing up around 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx.

"It's no good. You sense it because you're going home," Jeter said. "You're watching another team win, that's how you sense it. You put a lot of work in to win a championship. If you don't do it, man, it's a wasted year. The only sign is how you feel afterward."

So Jeter looks toward the reconstruction of the Yankees and barely bats an eyelash. The corner locker previously owned by Bernie Williams no longer houses either the outfielder's sweet stroke or his music, perhaps the only roster change in the Spring Training clubhouse that disappoints Jeter.

Everything else is just icing. Among the more notable moves, Andy Pettitte is fitting in like he never left, filling the role of left-handed starter vacated by Randy Johnson, who never really quite adjusted to life as a Yankees hurler.

And top to bottom, the Yankees' lineup has already drawn rave reviews -- notably, both Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon have crowed that it must be a frightening proposition for any pitcher to face such a solid lineup.

Robinson Cano, the Yankees' projected No. 7 hitter, finished third in the AL with a .342 batting average last season. If that's not a wealth of offense, what is?

"We've got a solid lineup," Jeter agrees, "but really, scoring runs has never been a problem for us. We've been scoring runs for a while. We've got a lot of guys who can hit and a lot of guys who can beat you. We're capable in scoring in a lot of ways."

It all translated to a grand total of 14 runs in the AL Division Series, and just six after Game 1. So excuse Jeter if he appears nonplussed by exhibition game rallies against a variety of pitchers who may or may not taste the big leagues this season.

"It's the first days of Spring Training," Jeter said. "It's the first days for us, it's the first day for pitchers. What happens really for the first few weeks of Spring Training has no bearing whatsoever on the season. You just want everyone to get ready. You want no injuries and you want just to be rolling into the regular season."

It has been suggested that the clubhouse might feel a little fresher and more relaxed, but Jeter doesn't see it that way. He'll reserve judgment until he sees it play out on the field. Jeter has seen the assemblage fall short of the dreams far too many times this decade.

"Ever since we lost in 2001, it's always new guys coming in and new guys coming out," Jeter said.

As Jeter points out, there are still only four players in the Yankees' clubhouse -- Pettitte, catcher Jorge Posada, closer Mariano Rivera and himself -- who can claim ownership of a World Series ring from the team's four-title dynasty.

A new piece of hardware, Jeter said, that is long overdue.

"There's restlessness for everyone -- not just us four," Jeter said. "It's everyone who's in the organization. We play to win here. It's not to get to the playoffs or get to the World Series. It's to try and win a championship. Everyone should be restless."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.

Jeter card creates hunt for treasure

2007-03-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

Jeter card creates hunt for treasure
By: Gene Morris
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 4:16 PM CST

It has been a good 26 years since I’ve opened packs of baseball cards with the frenzy I did last week. I got caught up in the hunt for the 2007 Topps No. 40 card of Derek Jeter.

The baseball card has been all over the news and, no doubt, was a driving source behind sales of the newly released issue.

Someone in the graphic design department at Topps digitally altered a photograph of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter swinging the bat at the plate. Standing in the dugout with a bat over his shoulder in the lower left corner of the card, is none other than Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. President George W. Bush is waving in the stands on the upper right.

Please. Like a ploy of that nature would really sell more baseball cards.

So there I was at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Paola, buying boxes and then packs of baseball cards looking for the error.

It wasn’t my fault. Seriously. I had been traumatized.

Unable to sleep last Wednesday night, more than a little frazzled after getting caught in quite a thunderstorm coming home from taking pictures at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Union Station in Kansas City, I came across a newspaper with a picture of this “error” card of Jeter.

What is a baseball card collector to do? I had to go hunting for this card.

Besides, it was 2 a.m. and I didn’t really need to hear about some fountain of youth facial cream, learn how seaweed pills could change my life forever or study some plan on how to buy and sell real estate with no money down.

At the very least, this hunt for Jeter would keep me occupied.

On my first of three trips to Wal-Mart, I decided to buy a couple of boxes with 10 six-card packs in each one for $9.95. Opening those 20 packs, a total of 120 cards, yielded not one Jeter card.

I opened more and more packs. Even I have to admit this was a bit crazy after the seventh box. For those of you scoring at home, that’s zero Jeter error cards in 70 packs for a total of 420 cards.

“You are certainly determined,” one of the Wal-Mart associates said upon my return. “I would have given up by now.”

With no more of the special 10-pack boxes left, I moved on to the regular packs. I went through 30 of the $1.99, 12-card packs and finally pulled out the Jeter error card.

I put the card in a screw-down protective holder when I got home and showed it off at work later that morning. I got to thinking there had to be at least one more card of Jeter in the Wal-Mart shipment. Didn’t there? I went back out to the store Thursday afternoon. I had left all of 15 packs from 2007 Topps in their inventory.

Buying them one pack at a time, I got another Jeter card on the second pack and called it good.

My first Jeter card set me back about $130 in packs. The second, coming in only two packs, was less than $5. I should have started with just the two packs.

What is it worth? Well, the card is selling on eBay for anywhere from $30 on up to more than $300.

Rumors have surfaced that this card will be pulled and replaced with a corrected version for subsequent releases of the series’ one-packs.

If that happens, the error Jeter card with Mantle and Bush could skyrocket to the $500 range.

But the real fun is the hunt. The 2007 Topps cards are a winner anyway with the throwback 1971, black-border style and the updated pictures of players like Alfonso Soriano in a Cubs uniform and Gil Meche in a Royals jersey.

The series features some great insert sets with Distinguished Service, including President Harry Truman; three Mantle subsets with one featuring the classic 1952 Topps design; Own the Game; and Generation Now with today’s top young players.

When I started collecting baseball cards at the age of 7 in 1976, there wasn’t near as much to think about. I didn’t have to decide which brand to buy ? it was just Topps.

I got in some trouble with my parents for wasting my candy money on “worthless” pieces of cardboard, and the bubble gum had to be turned over to them, too. I tried some of it years later, and as it turns out, I wasn’t missing much.

You can’t put gum in packs today. Why, the collectors would get hopping mad if you messed up their rookie card with a gum stain.

I remember when a $5 lawn mowing job would load you up with a Big Gulp and 16 packs of cards.

What’s $130 to feel like a kid again and bring back some good memories? Ah, let the games begin with the hope that springs eternal.

This site and its contents Copyright © 2007 The Greater Kansas City Community Newspaper Group

Rangers envision Young becoming their Jeter

2007-03-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Rangers envision Young becoming their Jeter
Evan Grant
Dallas Morning News
Mar. 4, 2007 12:00 AM

Derek Jeter is respected as the modern blueprint for a franchise player. He is a superb athlete, unfailingly competitive on the field, respected in the clubhouse and revered in the community.

And that's all the Texas Rangers expect from Michael Young.

In giving Young a five-year contract extension worth $80 million Friday, the club made it clear that he will be the beacon for the franchise and the brand. The extension, in concert with his current contract, will keep Young in Texas through 2013. Young is signed for $3.5 million this season, and the club has already exercised a $5 million option for 2008.

"I don't think we even need to say it," General Manager Jon Daniels said of similarities between Young and Jeter.

"The performance, their characteristics, they speak for themselves."

Since Young, 30, entered the league in 2001, his statistical profile has grown more and more similar to that of Jeter, 32. During the past four years, they've been almost identical.

They both have .316 batting averages, though Jeter has a sizable edge (.387 to .358) in on-base percentage. Young has better home run (74 to 66) and RBI (365 to 297) totals.

Last season, Young ranked as the No. 1 shortstop in baseball, just ahead of Jeter, according to the Elias Player Rankings.

The big difference, of course, is that Jeter has four World Series rings, though none of them since Young entered the league for good in 2001. Nevertheless, Jeter has been to the postseason every year this century; Young has never been.

"I hope there is a comparison to make because Derek has been a central figure for championship teams," Young said.

In 35 seasons in Texas, the Rangers have won one playoff game, and their mid-cities location makes them neither Dallas' nor Fort Worth's team.

Copyright © 2007, azcentral.com. All rights reserved.

In 2007, anything is possible

2007-03-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

In 2007, anything is possible
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Copyright © 2007 Republican-American

I guess that the answer to the nonstop saga that is Jeter and A-Rod lies in the fascinating world of digital photography.

This past week a baseball card caused quite a stir. And, no, I'm not talking about the famous Honus Wagner card that was recently purchased for $2.35 million. (Where do these people get their money?) It was a Topps Derek Jeter card and, unlike most such cards, this one included a bit more than a photo of the player, some out-of-date statistics and a clever comment ("... in the offseason Derek enjoys steel drum music.").

In the card, a few other rather famous faces can be clearly seen in the background (see the card in question to the right). That's President Bush strolling down the aisle looking for his seat, and that guy standing in the dugout sure looks a lot like old No. 7, Mickey Mantle.

Aside from the obvious question of how this happened (it was a digital gag during the production process that Topps thought was so funny that the company printed the card), a few other thoughts come to mind:

Bush has some baseball connections, sure, but where is Rudy Giuliani? Actually, the diehard Yankees fan might be in the real picture.

What will this card fetch on the online market? ($50 on e-Bay as of Saturday afternoon.)

In the playoff loss to the Tigers last October, the Yankees needed some offense, so why didn't Joe Torre call on that guy warming up in the dugout?

The ease with which this was accomplished, and the national attention it received, led me to wonder if the same technology could be used to soothe the Jeter vs. A-Rod relationship. You know, a little digital slight of hand.

For example, why not a photo distributed around the Internet of Jeter and A-Rod sitting at one of those outdoor cafes sipping green tea and chatting casually about the day? Or the two of them walking into a matinee. And we could tailor the photos to the city that they were playing in next.

In Boston, at the aquarium. In Chicago, gazing out from the Sears Tower. In Los Angeles, spinning wildly on a ride at Disneyland.

With little more than a few clicks of the mouse, we could make Jeter and A-Rod best friends again. Heck, if Mantle can pinch-hit and Bush can find his own seat, anything seems possible in 2007.

Executive sports editor Lee Lewis can be reached at llewis@rep-am.com.

All content except otherwise noted © 1997-2007 American-Republican Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Bush, Mantle Show Up on Derek Jeter Baseball Card

2007-03-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

Bush, Mantle Show Up on Derek Jeter Baseball Card (Update1)
By Larry DiTore

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Derek Jeter isn't even the most famous person on his own baseball card.

U.S. President George W. Bush and New York Yankees Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle appear superimposed on a card issued by Topps Co. that arrived in stores last week. It shows Jeter, the Yankees' shortstop, swinging at a ball, with the images of Bush and Mantle added in the background.

Bush is shown standing among the lower box seats at Yankee Stadium, his right hand waving to the crowd and his left hand missing. Mantle appears in the Yankees' dugout with a bat in his hands.

Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi said someone in the company's creative department inserted the images of the current president and the late Hall of Famer before the final proofing of the card, and the company chose to go ahead with the printing.

``We saw the card and we thought it was hilarious,'' Luraschi said in a telephone interview from the company's New York headquarters. ``We assumed everyone would get a kick out of it like we did, and that's how it's been so far.''

Jeter's card, No. 40 in Topps's new set for the 2007 season, likely would sell for $3 or $4 without the additions, said Brian Fleischer, a price-guide analyst for sports collectibles company Beckett.com.

Fleischer said a collector could have bought the card for about $6 yesterday. Now, it's receiving bids as high as $202 on online auction site EBay Inc. A pack of about eight Topps cards costs $1.99.

`Hype'

``The hype surrounding it speaks for itself,'' Fleischer said in a telephone interview.

The New York Daily News reported that Jeter didn't know anything about the card's surprise guests.

Luraschi said the company hasn't heard from the Bush administration regarding the card, and White House spokesman Tony Fratto declined to address the topic.

``We're not commenting on this,'' Fratto said.

Topps has an exclusive arrangement with Mantle's estate to use the late player's image, Luraschi said.

The Jeter card is available in the individual baseball card packages on sale now. Topps won't correct the card until it begins selling the complete sets of the cards later this year, Luraschi said. He said he didn't know how many of the cards would be printed.

Shares of Topps fell 20 cents to $9.03 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.

To contact the reporter on this story: Larry DiTore in New York at lditore@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 27, 2007 16:24 EST

Jeter and Jordan's celebrity getaway

2007-03-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

Jeter and Jordan's celebrity getaway
Barbara Barker
February 28, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- There are still places in the world where people don't care whether Derek Jeter is still tight with Alex Rodriguez. In fact, there are still places where people don't know who Derek Jeter is, or at least don't recognize his face.

For six glorious days this offseason, Jeter experienced the anonymity of being a regular guy. For the first time in his adult life, he could cross a street without someone yelling out his name. He could smile at a girl without someone taking his picture. If he wanted, he could go for an entire afternoon without talking about baseball.

"There's this great area in Berlin where I walked through thousands of people," Jeter recalled wistfully this week at the Yankees' spring training facility. "I don't think anyone knew who I was."

Of course, it helped that Jeter's traveling companion deflected a lot of attention by being one of the few athletes in this world more recognizable than Jeter.

Several days after the Yankees lost to the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs, Michael Jordan called Jeter and told him what he needed to do was get out of New York - way out of New York. He invited Jeter to join him on a whirlwind European tour, visiting Paris, London, Milan, Berlin, Hamburg and Barcelona in six days.

The two first met when Jordan was in the midst of his brief baseball experiment in 1994 and 1995 and Jeter was in the minor leagues. Jeter said they have been friends since.

On the town with Michael Jordan in Europe: OK, so it wasn't your standard regular-guy experience. But you get the picture. Instead of holing up in his apartment and watching the Tigers take what should have been the Yankees' place in the American League Championship Series, Jeter was drinking lattes, or something stronger, and watching the sun set over a beautiful piazza. Thanks to Jordan, who was on a tour promoting his line of merchandise, the Yankees' captain got the change of scenery he needed, a breather from being the walking personification of everything that is right and not quite right with the Yankees.

Jordan is one of the few people in the world who could have understood what Jeter was thinking after the Yankees collapsed in the first round. Few athletes have gotten more out of their career than Jordan - six championship rings and more fame and fortune than any player in his sport. Yet Jordan, too, has had his very public disappointments, such as failing to win an NBA title until his seventh season. And he always found the best thing one could do is move on to the next game.

What Jeter, 32, needs most is to pull a midcareer Jordan and put his recent disappointments behind him. He has to forget that the Yankees haven't won a ring since 2000, and concentrate on how good it felt when he won four in his first five years.

One gets the feeling that Jordan, 44, would trade a portion of his vast fortune for one more chance to be Jeter's age, to be in the prime of his career with a chance to win another championship. Or two. Jeter knows he has to make the most of his chances now.

"I realize that there's going to be an end to all of this some day," Jeter said, looking around the clubhouse.

So Jeter is back and talking as optimistically as ever. His detractors say he is an ice prince, a nearly perfect baseball player who frustrates some because he is unwilling to share or reveal any of his personal life. That, more than anything, seemed to fuel the three-day back-page minidrama concerning the state of his friendship with A-Rod.

Yet it's easy to see why Jeter is reticent to talk about his personal life: He has to fight to have one. While the rest of the world fights for its 10 minutes of fame, the highlight of Jeter's vacation is a 10-minute walk through a plaza where no one stops him. Jeter had never been to Europe, and it seemed almost a personal revelation that there was a place out there where he could go and be just another person.

"I loved it," he said. "I can't wait to go back ... But I've got some other things to take care of first."

The Extraordinary Tourists

Derek Jeter's six-day vacation with Michael Jordan to some of Europe's greatest cities sure beat the Yankees' Oakland-Anaheim-Seattle West Coast road trip.

London

Paris

Barcelona, Spain

Milan

Berlin

Hamburg, Germany
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Who REALLY Cares About Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez

2007-02-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

Who REALLY Cares About Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez
Written by Beezer McBeeze
Scribe
Sunday, 25 February 2007

I'm not the one with the problem.

On Friday, Dateline ran a special report about a phenomenon that has gripped the nation in recent months: "Celebrity Obsessions." The segment focused on Britney Spears, whose penchant for shedding panties and hair locks made headlines around the country. It also talked about the death of Anna Nicole Smith, who has become the most highly-discussed corpse in recent memory.

In the end, there was only one conclusion to be drawn from the report: Americans are nuts.

And that goes double for Yankees fans.

Or it should, anyway—especially after this winter's Yankee-Infield-gate, when Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter went public with their falling out. The folks who read every article detailing the demise of A-Rod’s once thriving friendship with Jeter were no doubt nodding along in agreement as the Dateline pundits explained our collective obsession with famous people.

But not me.

As I listened to the talking heads prattle on about celebrity worship and the decline of quality journalism, it suddenly struck me: It’s not me who cares about locker-room infighting and press-conference feuds. It’s not me who would give anything to be a fly on the clubhouse wall, and hear what Derek tells A-Rod after the latter takes his annual October vacation.

It’s YOU.

That’s right. I don’t care at all about Derek Jeter the person. As soon as Mariah Carey helps him out of his uniform (are they still together, by the way?), he is temporarily done being a baseball player. At that point, I really couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what goes on in his penthouse atop Trump International Tower on 48th and 1st.

But apparently YOU do.

Dork.

Honestly, you make me sick. When I think about you and your pathetic little life, it makes me want to turn on the gas in my fireplace, wedge myself inside the chimney, and strike a match. You genuinely care about these men, most of whom are younger than you, and their inability to cope with a lifestyle you wish you led.

Both A-Rod and Jeter could quit their jobs tomorrow, never talk to each other again, and live off their hundreds of millions of dollars while sleeping with new supermodels every night. And that drives you nuts. So you discreetly read about it on the Internet while your boss is out getting lunch with someone more important than you.

YOU are a loser. A big-time loser.

Does your kid play tee-ball or Pop Warner? If he does, I bet you probably go to about half his games, maybe three-quarters—because you're lazy. But you probably sat glued to your television during the Terrell Owens overdose saga. Why? Because nothing in the entire history of your life could possibly be as cool as the stuff that T.O. does on a quiet night out.

The bottom line: He’s just better and more important than you.

Which is why YOU are full of regrets, and why every celebrity scandal slightly validates the fruits of YOUR inadequacies.

Suffice it to say here that I think you are the least worthwhile human being on the planet, and the fact that you care about things like A-Rod’s struggle to determine his ethnic identity while secretly gauging the likely popularity of the World Baseball Classic—

Well, that just makes me sick.

YOU obviously need a life.

And if you find one, please let me know where you got it.

© 2006 Bleacher Report. All Rights Reserved.

Jeter Was Once Rebuked for Ties to Rodriguez

2007-02-24T23:01:00.000-05:00

February 22, 2007
Jeter Was Once Rebuked for Ties to Rodriguez
By JACK CURRY

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 21 — Chad Curtis collected 1,061 hits across 10 seasons in the major leagues, he hit a game-winning home run for the Yankees during the 1999 World Series and he was a part of the memorable team that won 125 games in 1998. But to some fans, Curtis is remembered mostly for being the teammate who dared to challenge Derek Jeter in public.

Long before Alex Rodriguez started spring training by saying that he and Jeter are not as friendly as they once were and Jeter responded by refusing to discuss their relationship, Curtis helped ignite the first controversy involving them.

During a brawl between the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners in August 1999, Curtis was irked when he noticed that Jeter was acting nonchalantly off to the side with Rodriguez. Jeter smiled when Rodriguez told him he would get him if there was another skirmish in the game. One Yankee had been punched and another had been plunked, and Curtis felt Jeter should have shunned an opponent like Rodriguez, even though they were close friends at the time.

Curtis confronted Jeter near the dugout and in the clubhouse. With teammates and reporters watching, Curtis scolded him. Curtis told Jeter he was a good player, but that he did not know how to play the game.

“I constantly self-evaluate,” Curtis said Wednesday in a telephone interview. “Was I wrong? Did I do something wrong? Maybe what I said was proper. The way I said it, where I said it and when I said it, wasn’t proper.”

Jeter’s relationship with Rodriguez has been scrutinized anew this week, so the incident with Curtis is a worthwhile footnote.

Jeter is proud of the polished way he plays and is repeatedly lauded, so he was angered by Curtis’s criticism, so much so that he and Curtis barely spoke afterward. One of Jeter’s attributes is his ability to eliminate any and all distractions. The Yankees traded Curtis to the Texas Rangers after the 1999 season.

Although Jeter would not address it, Rodriguez said the chill in their relationship came after his critical comments about Jeter in an interview with Esquire magazine in 2001. Rodriguez said Jeter “never had to lead” and was “never your concern” when playing against the Yankees. After Rodriguez drove 95 miles from Port Charlotte, Fla., to Tampa in the spring of 2002 to apologize, he said, “I thought it was over.”

But by finally being candid Monday, saying that the friendship with Jeter was not as intimate as it once was, Rodriguez liberated himself. Now Rodriguez, who is more concerned than Jeter about how others view him, does not have to act as if he and Jeter still hang out regularly.

The former Yankee Gary Sheffield, now with the Detroit Tigers, said Rodriguez is one superstar who still seeks the approval of others.

“If he doesn’t get that, this is what happens,” Sheffield said Wednesday in Lakeland, Fla. “Because he has to talk about things that he normally wouldn’t talk about.”

Interestingly, when Sheffield spoke to Jeter on Monday, he said Jeter never mentioned Rodriguez’s remarks. Sheffield said the intensity of the news media coverage had fueled the fascination with the relationship between Jeter, the Yankees’ shortstop and captain, and Rodriguez, their third baseman.

“Their situation is what it is,” Sheffield said. “I don’t know what triggered it to get to this point.”

Curtis said Rodriguez, his Rangers teammate for two years, must always determine whether people want to be his friend because he is A-Rod, the $252 million man, or because they truly like him. People in that lofty position, Curtis said, gravitate toward people in the same stratosphere. For Rodriguez, one of those people was Jeter.

“Not to get all Dr. Phil-ish, but we don’t want our friends thinking bad about us,” Curtis said. “It’s not that we’re looking for their approval. We’re looking for their friendship.”

Two days after Curtis challenged Jeter in 1999, he apologized for the manner in which he made his point. Jeter told Curtis that he had done nothing wrong, so there was no reason to apologize.

Curtis said that the last time he went to a Tigers-Yankees game in Detroit, he spoke with Jeter, who was “cordial and nice because that’s who he is.” But after Curtis said he did not think Jeter held a grudge, he added that he ended the conversation feeling there was “something there.”

“I think he thinks, ‘This is the guy I had that incident with,’ ” Curtis said. “That’s the part I regret.”

Now a teacher and a weight-lifting coach at North Point Christian School in Grand Rapids, Mich., Curtis said he has reflected on how and why he confronted Jeter. Curtis, a 45th-round draft pick, said his “old school” upbringing considered it taboo to fraternize with opponents.

Yet after watching Jeter and Rodriguez play a respectful, entertaining style for so many years, Curtis pushed aside some of his old-school ways and said, “Maybe the Derek and Alex version of the game is the right way.”

Maybe it is. Still, the friendship that Curtis once questioned is officially a memory after what Rodriguez and Jeter said this week. The relationship they had eight years ago has changed.

INSIDE PITCH

The Yankees’ starters will throw batting practice to the hitters Thursday, with the top prospects Phil Hughes and Humberto Sánchez joining the projected major league rotation. The team will hold an intrasquad game Tuesday before the first exhibition game two days later.TYLER KEPNER

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

CAPTAIN WINS DIAL-A-BERNIE SWEEPSTAKES

2007-02-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

CAPTAIN WINS DIAL-A-BERNIE SWEEPSTAKES
By GEORGE KING
February 22, 2007 -

- TAMPA - Joe Torre and Brian Cashman can't get Bernie Williams on the phone, but Derek Jeter can.

"I have talked to him, he called me back," Jeter said. "I don't want to talk about what we talked about. It appears he is not coming [to camp]."

Repeated efforts by Torre and Cashman to get an answer from Williams, who was invited to camp on a minor-league deal, have failed.

"It's sad but not surprising that I haven't heard back from him," Torre said.

While Williams is working out at home in New York and willing to help the Yankees, it won't be without a guarantee he will make the team. And that won't be forthcoming, according to Torre and Cashman.

It's fitting that the aloof Williams isn't retired but isn't in camp.

"Half the time you don't even know he is here," Jeter said. "Bernie can be in the corner one minute and a week later you see him in the corner and you haven't seen him any time between. It's typical Bernie in terms of not doing everything by the book."

*

Asked to respond to yesterday's Post exclusive in which Gary Sheffield said Torre "took the fire out of me" by not starting him in last year's Game 3 of the ALDS, Torre refused to get into a back-and-forth with his former right fielder.

"Every player is allowed, and I certainly respect, their opinion. You would like to believe that every player you manage would always have nice things to say to you," Torre said. "I really don't comment on things like that. It takes away from people being able to say what they want to say and feel the way they want to feel. You do the best you can and hope you touched everybody. If it doesn't always work that way, so be it. If that's the way he feels, that's the way he feels."

Today is a day hitters loathe. That's because they face pitchers in batting practice for the first time. Even though the hurlers will be working with an "L" screen in front of them, the hitters will moan about their hands stinging when they make contact.

On the main field will be Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes and Humberto Sanchez.

"They will throw 30 to 40 pitches and the hitters will have a wonderful time," Torre predicted.

After two days of batting practice, Jason Giambi is happy about how his surgically repaired left wrist has held up.

"It's good. I swung a little harder today," Giambi said. "I will take it easier [today]."

Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

JETER DROPS THE BALL AS CAPTAIN

2007-02-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

JETER DROPS THE BALL AS CAPTAIN
February 21, 2007 -

- TAMPA - These have not been questions about his relationship with Jessica Biel or Mariah Carey or whatever starlet of the moment Derek Jeter was romancing.

When it comes to that, Jeter is right. His off-the-field associations have nothing to do with on-the-field results. Thus, he has decided to make them off-limits and I totally respect him for that.

But this was not about Page Six. This was about E-6, error on Jeter for malfeasance as a leader. His relationship with Alex Rodriguez has mattered because Rodriguez matters so much to the success of the Yankees, and A-Rod has cared deeply about Jeter's approval.

Rodriguez attempted to recast the bond between the two and, perhaps, the power dynamics Monday when he admitted that their association had dwindled from "blood brothers" to "a working relationship." It was, perhaps, a liberating moment for Rodriguez, a chance to stop having to act as if something existed that does not any more.

Jeter's opportunity to take the cathartic baton came and went yesterday with the Yankee captain defiantly sticking to his cover story that nothing is wrong, and nothing has ever been wrong. Jeter is not dumb, so we must assume he just continues to play dumb. The ice prince wants to freeze A-Rod out, and then haughtily dismiss any discussion of the subject.

As he did last year, Jeter returned to the nonsense that "I don't think it's my job to tell fans to boo or not" when it comes to A-Rod. Well, first of all, Jeter did exactly that in June 2005, instructing the fans to start cheering the beleaguered Jason Giambi for the good of the team. And, at that point, Giambi had been shamed as a drug cheat and someone who pulled himself out of a World Series game. The difference, of course, was Jeter likes the easily likeable Giambi.

But reducing this to lecturing the fans about etiquette is just obfuscation. Jeter did not have to tell the fans what to do. He simply had to make Rodriguez feel more comfortable, more welcomed. Instead, Jeter has shown the unforgiving nature of a Soprano.

"I don't see the relevance of it," Jeter said of his relationship with Rodriguez. "It has no bearing on us playing baseball."

Of course, it does. Rodriguez permits outside distractions to impact his play in a way Jeter does not. Shame on Rodriguez for that. He is, after all, a 31-year-old man and should not be enslaved by what others think. This also, ultimately, is his fault. It was his envious, misguided words in a 2001 Esquire article that created the rift. But for the true feelings of the two, perhaps it is best to return to the onset of the rift.

Back in spring 2001, when A-Rod recognized the ramifications of the story, he immediately drove from where he was training with the Rangers in Port Charlotte to Tampa. Jeter knew A-Rod was waiting at his house, but refused to cut short a meal and made Rodriguez squirm for hours. When the two finally met, a teary-eyed Rodriguez asked for forgiveness.

But that forgiveness has never really come, not even yesterday. Ironically, one of the shots A-Rod took at Jeter in the Esquire piece was that Jeter "never had to lead" because others from the championship era carried the weight. Years later, when Rodriguez needed Jeter to lead, he discovered that Jeter is more qualified at being the captain to those he likes, such as Giambi.

When it came to Rodriguez, Jeter said yesterday that he did ask last year if he could support the third baseman better and was told by A-Rod no. What did Jeter expect, for Rodriguez to say, "yes, be nicer to me."

That is just more playing dumb for a guy who isn't. And there is a penalty for this. Jeter is forever protecting his image, moving cautiously as to never damage Jeter Inc. and all the endorsement dollars that flow to an athlete perceived as a good-guy winner. But Jeter has suffered some dents in that persona now. It turns out that in hurting A-Rod with indifference, Jeter also has hurt himself.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

INFIELD ON THE OUTS

2007-02-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

INFIELD ON THE OUTS
ALEX'S FADED RELATIONSHIP WITH DEREK MADE PUBLIC ... FINALLY
By GEORGE KING

February 20, 2007 -- TAMPA - Alex Rodriguez confirmed yesterday what everybody has known for years: The relationship between Rodriguez and Derek Jeter has grown icicles.

Skin tight before Rodriguez slapped Jeter in a 2001 Esquire article, the superstars drifted apart. No more dinners. No more nights at the China Club. No more standing around talking as their Mariners and Yankees teammates fought. That didn't change when Rodriguez landed next to Jeter in the Yankees' infield.

For six years they danced around questions about their relationship. After taking a physical at Legends Field, Rodriguez yanked the plug on the music.

"We were the best of friends, 10, 13, 14 years ago and we still get along well. We have a good working relationship,'' said Rodriguez, who dropped 12 pounds and shaved his body fat from 16 percent to 7 percent. "I cheer very hard for him and he cheers hard for me. And most importantly we are both trying to win a world championship and we will leave it right there."

Of course, Rodriguez knew the topic wasn't going to morph into questions about reaching 500 homers (he needs 36) or having Andy Pettitte as a teammate. There were queries about him opting out of the final three years of his contract but Rodriguez understood when he put Jeter in play nothing else came close.

Why did Rodriguez choose yesterday, 24 hours before the first full-squad Yankee workout, to be frank about his relationship with Jeter?

"I think it's important to cut the bull. It is what it is," Rodriguez said. "I think when you get into all the BS, people start assuming things are a lot worse than they are, which they are not. Obviously they aren't as great as they used to be, which we were like blood brothers."

While Rodriguez was talking in the first base dugout, Jeter was taking a physical. By the time Rodriguez was done opening an emotional vein, Jeter departed from the ballpark. Today, Jeter will be begged for a response to Rodriguez's words and don't expect Jeter to be as deep as Rodriguez because it's a topic Jeter enjoys as much as swallowing phlegm.

"The reality is that there has been a change in the relationship and hopefully we can put it behind us," Rodriguez said. "You sleep over somebody's house five days a week and now you aren't sleeping over."

Jeter was criticized last summer for not coming to Rodriguez's defense when Rodriguez was drowning in a sea of Yankee Stadium boos. According to Rodriguez, he didn't need Jeter's support last year and won't this season.

"Absolutely not," Rodriguez said. "I am a big boy. I am 31 and I should be able to help myself out there."

For the first time since Joe Torre dropped Rodriguez into the eighth spot for Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tigers, Rodriguez addressed the move.

"I wasn't excited about it,'' said Rodriguez, who expects to hit in the middle of the card. "For me it was very disappointing to see my name there. Again, it's not my job to judge or even have an opinion on that. Personally, I didn't like it but I have to look at myself in that mirror and say, 'What the hell did I do to get myself in the situation?' I never once questioned Joe. I have to look at myself in the mirror. Yes, I was embarrassed."

george.king@nypost.com

NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.

Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Is Tom Brady the New Derek Jeter?

2007-02-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

01/30/07
Is Tom Brady the New Derek Jeter?
by Andrea Canning, ABC News

Is New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady giving America's No. 1 sports hunk, Derek Jeter, a run for his money when it comes to scoring off the field as the next big thing?

Brady seems to be acting the part. The Super Bowl champion with the million dollar smile and all-American good looks is now said to be dating supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who has been linked to surfer Kelly Slater and actors Josh Hartnett and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Brady's failed relationship with his girlfriend of three years, ABC's "Six Degrees" star Bridget Moynahan, may have paved the way for a new romance with the 26-year-old Victoria's Secret sweetheart.

Does Brady's new cool life sound familiar?

New York Yankees' shortstop Jeter, who also boasts movie star looks and a mega bank account, trades in young starlets more often than baseball cards.

Jeter has been linked to "TRL's" Vanessa Mannillo, actress Jordana Brewster, singer Mariah Carey and, most recently, actress Jessica Biel.

Could Brady be moving in on Jeter's turf as the athlete men want to be and women want to marry?

It's All About Stats

With three Super Bowl titles, 29-year-old Brady stands at 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 225 pounds. The California boy has a laid-back style, hazel eyes and an enviable body. He's held the honor of being one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful. In 2005, Forbes ranked him No. 52 among the 100 most powerful and rich celebrities. Brady has had endorsement deals with Nike, Visa and Sirius Satellite Radio.

With four World Series rings, 32-year-old Jeter stands at 6 feet 3 inches, and weighs 195 pounds. The New Jersey native, with sparkling blue eyes and glowing skin, was also named one of People's most beautiful. In 2005, Forbes ranked him No. 38 on that same 100-most-powerful-and-rich celebrity list, and placed his worth at more than $100 million. Jeter has represented companies like Nike, Gatorade and ConAgra.

Ashley Rothschild, a Los Angeles image and lifestyle expert told ABC News, "The longevity of a sports star's earning potential is short, and Brady should take full advantage of whatever new fame he can capitalize on now."

Rothschild added, "The NFL star is highly promotable, and landing in the tabloids has only raised his profile with women."

Millions have swooned over Jeter for years, but Nichole Bigley of Atlanta told ABC News, "Jeter is yesterday's news. Brady is cuter with 'charming' looks, but I hope the new bachelor will stay wholesome."

Still, Bettina Hill of Baltimore, said, "I'm no Yankees fan, but Derek seems really charming and likable. When he hosted "Saturday Night Live," I could tell he had a really good sense of humor. With looks and personality, he has the total package."

The Image of Fame

But is Brady's and Jeter's fame among the masses gaining steam because of their image or the image of the famous women they date?

Katrina Szish, contributing ABC News correspondent and Us Weekly contributing editor said, "A single Tom Brady wouldn't make celebrity headlines unless he had a supermodel or an actress on his arm.

"Derek Jeter has made entertainment headlines solely because of the high-profile women he dates. He only makes the headlines when he's dating a celebrity."

"Among the celebrity-obsessed, no one really cares about who Derek or Tom are dating, but they do care about who Gisele and Jessica Biel are dating," said Szish.

"These men may be handsome and successful, but they only make the celebrity A-list because of who they're dating, or at least rumored to be dating. Being photographed with a gorgeous woman is never a bad way to raise your profile -- kind of a win-win situation for these guys.

"As athletes, they are somewhat immune from the intense scrutiny that mainstream celebs get, but they undoubtedly profit from their liaisons."

The latest issue of Us Weekly reports that Biel and Justin Timberlake are rumored to be romantically involved, so it looks as if Jeter hasn't sealed the deal with Jessica.

Tamara Derosia of Madison, Conn., told ABC News, "I will continue to be a fan of both Brady and Jeter as long as they don't date Paris Hilton or Tara Reid."

What about Cameron Diaz? She's single -- stay tuned.

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

Posted by R. Smith

All content © Copyright 2001 - 2007 WorldNow and KTRE, a Raycom Media Station.

Yanks' Jeter offer views on Bernie, Clemens, Pavano

2007-02-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Yanks' Jeter offer views on Bernie, Clemens, Pavano
By Michael P. Geffner
Times Herald-Record
February 17, 2007

Tampa, Fla. — Derek Jeter, making his first appearance in Tampa this spring, had this to say yesterday "¦

On Bernie Williams: "I've talked to Bernie a lot. I won't say what we talked about. And I can't say that I'm trying to talk him into coming here, because, the thing is, I can't relate to what he's going through. Nobody can. But I feel for him. It must be tough. This team is all he's known, and I know he wants to end his career here. For selfish reasons, I hope he shows up, hope he gets an opportunity. It won't set in that he's not here anymore until things start and I don't see him around. It'll feel weird.

On Roger Clemens: "If I had to guess, I'd say he's going to pitch this season. When? I don't know. He might be a September call-up."

On Carl Pavano: "I don't have any problem with him. How can I? He hasn't been around here."

With all the craziness going on in camp already, with controversy leaking out of every locker stall, with lips incredibly loose, GM Brian Cashman insisted that media training — accompanied by a videotape on the subject shown to the players — is still an important part of spring training.

"Dealing with the media is part of everybody's job description here," Cashman said, "and if you think we're not proactive about it you're wrong. We do everything we can to understand what media guys do on a daily basis, so we can communicate better through you guys to our fan base. If you can't understand the process, then this place might not be the one for you. We all need to understand that our words to you guys have weight and meaning."

Kei Igawa played something called "shogi," or Japanese chess, against one of the Japanese media members by his locker all morning yesterday. "I do it to help my concentration and in reading opponents," he said through his interpreter. Igawa apparently also throws a mean game of darts, to where he's even beaten some dart pros. "For concentration as well," he said. And in both, he added, "I hate to lose."

George Steinbrenner's son-in-law and designated successor to run the Yankees was scheduled to appear in court March 15 to face charges of driving under the influence.

Yankees general partner Steve Swindal was arrested by St. Petersburg police at 4:26 a.m. Thursday. He was booked for a misdemeanor and released from jail after posting $250 bond.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Record Online is brought to you by the Times Herald-Record, serving New York"s Hudson Valley and the Catskills.

Tier teen meets Derek Jeter

2007-02-14T17:27:00.000-05:00

Saturday February 10, 2007
Tier teen meets Derek Jeter

TAMPA, Fla. Fifteen-year old Justin Topa spent a couple hours Saturday learning the finer points of baseball from Derek Jeter.

Topa, of Hillcrest, was one of four winners of the UpperDeckKids.com sweepstakes to take part in a clinic with the Yankee shortstop at Legends Field, the team's spring training home.

"It was the best experience I ever had," Topa said. "Just meeting Mr. Jeter and spending some time with one of my favorite players. He seems to control himself on the field and the way he plays the game. On and off the field he's amazing."

Jeter had a simple message about baseball and sports in general to offer the young athletes. "The biggest thing is to have fun," Jeter said. "It's important to win. It's more important to have fun."

-- The Associated Press

© 2007 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Jeter mood swing

2007-02-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

Jeter mood swing
Looks to forget past with jump on spring
BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Derek Jeter finds even Europe is no place to escape setback so he gets started on another season of hope.

TAMPA - Even on a European vacation last fall, Derek Jeter couldn't get away from the Yankees' postseason loss to Detroit.

A few days after the upstart Tigers put away the Yanks, cementing another disappointing October in the Bronx, Jeter was at a restaurant with a friend during one stop on his six-day, six-city holiday - he couldn't quite remember the city, London, perhaps - when a Tigers fan reminded him that the Yankees lost a series they had controlled.

"You'd think you could escape it in Europe, you know?" Jeter said yesterday while taking a break from a pre-spring training workout on a clear, sunny morning at the Yankees' minor-league complex here. "You get it all the time here, but Europe?"

In fact, the sting of the most recent Bomber setback is only starting to fade for Jeter, the Yankee captain who grew used to winning every year early in his career. The Yankees are now ring-less since 2000.

Jeter resumed baseball activities three weeks ago for the first time since the end of the season. It's a way to put the disappointment in the past.

"It takes a long time to get over it. That's what people don't realize," Jeter said as several Yankee prospects took batting practice nearby. "It's a whole year you've played. The worst phrase in all of sports is saying, 'Ah, get them next year.' Well, next year is another 12 months. It's not like you're going to have the opportunity to play forever.

"Every year that goes by is one less year on your career, so it takes awhile to get over it. But that's what makes spring training so fun. Everyone starts over."

Yankees' pitchers and catchers report for camp Tuesday and will have their first workout a week from today. Position players such as Jeter will report Feb. 18. But like most of his teammates, Jeter is already working. He took about a month off after last season to "heal up, rest my body. Then I get going again, mostly conditioning, until mid-January."

This week, Jeter has been laughing easily around the batting cage with Jorge Posada and Miguel Cairo, two of the few major leaguers who come to the complex for daily workouts. He exchanged hellos with Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, who threw for the first time Tuesday.

"That's how you get your new beginning," Jeter said, referring to his return to baseball routine.

Right after the Tigers closed out the series, Jeter admitted, he wondered what might have been. The Yankees had won the opener and were leading, 3-1, going into the fifth inning at the Stadium in Game 2, with Mike Mussina on the mound. But they lost that afternoon and dropped both games in Detroit.

"You think about that for a long time, but I'm not thinking about it now," Jeter said. "You're only focused on 2007 now."

Jeter is excited about the new season, especially with Andy Pettitte returning to the Bronx. "I was disappointed when he left in the first place, but you understand it because he wanted to be close to his family," Jeter said. "I'm glad he got the opportunity to come back. With Pettitte, you know what you're going to get. He's not always going to be successful, but you know he's not going to be overwhelmed by New York, by any situation.

"He's been here when we've won, when we've lost. Good times, bad times. He knows how to deal with the media. On the field, you just hope he stays healthy. If he does, he's going to be fine."

He added that the season would seem "weird" without Bernie Williams, who may or may not be in spring training with the Yanks. "He was always older than me, so he was a mainstay before I even got here," Jeter said. "I watched Bernie play when I was in high school, before I even got drafted. I don't know what the situation is; I haven't talked to Bernie lately. But you hope he'd come back. It would be strange without him.

"I have not spoken to him about whether he would play somewhere else, but I can't picture it."

But plenty has already changed for Jeter and the Yankees, as that Tigers fan was happy to remind him.

"You've got to want to win. You've got to enjoy competing. That's the only thing you need to stay motivated," Jeter said. "We won before, and any time you have, you realize how special it is and what a good feeling it is and that it's the complete opposite when you lose.

"You want to get back to that winning feeling, so motivation has never been a problem for me. When you start to lose that motivation to compete, that's when it's time to go home."

T.J. Quinn will be blogging from Ghana, where he's traveling with Mets GM Omar Minaya, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, former Yankees GM Bob Watson, former Giants and Cubs manager Dusty Baker, and former major leaguers Reggie Smith and Al Jackson (an original Met), as they tour the West African nation spreading the glories of the American pastime. For the latest news and video reports, check out the Sports iTeam blog at blogs.nydailynews.com/iteam.

Originally published on February 7, 2007

All contents © 2007 Daily News, L.P.

Derek Jeter Fragrance A Hit For Avon

2007-02-11T06:42:00.000-05:00

Derek Jeter Fragrance A Hit For Avon
by Christine Bittar, Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007 5:01 AM ET

DIRECT BEAUTY SELLER AVON YESTERDAY reported a 9.4% jump in revenue in the fourth quarter to $2.6 billion, on $184.1 million in earnings, or 41 cents a share--representing a small increase of a penny a share versus the year prior.

Product-wise, fragrance was one of Avon's bigger successes--with its new men's fragrance, Derek Jeter Driven, bringing in $10 million in sales, according to Avon. The partnership with the Yankee baseball player is one of Avon's first efforts with licensed fragrances.

The improved sales results come as Avon has been stepping up its ad spend. This last quarter, it boosted its media outlay by a significant $43 million to $89 million for the October through December period. The additional advertising was put toward new product introductions such as Anew Clinical ThermaFirm and SuperFull Mascara, in addition to its direct selling launch in China.

Avon's total media spend last year was $249 million--up 83% from 2005. The company's creative is handled through its in-house advertising department, and the planned increased advertising was meant to directly improve sales.

In fact, even as Avon had been cutting staff, it's also working to strengthen its global marketing and advertising function, with two new executive hires announced at the end of the year--one to oversee media planning and buying and the other to take charge of Avon's global image, from its brochure to packaging to creative.

In addition, in the last year, Avon has been restructuring, cutting staff, and stepping up other marketing efforts as well as luring new rep recruits.

The number of Avon reps--its major distribution channel--increased 5% globally in the fourth quarter and 1% in North America.

Previously, CEO Andrea Jung announced that one of the ways Avon would look to increase efficiency is by slimming down its product assortment, dropping as much as 40% of its SKUs this year via its "Product Line Simplification." Christine Bittar can be reached at christine@mediapost.com

©2007 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved.

Gabrielle Union Says She Isn't Dating Derek Jeter – Unfortunately

2007-02-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

Gabrielle Union Says She Isn't Dating Derek Jeter – Unfortunately
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 02, 2007 02:00 PM EST
By Debi Springer

Gabrielle Union isn't dating baseball star Derek Jeter – much to her chagrin.

"I'm linked to a lot of people," the actress, 34, told PEOPLE at a Super Bowl weekend kick-off party at Bongos Cuban Café in Miami on Thursday. "It'd be great to be dating Derek Jeter. As far as fake relationships go, I'm moving up."

The New York Post's Page Six reported last week that Union and the New York Yankees shortstop, 32, were spotted flirting and dirty dancing at a Bahamas nightclub. Her rep told the paper: "They are friends, but they did not hook up."

But even Union's mother was convinced the two were an item. "My mom asked me if he was coming for Easter, I said, 'Mom! I barely know him,' " Union told PEOPLE with a laugh.

"Trust me, if I were dating Derek Jeter, I would hold my own personal press conference to announce it to the world. I'm actually getting a little nervous about when our fake breakup is coming."

Next up, Union, whose four-year marriage to NFL running back Chris Howard ended in 2005, will star in ABC's Football Wives, a U.S. version of a BBC soap.

"I play Chardonnay Lane, which is really funny. I was hoping for Pinot Grigio," she said. "I was at one time a football wife, and there is a certain level of bonding that happens between women who are the wives of football players. We're having a lot of fun."

Copyright © 2007 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

DEREK'S DOMINOS: THE WORLD'S BEAUTIES KEEP FALLING FOR JETER

2007-02-01T21:13:00.000-05:00

DEREK'S DOMINOS
THE WORLD'S BEAUTIES KEEP FALLING FOR JETER
By HASANI GITTENS

January 29, 2007 -- Derek Jeter's batting average was .343 last season - but when it comes to women, he's batting a thousand.

His latest home-run hottie is Gabrielle Union, at least according to Page Six. Her rep says they're "friends but did not hook up."

The sexy star of "Deliver Us from Eva" and the Yankee shortstop were seen flirting and dancing at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas last week, but Union is just the latest in a string of hits for the Bronx baseballer.

Before being linked to Union, Jeter was rounding the bases in late '06 with angelic actress Jessica Biel of TV's "7th Heaven" and the high-flying movie "Stealth."

No 2's previous list of "10"s reads like a wish list for teenage boys everywhere: Actress Scarlett Johansson, veejay and Miss Teen USA 1998 Vanessa Minnillo, singer Joy Enriquez, and actresses Jessica Alba and Jordana Brewster.

He's even dated the millennium's Miss Universe - India's Lara Dutta, who held the crown in 2000.

What is it about Jeter that makes the women go wild? Perhaps the MVP smile, the fact that he's got "good hands," front row Knicks tickets and a $4 million bachelor pad at Trump World Tower.

Or maybe it's his approach.

Jason McIntyre who has chronicled the women of Jeter for ESPN.com says, "All the guys want to be friends with Jeter, and all the ladies want him."

Every woman in New York City has a story, said McIntyre.

"They all seem to go something like this, 'His (insert wingman here) came up and said that he'd like to meet me,' yada, yada, yada - he's such a down-to-earth, nice guy," he said.

"I guess when you play the marquee position on the most popular sports team in America, in the largest city in the United States, you've got to be versatile enough to alternate between dating Miss Universe, an actress, or a hostess at a restaurant," said McIntyre.

"He seems to have mastered that art."

Play on, Derek, play on.

hasani.gittens@nypost.com

NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.

Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jeter Golf Classic a big hit for charity

2007-01-30T21:42:00.000-05:00

01/29/2007 3:26 PM ET
Jeter Golf Classic a big hit for charity
Yanks shortstop raises money for Turn 2 Foundation in Tampa
By Chris Girandola / Special to MLB.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- Kerplunk!

Derek Jeter's first shot off the tee on the 5th hole at Avila Golf & Country Club hooked far left of the green and plopped right into the water.

As the host of his 4th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, Jeter was stationed at the par-3 tee box to greet and thank each foursome as it made its jaunt around the picturesque golf course.

He would repeat the failed attempt two more times before knocking a high arching 9-iron shot 10 feet from the hole, drawing cheers from his father, Dr. S. Charles Jeter, and the foursome that included Buffalo Bills great Bruce Smith.

"That's more like it," Jeter shouted, eliciting laughter from the contingent of media and volunteers that lined the tee box.

Aside from Jeter's adventures on the golf course and the chilly 45-degree morning in Florida, the Yankees shortstop was more pleased about the staging and results of his golf tournament.

"I'm honored to be able to host such an event and to have such support from my friends to benefit a worthy cause," said Jeter, who established the Turn 2 Foundation in 1996 to give back to various communities including West Michigan, Tampa and New York. "I'm committed to doing everything I can to help and encourage kids that they can reach their goals no matter how difficult it appears sometimes. My role off the field is just as important as my role on the field."

More than 125 golfers attended the event that benefited Turn 2 Foundation programs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, including Phoenix House's Derek Jeter Academy, the Derek Jeter Scholarship administered by the Hillsborough Education Foundation, and the St. Peter Claver School scholarship fund.

Some of Jeter's friends who made it for the event included Michael Jordan, Ahmad Rashad, Jerome Bettis, and several current or former Yankees: Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, Miguel Cairo, Tino Martinez, Gary Sheffield, Tanyon Sturtze, Lou Piniella and Don Zimmer.

With Jeter spending more and more of the winter and spring months in the Tampa area, he has become involved with supporting area causes.

The Academy, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year, is expected to open some time this year. Jeter plans to be as involved as possible with the residential high school, which will be geared towards troubled teens who can receive drug and alcohol treatment while earning an education.

"This is a reflection of what Derek stands for as a person," said his proud father, who serves as vice president of the foundation. "To be able to give back the way we've been able to is what the whole journey means. He's been able to reach farther than we ever expected and it is truly a blessing as a parent to see the type of man he's become."

The golf tournament was the culmination of a weekend that began with the Launch Party on Saturday night at the Rattlefish Bar and Grill in Tampa, followed by a practice round on Sunday morning at the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay. On Sunday night, at the Celebrity Auction Draw Party, Jordan again brought in the most money with a bid of $43,000 and Zimmer was a surprise second place with a bid of $20,000.

Since the inception of the classic, Turn 2 has committed more than $400,000 to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Chris Girandola is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 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.

In Hyde Park, a night full of stars

2007-01-28T01:23:00.000-05:00

In Hyde Park, a night full of stars
[2 TAMPA Edition]

St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Author: MICHAEL A. MOHAMMED
Date: Jan 25, 2007
Start Page: 1.B
Section: TAMPA & STATE
Text Word Count: 467

Document Text

Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jan 25, 2007
Correction (01/26/07): Golfer Tiger Woods was not among celebrities at Tampa's Hyde Park Cafe on Tuesday. An article Thursday was incorrect on that point. Woods is competing this week in California.

Jeter, Jordan, Pippen, Sheffield, Woods and Ivey. All in the same room. Awesome.

Stardom reached critical mass at the Hyde Park Cafe in Wednesday's early hours. Another celebrity and it might have collapsed in on itself, birthing an infinitely dense black hole of fame.

Mere mortals orbited outside the curtained-off VIP area. At thin gaps in the gauze, tube-topped women jostled for peeps at basketball legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, baseball stars Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield, golfer Tiger Woods and professional poker player Phil Ivey.

Combined, they own 12 NBA rings, five World Series baseball rings, four Masters golf tournament green jackets and five World Series of Poker bracelets.

The beautiful people are in town for the fourth annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic in Avila this Monday. Last year's event raised $600,000 for Tampa area schools.

Last weekend, Jeter played in Jordan's own charity golf tournament in the Bahamas. Jeter owns a house in Tampa, spring training city for his Yankees.

"The first time I met him, I wasn't nice because he's Jeter," said Boston-born, rival Red Sox fan Peter Hannouche, a co-owner of the nightclub. "But he's the kind of guy who wins you over. He's a class act."

So classy, in fact, that Jeter didn't even deck the young reporter who grabbed his bulky biceps and asked for an interview on Jeter's way out of the club.

"No, man, I ain't talking to no papers right now, man," Jeter said.

The gathering featured a number of large bodyguards. While some patrons argued with bouncers to get in, others settled for tiny brushes with fame.

Brett Coover, a 30-year-old technology consultant, spotted a familiar figure in an orange shirt walking to the restroom.

"Wow," he later remembered thinking. "It's Tiger Woods."

His friend and co-worker Matty VanHook, 26, saw Jeter in the restroom and witnessed him tipping an attendant.

"It wasn't going to change my outlook on life or anything, but it was definitely a cool happening," VanHook said.

Michael A. Mohammed can be reached at mmohammed@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3404.

Copyright © 2007 St. Petersburg Times

Sources: Yankee Stadium to host '08 All-Star Game

2007-01-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

Updated: Jan. 16, 2007, 11:31 AM ET
Sources: Yankee Stadium to host '08 All-Star Game
By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine

Yankee Stadium will be the site of the 2008 All-Star Game, sources in baseball said, in the last year of the ballpark.

The new Yankee Stadium is scheduled to open in 2009, and old Yankee Stadium closed, 86 years after the ballpark was first built in 1923, and 33 years after the ballpark was remodeled on the same site in 1976. With the All-Star Game slated to be in an AL park in 2008, officials chose Yankee Stadium for the site, believing it to be an appropriate way to usher out the historic building.

The All-Star Game has been held in Yankee Stadium three times previously, the last time in 1977.

An announcement on the selection of Yankee Stadium is expected in the days ahead, perhaps next week, with Major League Baseball coordinating with the Mayor's office in New York.

Next summer's All-Star Game will be played in San Francisco, and on Monday night, Commissioner Bud Selig formally announced that the 2009 All-Star Game will be played in St. Louis.

Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine.

Copyright ©2007 ESPN Internet Ventures.

Jeter nets honor, pays tribute to O'Neil

2007-01-17T20:34:00.001-05:00

01/14/2007 5:30 AM ET
Jeter nets honor, pays tribute to O'Neil
Legacy Award recipient basks in history of Negro Leagues
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Derek Jeter apologized for never having been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum before Saturday.

"I always intended to go," Jeter said. "I think as you get older, you get a little bit lazier during the daytime before the games."

On a bone-chilling day in mid-January, he had no games to fret about. No pennant race with the archrival Red Sox to distract him. No Yankee pinstripes to put on. He came to take part in the annual Legacy Awards ceremony, a tribute to the black pioneers in black baseball, to pick up the Oscar Charleston Award for his MVP-caliber play in 2006 and to bask in the history of it all.

Jeter couldn't deny the museum struck an emotional chord.

"I've heard a lot of stories from my dad growing up," he said. "But getting an opportunity to come here and see this is impressive. That's to say the least. It's something I think everybody should have an opportunity to experience."

Yet his first visit was bittersweet, too. For absent was Buck O'Neil, the museum chairman and a man who had befriended Jeter in 1996. O'Neil had died three months earlier.

"I was a rookie," Jeter recalled. "He went out of his way to introduce himself: 'You don't have to introduce yourself to me. You're Buck O'Neil.'

"He always treated me great."

But who doesn't treat Yankee royalty great? With a trophy case that might resemble a small house, Jeter picked up more hardware here for his trophy case: the Charleston and the Pop Lloyd Award for community leadership.

He wished O'Neil had been here to enjoy the moment with him.

Before the ceremony, Jeter expressed regret that O'Neil didn't get his due while alive. He called O'Neil's rejection last year for induction into the Hall of Fame an injustice, and he said he hopes the injustice doesn't push O'Neil out of people's minds. That might be a harsher blow than the first, Jeter said.

"I'm going to remember him, because I met him on a personal level," Jeter said. "But I think anytime you do something for a player, it's going to open people's eyes and they're going to want to learn more about him.

"That's the biggest tribute you can give him."

On a night of tributes, O'Neil got his moment, too. Jeter and the hundreds who attended the awards show saw a video tribuet to O'Neil. It touched the high points of O'Neil's life, which includes the legacy he left as a man too proud to have regrets or to hate.

Few people in baseball can live to such a high standard. So the best way to honor O'Neil might simply be to play baseball with excellence as the aim. As a Yankee, Jeter knows he can ill-afford to play the game any other way.

As he enjoyed the present, he knew that he'd soon have to go back to work. Spring Training starts next month, and he's eager for it to begin. He'll be welcoming back veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte, who spent the past three seasons with the Astros, and also trying to grow comfortable with a handful of new Yankees teammates.

New or old, they all know what the expectations are for any man who puts on the pinstripes: to win a championship.

"We need to win a championship," Jeter said. "That's the bottom line."

He'll be heading to Tampa with optimism in tow. It's a new beginning, he said. He can forget what happened last season -- the good and the bad.

The good led to his picking up the Charleston Award. The bad: no championship.

The Yankees play for championships -- period. He sees nothing less than that as the goal for 2007. He has plenty of reasons, aside from Pettitte's return, to be optimistic that the Yankees will add another title to their storied history.

"There's a lot of optimism," Jeter said. "But I think that's for every team."

Justice B. Hill is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.

Jeter, Cano adept with the glove, but deadly with the bat

2007-01-17T20:34:00.000-05:00

01/17/2007 2:00 PM ET
Around the Horn: Middle Infielders
Jeter, Cano adept with the glove, but deadly with the bat
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

The following is the third in a series of weekly stories on MLB.com examining each Major League club, position by position. Each Wednesday until Spring Training camps open, we'll preview a different position. Today: Middle infielders.

NEW YORK -- They can turn a double play any day of the week, but it's at the plate where Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano really do their damage.

The Yankees' middle-infield combination teamed up to put a 1-2 punch on the American League batting race in 2006, as Jeter and Cano finished second and third, respectively, behind the Twins' Joe Mauer.

Along the way, they earned hardware to remind them of their in-season exploits, with both players logging a Silver Slugger Award -- given to the top offensive player at their position as voted on by Major League managers and coaches.

Jeter, 32, added an AL Hank Aaron Award and his third consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award to the mix.

Beginning his 12th full season as the Yankees shortstop, Jeter is the team captain and has long been established as the face of the organization. He lost out on a bid for his first Most Valuable Player Award last season, falling 14 points shy of the 320 logged by the Twins' Justin Morneau.

Many had expected Jeter to run away with the balloting following his tremendous 2006 campaign, but he logged 12 first-place votes -- three fewer than Morneau.

Jeter, once again an All-Star after missing the 2005 squad, finished second in the AL with a .343 batting average and 118 runs scored. He was fourth with a .417 on-base percentage and sixth with 34 stolen bases.

A clutch performer who batted .381 with runners in scoring position in 2006, Jeter also hit 14 home runs and drove in 97 runs, though the Yankees captain would have traded his kudos and accolades for another World Series title.

"You've heard me say it a thousand times, but winning the World Series for the New York Yankees continues to be my main focus," Jeter said in a statement following the MVP vote. "There is no individual award that can compare with a championship trophy, and I look forward to working towards that challenge again in 2007."

In 2004, Jeter became the first Yankees shortstop to win a Gold Glove Award. However, his fielding has remained a regular source of criticism, even though he has added two more to his trophy case.

New York Yankees
• Catchers: Posada steady as it gets
• Corner IF: HS teammates reunited
• Middle IF: Good gloves, great bats
• Outfielders: January 24
• Starters: January 31
• Bullpen: February 7
• DH/Bench: February 14

Last year, Jeter's .975 fielding percentage ranked fourth in the AL, while his 15 errors were the third-fewest behind the Rangers' Michael Young and the White Sox's Juan Uribe (14 each) among all AL shortstops who played in at least 130 games.

Cano, 24, helped create a dangerous offensive tandem with Jeter during his second full Major League season. The All-Star hit 15 home runs and collected 78 RBIs for the Yankees, finishing just one point behind Jeter with a .342 batting average -- good for third in the American League.

Cano missed six weeks during the summer with a hamstring injury, but he finished the regular season on a tear, batting .373 (41-for-110) in September to earn AL Player of the Month honors.

Since taking over as the Yankees' full-time second baseman in May 2005, placing second in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting, Cano has gained entry into discussions about baseball's best young talents.

The left-handed-hitting Cano finished ninth in the American League with 41 doubles, and for the second straight year, he did some of his best work away from Yankee Stadium. Cano led the AL again in road batting average, hitting .364 away from the Bronx.

Continuing to improve his defensive craft, Cano started 115 games at second base for the Yankees in 2006. He posted a .984 fielding percentage, committing nine errors in 572 total chances and works well with Jeter up the middle.

Miguel Cairo is set to return as the Yankees' utility infielder. Cairo became a valuable player for New York last season when Cano went down to injury for 34 games, batting .239 with 30 RBIs in 222 at-bats. Cairo played all four infield positions in 2006, plus one game in left field.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

© 2001-2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.

Derek Jeter principle defines market economics

2007-01-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

The Derek Jeter principle defines market economics
By Thomas Sowell
Hoover Institution at Stanford University
January 14, 2007 6:00 AM

One question often asked by those obsessed with income gaps and disparities is:

"Is anyone really worth the millions of dollars a year that some people receive as personal income?"

Such a question presupposes there is such a thing as real worth. That assumption goes back to the Middle Ages, when people thought there was a fair and just price for things.

If there were an objective value - whether of goods or labor - economic transactions would make no sense.

When you buy a computer, the only reason you part with your money is the computer is worth more to you than the money. The only reason someone sells you the computer is the money is worth more to them than the computer.

The difference in value of the same thing to different people is the whole basis for economic transactions.

If there was any such thing as an objective value, these transactions would make no sense. Why bother making an exchange if what you get is no more valuable to you than what you give?

If there is an objective value of a computer that's greater than what's being paid for it, the seller has been cheated and is a fool to keep making such transactions.

Similarly, if the objective value is less than what is paid, the buyer is a fool to keep buying something that isn't worth its price.

It's the same story when Derek Jeter gets paid millions of dollars to play shortstop for the New York Yankees.

He gains by exchanging his time and skills for the money team owner George Steinbrenner pays him. Steinbrenner also gains by paying Jeter to play shortstop - which helps bring in more money in gate receipts, the sale of television rights and other sources of revenue.

As for the rest of us, it's none of our business what Steinbrenner pays Jeter. It's their deal. If we don't understand it, there's no reason why our ignorance should influence what happens.

The medieval notion that there is an objective, fair and just price dies hard, though even in medieval times St. Thomas Aquinas saw some of the problems with the idea.

The British classical economists of the 18th and early 19th centuries saw cost of production as an objective basis for prices.

Since the 1870s, economists around the world have recognized that value is subjective and have incorporated that into their analysis of prices, based on supply and demand.

If something costs more to produce than people are willing to pay, the producer just loses money.

A principle that seems obvious, after it has been articulated, might take generations to evolve and be incorporated into our thinking.

Yet here we are, in the 21st century, still talking about whether people are paid more or less than they are really worth - and we're hot to give government the power to do something if we don't understand why some people are paid so much or so little.

If ignorance is bad, confusion is worse. Productivity, for example, is often confused with merit.

If Derek Jeter worked like a dog for years to perfect his skills as a baseball player, some might think he had earned the big bucks he gets.

If he was just born with natural talent and the whole thing is a breeze to him, that would mean he didn't really merit such a huge payoff.

Steinbrenner isn't paying for Jeter's merit. He's paying for his productivity, whether at bat or in the field. Somebody who worked twice as hard and was still only half as good never would get the same money Jeter gets.

Many poverty-stricken people in the Third World work harder than most Americans work. But, for a number of reasons, they don't produce as much. That's why these countries are poor.

Transferring wealth from 300 million Americans and spreading it out over 2 billion people in India and China isn't going to do much. Enabling more people in India or China to become more productive can help them and us - and has.

Multinational corporations are among the biggest spreaders of greater productivity to Third World countries, and they usually pay higher wages than local employers.

Moral exhibitionists who are hot for the redistribution of other people's money are among the biggest critics of multinational corporations.

Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His Web site is www.tsowell.com.

Copyright © 1998 - 2006 ONI Stockton, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Derek Jeter Gracing Major League Baseball 2K7 Cover

2007-01-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

Derek Jeter Gracing Major League Baseball 2K7 Cover
Yankees Captain returns for the third year running.
By Dan Dormer, 01/04/2007

2K Sports announced today that, once again, Derek Jeter was the man they wanted plastered on the next installment in their Major League Baseball series, Major League Baseball 2K7. MLB 2K7 arrives for to the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3 and PSP sometime in the next couple months.
"It is a real privilege to represent the premier MLB title in the video game industry," stated Derek Jeter in the announcement release. "Just as I am always striving to improve my game, 2K Sports is constantly improving theirs, and this dedication has made Major League Baseball 2K7 the best MLB video game ever."

Strong words from a man whose team hasn't won a World Series since 2000. I kid, I kid.

Copyright © 2002-2006 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1UP and the 1UP.COM logo are a trademark of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.

Derek Jeter Romantically Involved with Jessica Biel

2007-01-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

Derek Jeter Romantically Involved with Jessica Biel

New York Yankees star Derek Jeter has been romantically involved with 7th Heaven star Jessica Biel according to reports that have surfaced.

The two were even photographed on Holiday getting off a boat at their hotel in Puerto Rico.

The new couple even spent New Years with one another in Puerto Rico. They have been playing blackjack at the El Conquistador Resort and Golden Door Spa these past few days in a roped off area.

Meanwhile, the seven-time all-star and the runner-up for the 2006 American League Most Valuable Player Award Derek Jeter is returning for another season as the spokesman and cover boy for 2K Sports’ baseball game Major League Baseball 2K7.

This is the second year that Derek Jeter will grace the cover and come back for a repeat season as the spokesman for the franchise which is set to release its latest installment sometime around February and March for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.

----

Sports911.com News Wire

Originally published January 5, 2007 4:36 pm ET

Derek Jeter Announced as Cover Athlete for MLB 2K7

2007-01-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Derek Jeter Announced as Cover Athlete for MLB 2K7
New York Yankees’ Captain plastered on 2K’s baseball game.

January 5th, 2007 (6:07pm) - 2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has announced the return of New York Yankees’ All-Star Shortstop Derek Jeter as cover athlete and official spokesperson for Major League Baseball 2K7.

Jeter, a seven-time All-Star, had a spectacular 2006 season, finishing with a .343 batting average that ranked second overall in the American League. Additionally in 2006, Jeter won his third straight Gold Glove award as well as winning the Hank Aaron Award for best overall offensive performer for the American League. As the New York Yankees’ team captain, Jeter’s talent, leadership, and determined attitude have earned him numerous accolades, cementing him as one of the greatest players to wear the Yankee pinstripes.

Major League Baseball 2K7 will be available for the Xbox 360, Xbox, Playstation 3, PlayStation 2, and the PSP.

Additional features and enhancements that take the virtual Major League Baseball experience to the next level will be announced in advance of the release of Major League Baseball 2K7 in late winter.

Reported by David Amirian on January 5th, 2007 (6:07pm)

2000-2007 GamersMark.com - All Rights Reserved A Division of OzTheory

Ripken's career more than numbers

2006-12-29T00:35:00.000-05:00

12/28/2006 9:00 AM ET
Ripken's career more than numbers
Shortstop who captivated fans with work ethic a lock for Hall
By Jack O'Connell / MLB.com

In the first month of his Rookie of the Year Award season with the Yankees in 1996, Derek Jeter visited Baltimore's Camden Yards for the first time. Five hours before game time, Jeter stood in the visitors' dugout, still wearing civilian clothes and watching several Orioles players participate in an early batting-practice session.

One of those players was Cal Ripken Jr., who, after taking about three dozen BP swings, went out to his shortstop position and began fielding ground ball after ground ball either off a hitter's swing or a coach's fungo.

Jeter turned to another person in the dugout and said, "So that's how you get to be Cal Ripken."

The remark was spoken in admiration. Jeter had heard Ripken was on the field and wanted an up-close look at the player he had long admired. He was gratified to discover first-hand that the man who broke Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old record for consecutive games seven months earlier was the real deal. Ripken showed the rookie Jeter his version of the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.

What Carnegie Hall is to entertainers, the National Baseball Hall of Fame is to ballplayers, and a career dedicated to an extraordinary work ethic is likely to be honored next month. There is scant doubt that Cal Ripken, Jr. will be elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The only question is by how high a percentage.

Induction into the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., requires a 75-percent plurality -- which is hard enough to achieve -- but Ripken could find himself in that rarified air of 98 percent previously accomplished by Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Ty Cobb and George Brett. There is even talk about Ripken possibly being the first unanimous choice, which is less likely but helps fuel debate.

Even without "The Streak," which stretched to 2,632 games, a defining circumstance of his career, Ripken would have been bound for Cooperstown. The numbers are there. All the various awards are there. A World Series ring is there. In the one dubious record he holds -- most times grounding into double plays -- the mark he broke belonged to Henry Aaron. So even in a negative connotation Ripken rubs elbows with the game's greats.

At 6-foot-4, Ripken was viewed by some as being too tall for a shortstop, but Orioles manager Earl Weaver resisted suggestions that Ripken play third base, which he eventually did but not before redefining the offensive role of the middle infielder. Jeter is among the generation of shortstops who followed Ripken's path in being productive with the bat as well as the glove without being hindered by a basketball player's frame.

"I was already in the league," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, then manager of the White Sox, said, "and I thought, 'Wow, look at the size of that guy.' But he made all the plays. Here's a guy that played exceptional defense and now you had all that extra offense. A lot of shortstops now are very offensive-minded at the same time as they play very good defense. Before Cal, the shortstop just caught the ball and didn't really worry about what he did offensively."

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez became a star initially as a shortstop and was strongly inspired by Ripken. In the 2001 All-Star Game at Seattle's Safeco Field, Ripken's last All-Star appearance, A-Rod shifted from his shortstop position to third so that Ripken could get an inning at his old spot. Naturally, Ripken homered in that game and was the Most Valuable Player, another example of his glowing in the spotlight, which was a characteristic of his career.

"You couldn't be a shortstop and not be influenced by Cal in some way," Rodriguez said. "It's impossible. He was that big. He was a pioneer in many ways. The most underrated thing about him was his defense. The year [1990] he went out and made three errors and led the league in double plays was awesome. He'll be remembered more for his home runs, RBI and games played, but his defense was something."

Ripken had the bloodlines. His father, Cal Sr., who passed away in 1999, labored a lifetime in the Orioles organization as a Minor League player, coach and manager and Major League coach and manager. Cal Jr.'s brother, Bill, was a big-league teammate and remains a business partner in various endeavors, including the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation to give underprivileged children the opportunity to attend baseball camps around the country.

Cal remains entrenched in the game as part owner of the Orioles' Class A/New York Penn League affiliate in his hometown of Aberdeen, Md., where he lives with his wife, Kelly, daughter, Rachel, and son, Ryan. Just across from Ripken Stadium, the IronBirds' 6,000-seat facility, is the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy featuring several fields modeled after famous parks such as Chicago's Wrigley Field, Boston's Fenway Park as well as Camden Yards and Baltimore's old Memorial Stadium. Championship tournament games of the Cal Ripken Division (11-12 year olds) of Babe Ruth League, Inc., are played there every year.

Using a variety of batting stances, which he seemed to change several dozen times each year, Cal Ripken Jr. spent all of his 21 Major League seasons with Baltimore. He was a 19-time All-Star, played in a record 16 All-Star Games in a row and was twice the Midsummer Classic's MVP. Ripken is the all-time All-Star ballot leader, with more than 36 million votes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Cal [Ripken] was a bridge, maybe the last bridge, back to the way the game was played."
-- Yankees manager Joe Torre

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The American League Rookie of the Year Award winner in 1982 and the league's MVP the following year when Baltimore won its last World Series, Ripken earned a second MVP Award in 1991, by which time he was well on his way to posting career numbers such as 3,184 hits (14th), 603 doubles (13th), 431 home runs (35th), 1,695 RBIs (20th), 3,001 games (8th), 11,551 at-bats (4th) and 127 sacrifice flies (2nd). He won two Gold Glove Awards, eight Silver Slugger Awards and batted .338 in 28 postseason games.

As if that were not enough, there was The Streak, which rightfully belongs in capital letters, an astonishing accomplishment that set Ripken apart for his simple approach that he should be ready to play every day. It was the streak that earned Ripken the lasting respect from the people in the stands, men and women who were expected to be on the job every day in their own professions.

But in the Major Leagues, that includes weekends and holidays amid a breakneck, 162-game schedule. Day in and day out over 17 seasons, Ripken was on the lineup card and on the playing field. As he neared Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games, which was once considered unbreakable, Ripken helped heal the wounds of a players' strike that truncated nearly one-third of the 1994 season, forced the cancellation of that year's World Series and reduced by three weeks the start of the 1995 season.

Ripken's streak renewed fan interest, and most can recall where they were the night of Sept. 6, 1995, when Ripken played in his 2,131st straight game and became his sport's new "Iron Man." He and Bobby Bonilla hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to give the Orioles the lead at Camden Yards, so when the Angels went out without scoring in the fifth it was an official game. Play was halted for 22 minutes as Ripken lapped around the stands high-fiving many in the crowd of 46,272.

"I know that if Lou Gehrig is looking down on tonight's activities, he isn't concerned about someone playing one more consecutive game than he did," Ripken said that night. "Instead, he's viewing tonight as just another example of what is good and right about the great American game."

"It is extremely impressive that Cal was able to do something like this while playing shortstop," Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith said at the time. "You have to have size and strength, which he obviously has, you have to have skill and you have to have some luck. I have always thought that shortstops were the best athletes on the field, and this just reconfirms that."

The streak continued into 1998, the year after Ripken moved to third base permanently because the Orioles acquired Mike Bordick as a free agent to play shortstop regularly. The streak's end came Sept. 20, the date of the Orioles' last home game of the '98 season, and it was easy to detect. Ripken was nowhere to be seen on the field while the Orioles took BP before that game.

Joe Torre, manager of the visiting Yankees, came on the field sensing something was amiss. When he received the Orioles' official lineup that day, Ryan Minor was listed at third base and not Ripken, who had decided the streak had gone on long enough. The Yankees paid homage to Ripken by standing on the top step of the dugout and applauding him as the game began.

"Cal was a bridge, maybe the last bridge, back to the way the game was played," Torre said. "Hitting home runs and all that other good stuff is not enough. It's how you handle yourself in all the good times and bad times that matter. That's what Cal showed us. Being a star is not enough. He showed us how to be more."

Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, himself not one to be missing from lineups, used to say, "I thought it was important that the manager knew he could count on me every day." Ripken has called Murray his favorite teammate. They will soon be reunited in Cooperstown on a day that could prove to be magical, as one of the largest crowds for a Hall of Fame induction ceremony is anticipated.

Polly Renckens, president of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, told MLB.com, "We started getting calls about the 2007 induction the day Cal Ripken announced that he was retiring after the 2001 season."

Jack O'Connell is a 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's Turn 2 Foundation hosts kids

2006-12-25T21:15:00.000-05:00

12/18/2006 11:38 PM ET
Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation hosts kids
Children enjoy private movie screening at Manhattan theater
By Peter Zellen / Special to MLB.com

NEW YORK -- There's no question what draws teenagers to volunteer for Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.

After all, Jeter is a star baseball player and role model, captain of the New York Yankees, handsome and polite -- a celebrity who has the appeal of a movie star and is the toast of the Big Apple.

That's what gets kids involved in the Foundation, yet it's not what keeps them there. Soon after they're accepted in the program, the group -- known as Jeter's Leaders -- is quick to understand the Turn 2 Foundation isn't about hanging out with Jeter.

It's about making the right decisions in life and making a positive impact in the community.

"It's our mission statement and what we're here to represent," said Jaleesa Diaz, 15, of Thurgood Marshall Academy in upper Manhattan. "It's not about being around Derek, it's not about meeting Derek, it's about representing him and being able to do things [in the community]. Because he's one person, he can't get around so much to help, so we get to do that for him. We get to take the initiative.

"I think that Derek is a great person for what he does for the kids, so just representing him as a Leader is a wonderful thing for me, and I appreciate the experience."

On Monday night, Jeter and his Turn 2 Foundation treated busloads of more than 500 New York City schoolchildren to a private screening of "The Santa Clause 3" at a Manhattan movie theater. The children and members of Jeter's Leaders walked the red carpet, just like the Yankees star, in front of about a dozen photographers and television cameras -- complete with the flashes and the panache of a Hollywood movie premiere.

"This is all just great. It's about giving back to the community, and Derek has been pushing us to give back to the community and giving all the presents to these kids," said Jennifer Martin, 16, of the Bronx. "I think it's just a wonderful thing he's doing. It's just an amazing thing he does for these children."

The screening -- called the Turn 2 Holiday Express -- is one of the activities created by the Foundation to reward children involved in Turn 2's Signature Programs who are demonstrating positive behavior, academic excellence and leadership qualities in school and their communities.

"This is a fun time of year," said Jeter, who will be staying in New York through Christmas. "It's always nice to help out people, and this is the time of year to do it."

Turn 2's mission is to motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and turn to healthy lifestyles.

"I'm not really that much of an outspoken person and I'm very passive. This has allowed me to be more outspoken and get more involved in the community that I live in," said a quiet but confident Kendon Smith-Holder, 16, of the Thurgood Marshall Academy. "I'm not as nervous as I would be before I joined this program."

Jeter knows his fame is a big draw for those who want to get involved in the Turn 2 Foundation, but he makes sure the kids stay in the program for the right reasons. Every year, he sees a lot of these kids come out better than when they started with the Foundation.

"They should be commended for all the hard work and spreading the word," said Jeter, who stresses leadership most of all through the program. "They deserve all the credit."

Diaz is in her first year with Jeter's Leaders, and she was excited about the evening's festivities, which included loads of popcorn and treats as the children walked in the theater.

But she's also excited about the person she's become since starting her involvement with Turn 2.

"It's helped me to be a better person," Diaz said. "A leader is not just one person. A leader should be able to bring people up and not be afraid to fall down and bring them back up again."

Peter Zellen is a contributor to 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.

Strawberry: Jeter Must 'Embrace' A-Rod

2006-12-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Strawberry: Jeter Must 'Embrace' A-Rod
By RONALD BLUM Sunday, December 24, 2006

NEW YORK - Darryl Strawberry thinks the Yankees' clubhouse is beset by bad chemistry that can be cured only one way: Derek Jeter needs to "embrace" Alex Rodriguez.

"They've got to come together," Strawberry said Tuesday. "It's time for them to mend their relationship and get back to, like, OK, let's have some fun. We're here in New York together. We're on the greatest team that we possibly could play on. Let's try to win instead of going separate ways. Because I remember them when they were young and they went to dinner together and they did everything together."

Strawberry, a former Yankees and Mets star, spoke after a news conference to announce that Yankees special adviser Ray Negron's book "The Boy of Steel" will be made into a movie. The book tells the story of a cancer patient who became a Yankees bat boy for a day.

Strawberry was a player development instructor for the Yankees before resigning in February 2004. He shifted to the Mets as a spring training instructor in 2005 and plans on being with them next year.

His remarks about the Yankees' chemistry were sparked by questions regarding the return of Andy Pettitte, who played with Strawberry on three of the Yankees' World Series championship teams. Pettitte was in New York for a physical Tuesday, and his contract could be finalized Wednesday.

"Hopefully, it will rub off on the team, guys will get more supportive of each other," Strawberry said. "I think the Yankees' problem is that they just don't support each other enough. I mean, back when I played in those years we were winning, we all supported each other, we all cared for each other. I think they need to get back to that, because the talent is there, but everybody seems like they're going their separate ways."

Rodriguez was booed by fans at times last season, and Strawberry said A-Rod has been treated like "an outsider."

"He's a sensitive guy," Strawberry said. "He's only played in Seattle and Texas. It's not New York. It's a big difference. You don't get booed in Texas. You don't get booed in Seattle when you play there."

Jeter, the Yankees' captain, has been cool toward A-Rod since a 2001 Esquire article.

"Jeter's been blessed with great talent around him," Rodriguez was quoted as saying in the magazine. "He's never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. And he hits second _ that's totally different than third and fourth in a lineup. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie (Williams) and (Paul) O'Neill. You never say, Don't let Derek beat you. He's never your concern."

Rodriguez has struggled in the postseason with the Yankees. He is 4-for-41 (.098) without an RBI in his last 12 postseason games dating to 2004 and was dropped to eighth in the batting order for the first time in a decade as the Yankees were eliminated in Game 4 of the first round against Detroit this year.

At the World Series to accept an award, Jeter was asked whether there was anything he could do to make things easier for Rodriguez.

"What would you like me to do? I'm trying to think," Jeter said. "Well, you're there. You support him. Everyone supports all your teammates at all times. I don't really know if there's anything else I can do. Maybe I'm not that smart."

Strawberry said for Rodriguez to gain acceptance in the Yankees' clubhouse, Jeter must take the lead.

"I hope Jeter would embrace him this year, in spring training, and bring him into the full circle as a part of the Yankee family," Strawberry said. "If Jeter does it, I think everybody else will respond. I hope that works out for him, because once upon a time, they were best of friends and some things happened, which is life. And hopefully they will put those things behind them and hopefully they can come together."

Strawberry said the pair must take it upon themselves to right the Yankees, who despite nine straight AL East titles have not won the World Series since 2000.

"Both of them are leaders and they need to come together as leaders and bring that Yankee team back up to par, because the last few years they've been nowhere in sight," Strawberry said. "It's not about just getting in the first round. When you have talent like that, it's about winning."

While Jeter has won four World Series titles and six AL pennants, Rodriguez has never been to the World Series. Jeter has a .314 average in the postseason, leading in career hits (150) and tying for third in RBIs (48) and fifth in homers (17).

Still, Strawberry said Rodriguez is a two-time AL MVP who has put up impressive regular-season statistics in three seasons with the Yankees.

"OK, so what, he hasn't hit well in the playoffs yet," Strawberry said. "How many years did it take Barry Bonds before he clicked in the playoffs? Think about it. I know he hasn't performed like Jeter has in the playoffs. Jeter's a different breed. There's ice water in his veins. There ain't no pressure on him. He knows he's been there and done that. I just hope they work it out."

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

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Derek Jeter hits with his Driven

2006-12-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

Derek Jeter hits with his Driven
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
The Associated Press

Derek Jeter might wear a 2 on his New York Yankees' jersey, but right now, he's No. 1 with a group of devoted female fans - Avon ladies.

Jeter is the inspiration, spokesman and model for Derek Jeter Driven, the newest men's fragrance from Avon Products Inc.

Jeter said he was as surprised as anyone that a beauty company came to him with a partnership deal. "It was something I never thought about, something that never crossed my mind."

Have you always worn fragrance?

Yes. I've changed allegiances already and have been wearing the samples of Driven for months. I'm not just throwing my name and face on something.

How involved were you in the development?

When I was approached and decided to do it, I decided to be involved in everything - the scent, the packaging, the logo, the bottle. I knew what I wanted. I didn't want it to overtake a room. I wanted it to be clean and sophisticated.

Is fashion and your overall appearance important to you?

Everyone should be aware of how they present themselves. A good fragrance can give you confidence. And the Yankees have a lot of rules: no long hair, clean cut, no facial hair except your top lip, we always travel in a jacket.

Can you describe your style?

I know more what I dislike. I would be in a suit today even if I didn't have to. You can't be overdressed but you can be underdressed.

Are you comfortable being the model for the Driven ads?

For the shoot, I didn't use much makeup. I'm not really into the practice of wearing much makeup.

Driven includes notes of grapefruit, oak moss and spice. Do you have a favorite smell?

What I like about a scent is you smell something and it brings back a story ... I love the smells of the stadium, popcorn, hot dogs - the first thing I think of when I smell hot dogs is the ballpark.

Did you tell your teammates that you were working on a perfume?

One (teammate) knew. As long as it smells good, it'll be fine. They always want free stuff, so they'll probably wear it if I give it to them.

Do you think there's anyone out there who will be turned off by a cologne that comes from a Yankee shortstop?

We haven't gotten into that yet, but we probably will hear about it in Boston.

© 2006 The Birmingham News
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Derek Jeter Driven: Smells like team spirit

2006-12-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

Posted on Sun, Oct. 29, 2006
Derek Jeter Driven: Smells like team spirit
BY SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
Associated Press

NEW YORK - Derek Jeter might wear a 2 on his New York Yankees' jersey, but, right now, he's No. 1 with a group of devoted female fans -- Avon ladies.

Jeter is the inspiration, spokesman and model for Derek Jeter Driven, the newest men's fragrance from Avon Products Inc.

The cologne won't be available until the end of November, but Avon reports advance sales are strong.

The AP sat down with Jeter when the announcement was made earlier this year, and he said he was as surprised as anyone that a beauty company came to him with a partnership deal. "It was something I never thought about, something that never crossed my mind."

AP: Have you always worn fragrance?

Jeter: Yes. I've changed allegiances already and have been wearing the samples of Driven for months. I'm not just throwing my name and face on something.

AP: How involved were you in the development?

Jeter: When I was approached and decided to do it, I decided to be involved in everything -- the scent, the packaging, the logo, the bottle. I knew what I wanted. I didn't want it to overtake a room. I wanted it to be clean and sophisticated.

AP: Is fashion and your overall appearance important to you?

Jeter: Everyone should be aware of how they present themselves. A good fragrance can give you confidence. And the Yankees have a lot of rules: no long hair, clean cut, no facial hair except your top lip, we always travel in a jacket.

AP: Can you describe your style?

Jeter: I know more what I dislike. I would be in a suit today even if I didn't have to. You can't be overdressed but you can be underdressed.

AP: Are you comfortable being the model for the Driven ads?

Jeter: For the shoot, I didn't use much makeup. I'm not really into the practice of wearing much makeup.

AP: Driven includes notes of grapefruit, oak moss and spice. Do you have a favorite smell?

Jeter: What I like about a scent is you smell something and it brings back a story. ... I love the smells of the stadium, popcorn, hot dogs -- the first thing I think of when I smell hot dogs is the ballpark.

AP: Did you tell your teammates that you were working on a perfume?

Jeter: One (teammate) knew. As long as it smells good, it'll be fine. They always want free stuff, so they'll probably wear it if I give it to them.

AP: Do you think there's anyone out there who will be turned off by a cologne that comes from a Yankee shortstop?

Jeter: We haven't gotten into that yet, but we probably will hear about it in Boston.

© 2006 Belleville News-Democrat and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

Derek Jeter hits with his Driven

2006-12-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

Why Derek Jeter's Driven

2006-12-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Why Derek Jeter's Driven
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 29, 2006

Derek Jeter might wear a 2 on his New York Yankees' jersey, but, right now, he's No. 1 with Avon ladies.

Jeter is the inspiration, spokesman and model for Derek Jeter Driven, the newest men's fragrance from Avon Products Inc. It will be available the end of November. The Associated Press sat down with Jeter to talk about his new role:

Have you always worn fragrance?

Jeter: Yes. I've changed allegiances already and have been wearing the samples of Driven for months. I'm not just throwing my name and face on something.

How involved were you in the development?

Jeter: When I was approached and decided to do it, I decided to be involved in everything -- the scent, the packaging, the logo, the bottle. I knew what I wanted. I didn't want it to overtake a room. I wanted it to be clean and sophisticated.

Can you describe your style?

Jeter: I know more what I dislike. I would be in a suit today even if I didn't have to. You can't be overdressed, but you can be underdressed.

© 2006, Media General. Part of the GatewayVA Network.

Jessica Biel and Derek Jeter Heat Up Las Vegas

2006-12-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

Jessica Biel and Derek Jeter Heat Up Las Vegas
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2006 07:40AM EST
By Mark Gray

New couple alert? Jessica Biel and Derek Jeter spent the weekend after Thanksgiving cozying up all over Las Vegas.

At Wynn Las Vegas's Tryst nightclub Saturday night, the pair snuck kisses at the VIP table they shared with Jeter's New York Yankees teammates Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.

The next evening, Jeter, 32, and Biel, 24, played blackjack at Palms Casino Resort's Mint Lounge before dinner with two friends at the Palms' Nine restaurant.

They capped off the night with a visit to Hard Rock's Body English nightclub, where they snuggled, traded pecks on the cheek and were in general "very lovey dovey" in their VIP booth, says a clubgoer.

The duo have been spotted out before: At Social Hollywood on Nov. 15, "They looked like they were on a date," according to one onlooker. But asked later if he was single, Jeter told PEOPLE, "Hell, yes!"

A rep for Jeter had no comment; Biel's rep did not return calls for comment.

Copyright © 2006 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Statement from Derek Jeter, New York Yankees shortstop, regarding 2006 MVP announcement

2006-11-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

11/21/2006 6:05 PM ET
Statement from Derek Jeter, New York Yankees shortstop, regarding 2006 MVP announcement

"While I know that voting for these awards is primarily based on differing opinions and statistical debates, it's also part of what makes baseball such a great sport.

"Having said that, I'm flattered and honored to have been considered for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. I want to congratulate Justin Morneau on this well-deserved honor. He is a special player, and I suspect this won't be the last time you will hear his name mentioned when awards are being passed out.

"You've heard me say it a thousand times, but winning the World Series for the New York Yankees continues to be my main focus. There is no individual award that can compare with a championship trophy, and I look forward to working towards that challenge again in 2007."

© 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 runner-up in AL MVP Award voting

2006-11-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

11/21/2006 6:24 PM ET
Jeter runner-up in AL MVP Award voting
Yankees shortstop finishes 14 points behind Twins' Morneau
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter has been picking up his share of hardware this offseason, but he missed out on the crown jewel of awards on Tuesday, as Justin Morneau captured the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
Jeter finished with 306 points to Morneau's 320, receiving 12 first-place votes to Morneau's 15. Jeter also earned 14 second-place votes, a fourth-place vote and a sixth-place vote.

"To really appreciate the kind of work he does, you have to see him on a regular basis," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We've had players who have come over from different organizations, and after a month or so, they've come to me and said, 'I always knew he was a good player, but I never realized how good he was.'"

Morneau received eight second-place votes, three third-place votes and two fourth-place votes. The only other players listed on all 28 ballots were Boston's David Ortiz, who finished third, and Chicago's Jermaine Dye, who finished fifth. Oakland's Frank Thomas, who came in fourth, was named on 26.

Jeter, a seven-time All-Star, ranked second in the American League with a .343 batting average and 118 runs scored, fourth with a .417 on-base percentage and sixth with 34 stolen bases. Jeter also drove in 97 runs out of the No. 2 spot in New York's lineup.

"When he knocks in a run, it's different than when a home run hitter does it," Torre said. "A home run hitter can get himself two or three quick RBIs, where Derek, for the most part, is knocking them in one at a time."

Jeter came through when his team needed him to this season, batting .381 with runners in scoring position. That ranked second among all American League players with at least 100 such at-bats, trailing only Texas' Michael Young, who hit .412. Mauer hit .360 with RISP, while Dye hit .351, Morneau .323 and Ortiz .288.

"It was the closest call of any MVP race in recent memory, but to me, the deciding factor was Jeter's average with runners in scoring position," said Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record, who listed Jeter first on his ballot. "He showed a unique ability to handle pressure."

Jeter also topped Morneau, Ortiz and Dye in hits, runs, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases.

"While I know that voting for these awards is primarily based on differing opinions and statistical debates, it's also part of what makes baseball such a great sport," Jeter said in a statement released by the Yankees.

"Having said that, I'm flattered and honored to have been considered for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. I want to congratulate Justin Morneau on this well-deserved honor. He is a special player, and I suspect this won't be the last time you will hear his name mentioned when awards are being passed out.

"You've heard me say it a thousand times, but winning the World Series for the New York Yankees continues to be my main focus. There is no individual award that can compare with a championship trophy, and I look forward to working towards that challenge again in 2007."

The fact that the Yankees essentially wrapped up the AL East in August with their five-game sweep of the Red Sox may have hurt Jeter. Morneau and the Twins fought until the final weekend of the season to win the AL Central, which apparently swayed some voters.

"I thought both had great years, in different ways," said the Newark Star-Ledger's Ed Price, who listed Jeter second on his ballot. "I voted Morneau first because his team was in a closer race, and I thought the way he played when the Twins got hot and got back in the race made him more instrumental to his team's finish."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeter became just the fifth player in the past 75 seasons to hit .340 or higher, drive in at least 90 runs and steal 30 or more bases in the same season. The others were Larry Walker (1997), Ellis Burks (1996), Willie Mays (1958) and Jackie Robinson (1949).

"To play at that kind of high level all year, it's very difficult to do," Torre said. "He means so much to our team."

Jeter, who was named the MVP of the 2000 World Series and All-Star Game, would have been the third player to win those two awards in addition to a league MVP award. Brooks Robinson (1964 AL MVP, 1966 All-Star MVP and 1970 WS MVP) and Frank Robinson (1961 NL MVP, 1966 AL MVP, 1966 WS MVP, 1971 All-Star MVP) are the others.

Since the end of the season, Jeter has picked up several awards, including the AL Hank Aaron Award, the Silver Slugger and his third consecutive Gold Glove.

The second-place finish is the best of Jeter's career. He came in third in 1998, behind Juan Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra. Jeter also finished sixth in 1999, but hadn't placed higher than 10th since then.

This is the fifth straight season in which a Yankee has finished in the top three of the MVP vote. In 2002, Alfonso Soriano finished third behind Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez. The next year, Jorge Posada came in third, finishing behind A-Rod and Carlos Delgado. In 2004, Gary Sheffield placed second behind Vladimir Guerrero, while A-Rod captured the award as a Yankee in 2005.

Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle won three MVPs apiece, while Roger Maris won two. Other Yankees winners were Lou Gehrig, Joe Gordon, Spud Chandler, Phil Rizzuto, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly and Rodriguez.

Mark Feinsand is a 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.

Morneau Edges Jeter to Win AL MVP Award

2006-11-21T16:57:00.000-05:00

Nov 21, 4:10 PM EST
Morneau Edges Jeter to Win AL MVP Award
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Justin Morneau won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday, edging Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees after a season in which his 34 homers and 130 RBIs helped the Minnesota Twins capture their division.

Morneau received 15 first-place votes, eight seconds, three thirds and two fourths for 320 points in voting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jeter got 12 firsts, 14 seconds, one fourth and one sixth for 306 points.

"Last night even I was saying I don't expect to get it. I might have given myself maybe a 50-50 chance," Morneau said. "I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment if I didn't get it."

Three Twins finished among the top seven in the MVP voting. Joe Mauer won the AL batting title this year and Minnesota pitcher Johan Santana won the AL Cy Young last week.

"That says a lot," Morneau said. "I'd love to play my whole career here. We have a great young team."

Boston's David Ortiz was third with 193 points, followed by Oakland's Frank Thomas (174), Chicago's Jermaine Dye (156), Mauer (116). Santana got 114 points, receiving the other first-place vote.

It was the 16th-closest MVP race since the current format began in 1938, and the 10th closest in the AL.

Morneau hit .321 in helping the Twins win the AL Central for the fourth time in five years. Jeter batted .344 with 14 homers and 97 RBIs, finishing three points behind Mauer, who became the first catcher to win an AL batting title.

Morneau became the second Canadian-born player to win an MVP following Colorado's Larry Walker in 1997. He is the third Canadian-born athlete to win an MVP in a major pro league this year, following Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash and San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton.

Walker telephoned Morneau as the first baseman was arriving at the Metrodome.

"He just wanted to call and say, `Congrats," Morneau said. "He said he thought he was more excited than I was. He said, `Just wait, it's going to be crazy.'"

Walker, a coach for Canada, autographed a bat for Morneau at the World Baseball Classic in March.

"To Justin, make Canada proud," Walker wrote.

"I thought that was pretty cool," Morneau said.

Morneau is the fourth Minnesota player to win following Zoilo Versalles (1965), Harmon Killebrew (1969) and Rod Carew (1977).

Earning just $385,000 in his third season as a regular, Morneau proved a bargain. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, voted NL MVP on Monday, made $355,000.

Ortiz earned a $100,000 bonus for finishing third in the voting. Thomas, who left the Athletics last week to sign with Toronto, received a $100,000 bonus for placing fourth. Dye got $60,000 for fifth.

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TROPHY LIFE

2006-11-20T20:12:00.000-05:00

TROPHY LIFE
JETER COVETS FIRST MVP AWARD
By GEORGE KING

November 20, 2006 -- The man who has almost everything could have it all by tomorrow, when the American League Most Valuable Player is announced.

What more could a baseball player want than Derek Jeter has? How about four World Series rings? Add AL Rookie of the Year honors (1996), the All-Star Game MVP (2000), World Series MVP (2000) and the past three AL Gold Gloves at short.

Not enough? Try making $19 million a year, having two wonderful parents and dating the hottest women in the galaxy.

An MVP award is the only trinket missing from Jeter's universe, and friends say while winning a fifth World Series ring is atop Jeter's wish list, he is taking the MVP race seriously.

"He competes in everything, and this is no different," an acquaintance said of Jeter, who has never led the league in hitting, homers or RBIs, but whose brilliance isn't tethered to the sexier statistics that have suffocated baseball.

Will he win it? Can he make it two Yankees in a row - and a major league high 20 overall - after Alex Rodriguez copped the 2005 award with a close victory over Boston's David Ortiz?

Since the Baseball Writers' Association of America - with two voters from each AL city - encourages its members to not divulge their ballots, we are left to informal polls to shape how the voting will turn out. Those surveys indicate this year's race could be closer than last season's, when Rodriguez won his second MVP award by a scant 24 points over Ortiz. For many, the deciding factor a year ago was that Rodriguez helped the Yankees win games with his glove in addition to his potent bat, while Ortiz, a DH, didn't play defense.

Will that same argument hold up this season, since Ortiz is the only DH among the top five candidates? In addition to Jeter, a pair of Twins teammates - catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau - figure to garner support, along with White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye.

Will the Red Sox's late-season fade hurt Ortiz, with Boston out of the playoffs and finishing third in the AL East? Even though the Yankees and Twins were first-round outs in the AL playoffs, ballots were cast before the ALDS began.

Ortiz's numbers certainly make a strong argument, because without him, the Red Sox wouldn't have been in the AL East race as long as they were. His league-leading 54 homers were 10 better than Dye's. His 137 RBIs were tops, seven more than Morneau and 17 ahead of Dye.

Jeter (.343) doesn't have the batting title Mauer (.347) copped. Nor Jeter is in the top 10 in homers or RBIs. His 214 hits tied for third and are more than any other MVP candidate. The 118 runs he scored were second to Cleveland's Grady Sizemore's 134 and three ahead of Ortiz. Jeter's .417 on-base percentage was fourth, 12 points behind Mauer.

One very important department where Jeter did better than the others was batting average with runners in scoring position; Jeter batted .381 while Mauer was at .360, Dye .351, Morneau .323 and Ortiz .288.

One area that shouldn't be ignored is anti-Yankee and anti-New York bias. If you don't think they exist, look no further than the NL Manager of the Year Award, won by former Florida manager Joe Girardi over Mets manager Willie Randolph.

george.king@nypost.com

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Jeter, Cano nab Silver Slugger Awards

2006-11-13T05:59:00.000-05:00

11/10/2006 4:35 PM ET
Jeter, Cano nab Silver Slugger Awards
Middle infielders recognized for their hitting excellence in '06
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter's romp through postseason awards continued on Friday, as the Yankees' shortstop earned the first Silver Slugger Award of his career.

Jeter had some company on this one, though, as Robinson Cano picked up a Silver Slugger of his own as the American League's top hitting second baseman.

Jeter, who is a front-runner for the AL Most Valuable Player Award, has also picked up the AL Hank Aaron Award and his third consecutive Gold Glove this offseason.

Jeter ranked second in the American League with a .343 batting average and 118 runs scored, fourth with a .417 on-base percentage and sixth with 34 stolen bases. Jeter also hit 14 home runs and drove in 97 runs out of the No. 2 spot in New York's lineup.

"The consistency that I noticed, beyond his statistics, is the fact that he comes here with the same intensity every day," Yankees manager Joe Torre said in September.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeter became just the fifth player in the past 75 seasons to hit .340 or higher, drive in at least 90 runs and steal 30 or more bases in the same season. The others were Larry Walker (1997), Ellis Burks (1996), Willie Mays (1958) and Jackie Robinson (1949).

"I think sometimes people lose sight when they talk about baseball players, that hitting home runs makes them great, and if you don't hit home runs, then you're not," Jeter said in September. "Home runs get all the highlights -- you see them on 'SportsCenter' and all that. But there's more to the game than just home runs."

Cano followed up his impressive rookie season of 2005 with an even better year in 2006. Cano, who turned 24 on Oct. 22, hit .342 for the year, finishing third in the AL bating race behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Jeter. Cano hit 15 home runs and drove in 78 runs, despite missing six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Other Silver Slugger winners in the AL were Mauer and Justin Morneau of Minnesota, Joe Crede and Jermaine Dye of Chicago, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz of Boston and Vladimir Guerrero of Los Angeles.

Louisville Slugger's Silver Slugger Award winners were determined by a vote of Major League Baseball coaches and managers. The voters selected the players they felt were the best offensive producers at each position in both the American and National League in 2006.

Selections were based on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value. Managers and coaches were not allowed to vote for players on their own team.

The Silver Slugger Award will be presented to each player by a representative of the Hillerich & Bradsby Co., makers of Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, in a ceremony early in the 2006 season.

The trophy is three feet tall and bears the engraved name of the winner and his Silver Slugger teammates in his respective league. The Silver Slugger Award was instituted by H&B in 1980 as a natural extension of the Silver Bat Award which is, as its name indicates, a silver-plated bat presented by Louisville Slugger to the batting champions in the AL and NL.

Mark Feinsand is a 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.

Yanks memories up for auction

2006-11-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

11/06/2006 3:00 PM ET
Yanks memories up for auction
Online event features something special for everyone
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

Derek Jeter just won another Gold Glove to go along with the Hank Aaron Award he received as the best offensive player in the American League this past season. His phenomenal all-around season began while wearing a No. 2 road jersey for the Yankees in their opening series of 2006 vs. Oakland at McAfee Coliseum, and now it can be yours.

It is just one of the many fabulous game-used Yankee items that are now up for bidding at the MLB.com Auction, courtesy of Yankees-Steiner Collectibles. There is memorabilia for everyone, commemorating not only the 2006 regular season and postseason but also years past.

"This auction is particularly fun for fans because they are able to get their hands on some of the more unique items that come from the Yankees clubhouse," said Sean Mahoney, executive vice president of Yankees-Steiner. "Items like the actual chairs and locker nameplates [from the clubhouse] can be found in this auction. Also, there are many great items that were used during the 2006 season. And although the season ended in a somewhat disappointing manner, there were still some great moments and stories to come out of it. Derek's best season in pinstripes, Chien-Ming Wang's emergence as a true ace, and Melky Cabrera's unforgettable catch are just some of these, and they can all be remembered in one way or another by participating in this auction."

Here are some of the highlights:

More opening week game-worn jerseys. Along with the Jeter jersey, you can bid on items worn in that same Oakland series by Bernie Williams and Gary Sheffield.

"Dios te Bendiga." That's what is inscribed under the bill of a hat Mariano Rivera wore during a Yankees game this season. It's already a major piece of memorabilia, because it was used in a game by a future Hall of Famer. But the inscription, which translates to "God bless you," makes it even more special.

Cabrera's clubhouse chair. OK, it went something like this in the summer of 2006: A rookie outfielder scaled the left-field wall at Yankee Stadium to the amazement of teammate Johnny Damon and everyone else, providing arguably The Highlight of the regular season, and then sat in front of his locker in this chair as reporters mobbed him to get his thoughts and learn more about a new pinstriped phenom. Now you can have the chair, because he's getting a new one.

Take Hideki Matsui's pants. There is a good possibility that these pants will be too long on you, but do you really care? The Yankees' outfielder wore these pants during a game in 2004. Everyone has jerseys -- but who has pants to complete a full uni?

More pants to dance. Even cooler: Bid on a pair of Yankees road pants worn in 1988 by Rickey Henderson, who signed and inscribed them with "S.B. King." It doesn't look like he slid headfirst into second with these, but they're still classic.

ALDS Game 2 game-used Ball. If a Tigers fan finds this article, it's possible that he or she will be more likely to bid on it than a Yankees fan. But either way, it's a great artifact from the last game played in 2006 at The House That Ruth Built. It was used on Oct. 5, when Detroit rallied from a Johnny Damon three-run homer to escape New York with a 4-3 victory that would propel the Tigers to the pennant.

Sweet 17. Bid on a stunning 16x20 framed photo of Jeter, signed by the shortstop as well as these guys: Darryl Strawberry, Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Phil Linz, Joe Torre, Graig Nettles, Jim Leyritz, Luis Sojo, Sparky Lyle, Yogi Berra, Joe Pepitone, Don Larsen, Bucky Dent, Clete Boyer and Chris Chambliss.

Save the Stub Packages. This is one of a few examples in the auction that show how fans can have their game tickets framed with Yankee Stadium dirt, replica lineup card, descriptive nameplate of the game, and, in this case, an actual base used in the game. It's a lot better than stuffing your ticket stub into some drawer.

Game-used bases. On Aug. 8, 2004, Williams hit a grand slam in the first inning and touched 'em all -- including this dirty base, which he later signed right on top. There's a third base from a 2005 game against the Red Sox that featured homers by Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez.

Here's your opportunity to uncover a gem at the MLB.com Auction, where a Yankees memorabilia seeker can find a little of everything.

Mark Newman is enterprise editor 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 wins third straight Gold Glove

2006-11-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

Jeter wins third straight Gold Glove
11/02/2006 5:00 PM ET
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter added another piece of hardware to his trophy case on Thursday, capturing his third consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
"The Gold Glove Award means a great deal to me," Jeter said in a statement. "Fielding doesn't get many headlines, but it's a big part of the game of baseball. I take great pride in my defense, and to be recognized with a Gold Glove for three straight seasons is a great honor that I will always cherish."

Jeter also won this year's Hank Aaron Award in the American League and is a front-runner for the league's Most Valuable Player Award.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was "elated" upon hearing of Jeter's gold glove, according to the owner's spokesman, Howard Rubenstein.

"I'm very proud of Derek," Steinbrenner said through Rubenstein. "I hope he wins the MVP; he should. He's a great Yankee and a great leader."

Jeter's .975 fielding percentage ranked fourth in the AL, while his 15 errors were third fewest behind to Texas' Michael Young and Chicago's Juan Uribe (14 each) among all AL shortstops who played in at least 130 games. Young (.981), Cleveland's Jhonny Peralta (.977) and Uribe (.977) were the only shortstops with a better fielding percentage.

In 2004, Jeter became the first Yankees shortstop to win the award, giving the Bombers a Gold Glover at every position in their history.

The Yankees now have had 20 players win a total of 57 Gold Glove Awards, led by Don Mattingly's nine at first base.

The other winners in the AL were Detroit's Kenny Rogers and Ivan Rodriguez, Texas' Mark Teixeira, Kansas City's Mark Grudzielanek, Oakland's Eric Chavez, Toronto's Vernon Wells, Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki and Minnesota's Torii Hunter.

Rawlings established the Gold Glove Award to recognize the best fielders at each position. Managers and coaches of each team vote for the best defensive players in their league, excluding their own team.

The first Rawlings Gold Gloves were awarded to one player at each position across both leagues in 1957. Since 1958, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award has been presented annually to a lineup of nine players for both the American and National Leagues.

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.

Howard, Jeter win Hank Aaron Award

2006-11-04T23:27:00.000-05:00

10/25/2006 9:40 PM ET
Howard, Jeter win Hank Aaron Award
Players honored for their big offensive contributions of 2006
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Howard of the Phillies and Derek Jeter of the Yankees were honored with the Hank Aaron Award presented by CENTURY 21 in a ceremony before Wednesday's Game 4 of the World Series at Busch Stadium, the result of more than a quarter-million votes cast by fans at MLB.com in a unique tribute to all-around offensive performance.

Howard led the Major Leagues with 58 home runs and 149 RBIs, far exceeding Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt's Phillies record of 48 long balls in a single season. It was a stunning power display in only Howard's first full season, and a further display came when he won the Home Run Derby before the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.

"It was a lot of fun. I think first off, with Century 21, we might need to work out some kind of deal here," Howard said amid laughter, referring to the fact that the company also sponsored the Home Run Derby. "Maybe something about hosting the World Series, maybe you can win an MVP or something like that. I want to say thank you to ... everyone who made the vote, to Hank Aaron. It's been a pleasure this season. It was a blast -- hopefully many more to come."

Fans broke tradition with their vote for Jeter. In his best individual season since 1999, the Yankees captain batted .343 in falling just short of the American League batting title won by Minnesota's Joe Mauer. Jeter stole a career-high 34 bases, hit 14 homers, had 214 hits, scored 118 runs, drove in 97 more and provided an important offensive consistency to a team that wound up with its ninth consecutive American League East title.

"I sort of feel out of place," Jeter said to the amusement of all attendees. "With Hank Aaron, the first thing that comes to mind is home runs. Ryan Howard the same thing. So when people said what award I was going to win, I stuck my chest out, and I said, 'You know, the Hank Aaron Award. What do you think?'"

When asked later by reporters if he would be surprised should the AL MVP Award go his way as well instead of to expected competitor David Ortiz of the rival Red Sox, Jeter said, "I'm surprised I'm here right now."

There were two phases of fan balloting at MLB.com toward the end of the regular season. In the first phase, fans voted on a ballot that included one representative from each of the 30 clubs, as chosen by Major League Baseball. The fans' vote decided which six players in each league would move on to the final vote. Fans then were asked to choose one player per league from those six.

Since 1999, the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Ruth's all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has recognized the best offensive performer from each league with this award. Andruw Jones of the Braves and Ortiz won the awards last year. Past recipients include Barry Bonds (three times), Alex Rodriguez (three times), Manny Ramirez (twice), Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado.

As is now customary before the fourth game of a World Series, commissioner Bud Selig and baseball's all-time home run king sat at the head table with the two winners. Selig first discussed the importance of the award and the legacy of its namesake. The commissioner announced the two winners with their season details, and Aaron gave his thoughts to each winner about the magnitude of what they have done and an occasional lesson on the importance of their roles as award-winners.

"Hank Aaron and I have had a very special relationship which goes back to 1958," Selig said. "We just replayed some highlights from the 1957 season, and Hank hit a home run, for the benefit of the Milwaukee Braves. Obviously he broke the most cherished record in American sports, but he's also, more importantly, he's one of the nicest human beings that I've ever known. ... So this award has great meaning. Hank's contribution to the sport is legendary. And the thing you always notice about him, he always carries himself with great dignity and class through controversies, through a lot of things. He's just the person I remember 50 years ago."

Howard received 33 percent (25,349 votes) of all National League fan votes on a ballot that included Pujols of the Cardinals, David Wright of the Mets, Alfonso Soriano of the Nationals, Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers and Lance Berkman of the Astros.

Following up a 2005 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, Howard -- who attended high school in St. Louis and still has a home here -- provided one highlight after another at the plate and helped the Phillies contend for the Wild Card until the final weekend of the regular season. One of those highlights occurred on Aug. 31 in Washington, where Howard's blast to center field was his 49th homer of the year, passing the record Schmidt established in 1980.

"This is a tremendous night for me, because I think about when I first broke into baseball many, many years ago, and seeing how you have decided to carry that torch a little bit further, not only as a ballplayer, but as a complete player," Aaron said, first addressing Howard. "Like the commissioner said, I think most of us have to realize that we owe much more than just hitting home runs on the field, we owe a lot to our kids, we owe a lot to our fellow man, and you do have a tremendous duty to continue to do your job as far as baseball on and off the field."

Jeter received 37 percent (29,275 votes) of the AL votes on a ballot that included Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels, Travis Hafner of the Indians, Paul Konerko of the White Sox and Justin Morneau of the Twins.

"If you look to my right, Derek Jeter, to me, has demonstrated that he is not only a man that the Yankees can depend on winning a championship year in and year out, but he has carried this a little bit further because he has done so many great things off the field," Aaron continued.

He turned to Jeter and said, "I have never heard a bad thing about you, other than from some pitcher that said you hit a 3-and-0 pitch out of the ballpark with the bases loaded.

"Seriously, I think this award means much more than just presenting an award to two great players. I think that you, more than anybody, have realized that what you do on the field means little of nothing to what you do off the field. And you have carried yourself that way."

On the field, Jeter's 14 homers obviously were a drop in the bucket when compared to those of the other five sluggers, but that's not what fans focused on. This also was about baserunning, a key figure in an increased number of Yankees hit-and-run attempts, and hitting the ball the other way through an open hole at second base.

"The season was fun, huh?" Jeter said to Howard during his acceptance speech. Then Jeter said in deference to the all-time home run king beside him, "What can you say about Mr. Aaron? In '99, we had the All-Star Game in Boston, and that was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Aaron. And the thing that stuck out with me, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'I was looking for you.'"

Jeter then turned to Aaron and said: "I don't know if you remember the story. He wanted to say hello. 'You were looking for me?'

"What he stands for, like the Commissioner said, not only on the field but away from the field, how he carries himself, he's second to none. This award, I thank everyone that voted for me."

When this award was introduced in 1999, it marked the first time a major award had been introduced by Major League Baseball in more than 25 years. It now has become standard operating procedure during the Fall Classic, always a moving scene to see the man who slugged 755 long balls imparting his thoughts and sharing the spotlight with today's offensive superstars. It's become a great tradition, and MLB.com users were the key players in deciding which Major Leaguers were invited to the table.

"I haven't had the privilege to know Ryan as well as I've known Derek," Selig said, "but what Hank said I'm sure is true about Ryan -- Derek Jeter is the kind of player, frankly, that makes you proud to be the commissioner of baseball."

Mark Newman is enterprise editor 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: No tension lingers in Yankee clubhouse

2006-11-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

Updated: Oct. 26, 2006, 2:49 AM ET
Jeter: No tension lingers in Yankee clubhouse
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Derek Jeter expects Alex Rodriguez to remain with the Yankees next season, saying there was no need to discuss A-Rod's dismal performance during New York's first-round loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Back from his first European vacation, the Yankees' captain wouldn't say whether he lobbied for owner George Steinbrenner to bring manager Joe Torre back for a 12th season. Torre dropped Rodriguez to eighth in the batting order in the fourth and final game against Detroit -- the lowest A-Rod has hit in 10 years.

"I don't have anything to do with that. So I don't see why I would have to meet with him," Jeter said Wednesday. "From what I understand, I haven't heard that there's any air that needs to be cleared between them. I'm not speaking on his behalf or Mr. T's behalf, but it's not anything that I've heard."

Rodriguez hit .071 (1-for-14) against Detroit and is 4-for-41 (.098) without an RBI in his last 12 postseason games dating to 2004. His relationship with some teammates appeared to be strained at times during the season. Jason Giambi was quoted in Sports Illustrated as telling Torre: "It's time to stop coddling him."

"Do I expect him to be back? Yeah, why wouldn't I expect him to be back?" Jeter said about A-Rod after receiving the Hank Aaron Award at the World Series. "You never sit around trying to figure out with our organization, but Alex has what? -- a few more years left on his deal -- so, yeah, I would expect him to be back."

After deducting the money it receives from Texas, New York owes Rodriguez $66.6 million over the final four years of his record $252 million, 10-year contract. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman repeatedly has said he has no intention of trading the two-time AL MVP.

Jeter said he's spoken with Rodriguez -- briefly -- since the Yankees were eliminated.

"You support him. Everyone supports all your teammate at all times," said Jeter, wearing a blue pinstriped suit. "I don't really know if there's anything else I can do."

Jeter doesn't sense any tension in the Yankees' clubhouse, where the constant focus is on winning the World Series -- which New York has not done since 2000.

"Everyone tries to assume what's going on in the clubhouse," he said, "what people think they know and what they think people are doing. They have no idea. But no, I don't see any tension."

Jeter was surprised at how fast Torre's job status became an issue after the team's elimination.

"You don't have to lobby on behalf of Mr. T. Everyone knows what he can do," Jeter said. "If I would ever have any conversations with anyone, I'd keep it between me and who I'm speaking with."

Torre is entering the final season of his contract and says he isn't sure whether he wants to manage beyond 2007. Jeter's first full season was 1996, Torre's first year with the Yankees, and the two are close.

"New York, it doesn't make a difference if you have a contract or not," Jeter said. "There's expectations every season. So I don't think just because it's his last year on his deal that the focus can be any more on him. It's always on us to win."

Even though the Yankees (97-65) matched the crosstown New York Mets for the best regular-season record in baseball this year, Jeter doesn't take much satisfaction from the season. On Tuesday, Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said he thought the Mets were the NL's best team.

"They don't give a trophy saying: 'Well, you know, you thought you had the best team, so you win,'" Jeter said. "It doesn't make a difference what you think about your team. The bottom line is who performs."

While Jeter heard about the controversy over what was on Kenny Rogers' hand in Game 2 of the World Series, he said there was no discussion of any foreign substance during Rogers' playoff start against the Yankees.

"I don't think that really had anything to do with it," Jeter said. "Bottom line, you can take a pine tar rag and put it behind the mound if you want, you've still got to throw the ball over the plate."

Rogers, who hasn't allowed a run in the postseason, appeared to have a mark -- although lighter -- on his hand during his start against New York.

When told about the pictures, Jeter smiled.

"So you just send Detroit home and we can come play tomorrow, right?" he joked.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

Copyright ©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures.

Phillies' Howard, Yankees' Jeter win Hank Aaron Award

2006-10-28T22:43:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Phillies' Howard, Yankees' Jeter win Hank Aaron Award
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter were honored Wednesday with the Hank Aaron Award, which is presented annually to the top offensive performer in each league.

In 1999, winners were selected by assigning a predetermined number of points for each hit, home run and RBI. From 2000-02, play-by-play broadcasters and color analysts from club radio and television rights holders voted for the winners, and in 2003 it was a combination of fan and broadcaster voting.

Howard, who received 33 percent (25,349) of all National League votes, led the major leagues with 58 homers, 149 RBI and 383 total bases. He finished third with a .659 slugging percentage and seventh with a .425 on-base percentage, while also capturing the Home Run Derby title during All-Star weekend in July.

Jeter, who accumulated 37 percent (29,275) of the American League vote, finished second in the league with a .343 batting average. He also was second with 118 runs, tied for third with 214 hits and placed fourth with a .417 on-base percentage.

Along the way, Jeter also compiled a career-best 25-game hitting streak -- the longest by a Yankees player in 64 years -- and also recorded his 2,000th hit against Kansas City on May 26.

"To win an award named after the great Hank Aaron is a wonderful achievement and I congratulate Ryan and Derek for the spectacular seasons they had in 2006," commissioner Bud Selig said. "They are truly deserving of this prestigious award and I look forward to joining Hank in making the presentation at the World Series."

The current format was introduced in 2004, with fans voting for one player from each team to determine the 30 finalists. A baseball panel whittled the field to 12 -- six in each league -- and the fans voted again over the season's final three weeks.

Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox won the award in 2005.

Copyright ©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use for our Site, Terms of Use for ESPN Motion and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.

Jeter adds to postseason legend

2006-10-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

10/04/2006 2:18 AM ET
Jeter adds to postseason legend
Yanks captain sixth player to collect five hits in playoff game
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- There was no easing into this postseason for Derek Jeter. His October reputation already set for the ages, Jeter somehow managed to add another chapter to his legend in Game 1 of this Division Series against the Tigers.

By the end of the night, the Yankees captain had once again awed everyone from teammates to opponents to fans.

All Jeter did was go 5-for-5, tying the record for most hits in a postseason game. The feat had only been done five times before, so naturally, Jeter had to do it. He did it in the flow of the game, helping the Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Tigers.

"It's easy to fall into the trap of, 'Oh, it's just Derek being unbelievable in the postseason.' To him, it's just another game," said Yankees slugger Jason Giambi. "I don't know if it's because he started his career young and has been in the playoffs, but he's definitely a special talent, no doubt about it. He's unbelievable. He just gets into those games and bears down and just starts throwing hits all over the place."

Jeter capped off the magical night by belting a solo homer to left-center in the bottom the eighth. Deafening roars cascaded from the packed house at Yankee Stadium. A curtain call followed.

Just another night at the office for one of the great clutch players of the last decade. Jeter extended his postseason hits record to 147 and his Division Series hits record to 64.

Per usual, the least impressed person at Yankee Stadium seemed to be Jeter, who was interested in the win and not much else.

"Not necessarily when I have a night like this, [but] when the team has a night like this, you're able to relax a little bit," said Jeter. "But it's a short series. You can't relax in this series. You come right back [Wednesday]. You want to win the first game, especially at home."

It was as if Jeter was on a mission to get a win. Before he had reached full throttle with the bat, Jeter made a brilliant play with the glove in the top of the third inning. He went into the hole to field a grounder by Placido Polanco, swiftly got it to second base for the force, and watched Robinson Cano complete the 6-4-3 double play.

Then, in the bottom of the third inning, Jeter grabbed a big piece of momentum by smashing a basehit into center and stretching it into a double with all-out hustle. A game that was scoreless up to that point suddenly had Yankees at second and third with nobody out. From there, the Yankees wouldn't be stopped. Bobby Abreu hammered a two-run double. Gary Sheffield slapped an RBI single. Giambi roped a two-run homer and it was 5-0, Yankees.

Jeter had set the tone.

Most hits in a postseason game

Paul Blair, Bal, 10/6/69, ALCS vs. Min.
Paul Molitor, Mil, 10/12/82, WS vs. Stl.
Marquis Grissom, Atl, 10/7/95, NLDS vs. Col.
Mike Stanley, Bos, 10/10/99 ALDS vs. Cle.
Hideki Matsui, NY, 10/16/04, ALCS vs. Bos.
Derek Jeter, NY, 10/3/06, ALDS vs. Det.

"The thing is, every at-bat means something," said Jeter.

Just as the Tigers crept back into it at 5-3, Jeter helped spread it back out. His double in the sixth once again set up runners at second and third with nobody out. And Abreu came through with another two-run hit, this one a single.

"He was awesome as usual," said Sheffield. "He stepped up for us big today, and once we got up big, he kept pouring it on for the rest of the game."

Coming off a regular season that just might win him his first Most Valuable Player Award, Jeter again reinforced that the postseason is what counts most for him.

"Derek is a special player," said Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. "I'm very proud to be his teammate."

Of course, the Yankee who is linked most often to Jeter is the manager. Joe Torre and Jeter planted roots together in New York in 1996. Ten years later, Torre still shakes his head in disbelief when asked to recap another heroic night by his shortstop.

"I don't want to say he has a plan, but he just seems to relish this atmosphere," said Torre. "He's been so big for us for 11 years here and, you know, again, I can't say I'm surprised. Everything worked well for him tonight. Starting that double play was not an easy play. Swinging the bat tonight, he was on everything."

This was what Abreu saw on television for all those Octobers he was a spectator. Tuesday night, he got to witness the Jeter legend up close.

"That guy is amazing," said Abreu. "Right now, being behind him, watching him play, it's amazing. That guy, he's a gamer, he's a leader and you can learn a lot of things from him. Like I say, it's amazing. That's amazing, watching him play."

Most amazing of all is that such a performance was not entirely unexpected when you consider who produced it.

"He doesn't amaze me at all," said Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. "I've seen it before, and he'll keep doing it as long as he's here."

Ian Browne is a 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.

Abreu, Jeter lead way in Game 1 win

2006-10-15T20:19:00.001-04:00

10/04/2006 2:00 AM ET
Abreu, Jeter lead way in Game 1 win
Right fielder drives in four; shortstop goes 5-for-5 for Yanks
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Bobby Abreu is relatively new to this whole postseason thing. Derek Jeter is not.
Both players made a huge impact for the Yankees on Tuesday night, sparking New York to an 8-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

Abreu, playing in his fourth career playoff game and first since 1997, drove in four runs for the Yankees to kick off his first pinstriped postseason.

Jeter, playing in the 116th game of his postseason career, collected his first five-hit night, homering and scoring three runs. The homer was the 17th of Jeter's postseason career, and he extended his own record for hits in the playoffs to 147.

"What more can you say about Derek's night or Bobby Abreu?" Johnny Damon said. "Those guys came up really big for us. Our offense was clicking."

"He's been so big for us for 11 years here," manager Joe Torre said of Jeter. "I can't say I'm surprised."

Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best stuff, but the sinkerballer managed to give New York 6 2/3 effective innings, holding Detroit to three runs, all of which came in a rocky fifth inning.

"I wasn't nervous," Wang said. "Joe told me to treat it like any other game."

The Yankees lead the best-of-five series, 1-0, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Mike Mussina starts for New York, while Justin Verlander gets the nod for Detroit.

"This crowd is our 10th man," said Gary Sheffield, who also drove in a run for the Yankees. "If we can win tomorrow, it would put the pressure on, big-time."

That Abreu was in the middle of the action only seemed appropriate, given what he has meant to the Yankees since being acquired at the trade deadline. When Abreu arrived in the Bronx at the beginning of August, he re-energized a Yankees offense that had been struggling to find consistency.

His two-run hits in the third and sixth innings helped New York jump out to a lead it would never relinquish.

"It's exciting. After we clinched in Toronto, I was so happy, just going to play in October," Abreu said. "I came here to New York and played my first game in the postseason, it's amazing."

Wang survived leadoff doubles by Detroit in both the second and third, thanks to some help from his defense. In the second, Jorge Posada threw out Magglio Ordonez at third base on a botched hit-and-run.

An inning later, Wang induced a double-play ball off the bat of Placido Polanco to end the frame, as Jeter made a nice play on the ball. Robinson Cano took the throw at second, firing to first, where Sheffield -- playing his first playoff game at the position -- made a terrific stretch to complete the play.

"That's what got us going," Sheffield said. "Wang came up with a big pitch to get a ground ball, Jeter made a great play and Cano got it to me as quick as possible. All I was thinking about was Fred McGriff telling me, 'Stretch as long as you can.'"

New York snapped a scoreless tie in the third, hammering starter Nate Robertson for five runs. Damon singled and Jeter doubled, setting up Abreu's two-run double to right.

"I was just trying to put the ball in play," Abreu said. "There were no outs, so all you want to do is just hit a ground ball to second; I was trying to do that and elevate the ball a little bit and knock the two runs in."

"Bobby had a huge day," Jeter said. "I thought for the most part, everybody swung the bat well. Bobby did a great job with runners on to give us that lead."

Sheffield added an RBI single before Jason Giambi drilled a two-run shot, his seventh career postseason homer.

"I just got a mistake up and in," Giambi said. "Thank God it was warm tonight, because it carried out of the ballpark."

The Tigers fought back with three runs in the fifth, getting a solo homer by Craig Monroe to open the inning and RBI doubles by Polanco and Sean Casey. Wang struck out Ordonez, who represented the tying run, to end the inning.

"It's like he doesn't really get rattled. He just keeps coming at you," Posada said. "He knows what he's got to do to be successful, which is to keep the ball down."

With two outs in the sixth, Damon singled and Jeter doubled, putting two runners in scoring position for Abreu. This time, Abreu poked a single past Polanco in the hole at second, scoring both runners to boost the lead to 7-3.

"It would have been tough to hold them off if that ball didn't go through," Damon said. "It was one of those slow-rollers that hardly ever gets through the infield, but it had eyes on it."

Wang retired the first two batters in the seventh before being removed by Torre, as he walked off the mound to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 56,291, tipping his cap as he approached the Yankees' dugout.

"He really settled in," Torre said. "I was very proud of him, after he gave up the three runs, to be able to pitch the way he did the rest of that inning and the following inning."

Mike Myers served up a solo home run to Curtis Granderson, the only batter he would face. Scott Proctor allowed a pair of singles, bringing Ordonez to the plate once again as the tying run, but Proctor got Ordonez to fly out to center, preserving the three-run lead.

Kyle Farnsworth survived a leadoff walk in the eighth, retiring the next three batters. In the past, Torre would have been tempted to call on Mariano Rivera in the eighth, but after battling a muscle strain in his right forearm late in the season, Rivera was left in the bullpen until the ninth, when he closed the game with a scoreless inning.

"It was tough, but we have to give credit to the boys. They came back and did the job," Rivera said of watching the seventh and eighth innings from the bullpen. "We've been working a lot on my arm. I think it's working, definitely. It felt good to be out there, so hopefully we'll come back and do the same thing [in Game 2]."

"It's big for us," Jeter said. "But it means absolutely nothing unless we win tomorrow night."

Mark Feinsand is a 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 off to dominant start in Division Series

2006-10-15T20:19:00.000-04:00

Jeter off to dominant start in Division Series
October 4, 2006

NEW YORK -- The chants of "M-V-P, M-V-P" grew louder with each hit Derek Jeter recorded against the Detroit Tigers.

Following a five-hit outing in the opening contest of the American League Division Series on Tuesday, Jeter has a tough act to follow when the New York Yankees host the Tigers in Wednesday's Game 2.

The start of the game is being delayed by rain.

Although voting for the AL Most Valuable Player encompasses regular-season play, the fans made their feelings known as Jeter became just the sixth player in postseason history with a five-hit game as New York posted an 8-4 triumph over Detroit.

Days after falling short to Minnesota's Joe Mauer for the AL batting title, Jeter went 5-for-5 with his 17th career playoff homer in the eighth. The Yankees' captain raised his career postseason batting average to .315.

"You're not always going to come through," Jeter said. "There's been plenty of times that I haven't. But when I'm in that situation, I feel as though I'm going to produce, if I come up with a hit or make a play."

New York broke open the contest with a five-run third inning. Bobby Abreu delivered a two-run double, Gary Sheffield had an RBI single and Jason Giambi smacked a two-run homer to right field off starter Nate Robertson.

Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.51 ERA) won 13 of his first 16 decisions and appeared to be headed to his first 20-win campaign before suffering a minor groin injury that slowed his momentum. He went 2-4 in the final two months of the regular season.

A 37-year-old righthander who is still looking for his first World Series ring with the Yankees, Mussina is 8-2 in 15 home starts and beat the Tigers in Detroit on May 31.

"Mike Mussina presents problems because he never gets in a pattern," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He very rarely throws the same pitch twice in a row. So he keeps the hitters off-balance and that's what pitching is. You'll see guys with better arms in the postseason, but you won't see people that know how to pitch any better."

Detroit counters with Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.63), who will try to keep his team from losing the first two contests of the best-of-five series. The 23-year-old righthander won 10 games before the All-Star break but went 4-5 in the last two months of the year.

In his only appearance against the Yankees this season, Verlander was charged for six runs and seven hits in five innings on June 1 but did not figure in the decision.

Craig Monroe and Curtis Granderson homered for the Tigers, who fell in their first postseason game since 1987 after finishing the regular season with five consecutive losses.

"You have to manufacture as much runs as you can," Granderson said. "We had opportunities but we have to learn from our mistakes and manufacture runs."

The series shifts to Detroit for Game Three on Friday.

Copyright ©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures.

JETER FORKS UP FIVE-SPOT

2006-10-08T03:11:00.000-04:00

JETER FORKS UP FIVE-SPOT
CAPTAIN 5-FOR-5 AS YANKS RIP TIGERS
By GEORGE KING

October 4, 2006 -- A record-tying five hits, a crushing homer in his final at-bat, three runs scored and the starting of a nifty double play that killed an early Tigers scoring chance.

So, what did Derek Jeter think of his fingerprints being all over an 8-4 Yankees victory over the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS last night at Yankee Stadium in front of 56,291?

"It means absolutely nothing unless we win (tonight)," said Jeter, who tied a postseason record for hits in a game and hiked his postseason career record for hits to 147.

After all these years, what else would you expect Jeter to say?

Prior to the game, Tigers manager Jim Leyland alluded to some people viewing the Tigers-Yankees matchup as the varsity against the freshmen. While it wasn't exactly that, Jeter played like a man competing against toddlers.

"Derek Jeter is a great player," Alex Rodriguez said. "I'm very proud to be his teammate."

On the way out of the clubhouse, Johnny Damon was asked about Jeter's sizzling night.

"He was OK," Damon said.

Can Jeter be better in Game 2 tonight?

"Let's hope so," Damon said through a huge grin.

If Jeter improves from Game 1 to Game 2, then those who predicted the Yankees would leave cleat marks on the Tigers' backs will be right, because Jeter was perfect last night.

He singled in the first, doubled and scored in a five-run third, singled in the fourth, doubled and scored in the sixth and homered with one out in the eighth to at give Mariano Rivera an 8-4 lead to work the ninth with. Jeter killed a Tigers threat in the third when he went to his right to field a Placido Polanco grounder and turned it into a 6-4-3 double play, thanks to a quick throw to second baseman Robinson Cano. Cano's pivot and strong toss to Gary Sheffield completed the twin-killing and kept the game scoreless.

Of course, Jeter wasn't the only act, just the main one.

In his first Yankees postseason game, Bobby Abreu drove in four runs. Jason Giambi hit a two-run homer, was hit by pitches twice and drew a walk. Sheffield added an RBI single and played flawlessly at first. Rodriguez had one hit in four at-bats, but two of the outs were line drives. Chien-Ming Wang (three runs, eight hits in 6 2/3 innings) was beatable because his signature sinker didn't behave and Mike Myers, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth were shaky. However, the Yankees danced out of the Stadium up 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Game 2 tonight features Mike Mussina against Justin Verlander. Because the Tigers lost the last five games of the season - including three straight to the lowly Royals - and flushed the AL Central title, many believed the wild-card Tigers were nothing more than a pesky mosquito on the muscular Yankee arms.

Leyland, of course, wasn't in that crowd.

"I think a lot of people for whatever reason, they have this as the Yankees' varsity vs. the freshman team," Leyland said. "I don't feel that way. Those that said we lucked out and snuck in, I totally disagree with that. We won more games than only three teams in baseball. That's pretty good. I don't think we have to apologize for being here. We won two less games than the New York Yankees. That's not bad."

Yet, Leyland's club couldn't overcome a 5-0 third-inning deficit caused by Giambi's two-run homer, Abreu's two-run double and Sheffield's RBI single off Nate Robertson.

Nor did it have an answer for Jeter.

george.king@nypost.com

Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jeter streak longest for Yanks since '42

2006-10-07T14:16:00.001-04:00

Jeter streak longest for Yanks since '42
9/16/2006, 9:23 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 25 games Saturday night, the longest for the New York Yankees since Joe Gordon's 29-game string in 1942.

Jeter went 1-for-5 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader, a 5-2 New York loss to Boston, then singled in the third inning of the night game against Julian Tavarez. Jeter began the day leading the AL in hitting at .346, just ahead of Minnesota's Joe Mauer

Joe DiMaggio set the major league record with a 56-game hitting streak for the Yankees in 1941.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

©2006 New Jersey On-Line LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jeter and Ortiz lead tight AL MVP chase

2006-10-07T14:16:00.000-04:00

Jeter and Ortiz lead tight AL MVP chase
Rachel Dolin
Posted: 9/20/06
Talk about a twist in fate.

For maybe the first time all season, the National League is overshadowing the American League-and it's doing it when it counts.

As the Chicago White Sox dropped their fourth game in a row against yet another playoff-contender on Monday evening, the other league saw the New York Mets clinch their first division title since 1988, and the Los Angles Dodgers' Hollywood-esque comeback against the San Diego Padres, dubbed by Dodger second baseman Marlon Anderson, "the most wonderful game I have ever seen in my life."

So where's the AL's pennant-race drama?

Although ill-advised, Big Papi's comments last week drew our attention to the right place-the MVP race. Unlike in the standings, where even the worst gamblers have a fair shot in picking the right teams, there is no unanimous winner here. Baseball writers and fans everywhere are on their own.

Fans will remember last year's battle between Ortiz and rival Alex Rodriguez, or Vladimir Guerrero's 100-point victory over Gary Sheffield in 2004. But this year, there aren't even two clear-cut opponents.

Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter heads the list right now, with his recent 25-game hitting streak drawing the praise of teammates and fans alike. Jeter is having his best year since 1999, when he posted a .349 batting average, hit triple digits in RBI for the first time in his career, and boasted a .438 on-base percentage. Jeter finished sixth in MVP voting that year.

This season, Jeter is second in the AL batting race, behind Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, with a .340 average. The Yankee shortstop currently has 95 RBI and a league-leading .414 on-base percentage.

Compared to the other three position players legitimately vying for the title-Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau, Boston DH David Ortiz, and Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye-Jeter's power numbers are weak. All three are well over the century mark in RBIs, and Jeter's 14 homers are dwarfed by the 33, 49, and 42 posted by Morneau, Ortiz, and Dye, respectively.

Jeter has never excelled in the power category, so does that put him a notch below the other candidates? Ortiz proponents would say that the MVP award should go to a power hitter.

Backing up his claim to the crown is Ortiz's lead in a possibly more reliable category, OPS. Ortiz leads the pack with a 1.030 OPS, followed by Dye at 1.020, Morneau at .947, and Jeter at .898.

And just to make matters more complicated, Johan Santana's numbers cannot be ignored. The Minnesota hurler leads the majors with 18 wins, 237 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA. Although these statistics have their respective flaws, such apparent dominance from the mound is hard to overlook. Apart from Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, no other pitcher has made as much of a candidacy for himself in recent years as Santana.

Inevitably, as in most MVP races of the modern era, baseball writers will be in conflict over whether the winner should come from a playoff team. Should Dye be penalized for his team's poor play over the final couple weeks of the season? Should Ortiz be disregarded for injuries that plagued his final month? Other than A-Rod's 2003 victory, history would answer yes to both of these queries.

And then there is the other perennial question: can an MVP be a player who only takes the field every fifth day, or a player who doesn't take the field at all? Does Ortiz's plate-only showing penalize him? Does Jeter's crucial field position at shortstop bump him up?

As MVP criteria are vague at best, baseball writers will have to answer those questions themselves, making for a tight race. And as for the rest of us, we can only ask the simple, yet perplexing, question, as we anticipate the results: who is 2006's MVP?

© Copyright 2006 Tufts Daily

Magic number 1, but Giambi, Jeter are concerns

2006-10-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

Magic number 1, but Giambi, Jeter are concerns
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
BY ED PRICE
Star-Ledger Staff

TORONTO -- The Yankees could begin chilling the champagne after last night's victory, but a couple of concerns did emerge from their 6-3 defeat of the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Jason Giambi will be out indefinitely after leaving in the middle of the fifth inning with what the team described as mild soreness in his left wrist. And Derek Jeter was hit on the outside base of his right hand in the first inning; he finished the game but is not expected to play today.

With a magic number of one, and the Jays officially eliminated, all the Yankees need tonight to clinch the AL East title is a victory or a Boston loss to Minnesota.

"(Today) is going to be a big day for us," said Bobby Abreu, whose two-run homer in the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie.

"That's what you wait for," manager Joe Torre said, "you wait for that one opportunity to wake up in the morning and you know something special can happen."

Giambi's issue first cropped up about a month ago, and he has received two anti-inflammatory injections in the wrist, on Aug. 30 and Sept. 9. But he has yet to regain his power, going 65 at-bats since his last homer, on Aug. 20. In that time, Giambi has hit .185 with a .262 slugging percentage and just eight RBI.

"We're going to shut him down now for however long it takes," Torre said. "Hopefully it's a couple, three days.

"He's just not getting to the ball right now."

Torre thought another injection was unlikely, but Giambi said team doctors would discuss it.

"I was starting to really swing the bat good (last weekend against) Boston," Giambi said, "driving the ball real good, and just took a couple of steps backward the last couple of days. Just today after my third at-bat it started to really flare up again."

Giambi guessed that playing more first base lately, and the pounding on his wrist from catching throws, could have exacerbated the problem.

"I hope it's quick," he said. "It's not back to where it was at the very beginning when I needed to get the original shot.

"(But) it's starting to get to the point where I can't really touch it again."

Although Gary Sheffield is on the active roster and slated to play first base down the stretch, Torre said he does not want to play him in place of Giambi tonight against Jays ace Roy Halladay.

"I just don't think that's the right thing to do," Torre said.

Although Jeter said his hand wasn't bothering him, he had it wrapped after the game and said the impact of Shaun Marcum's pitch on his hand felt like "(slamming) it in a door."

So the Yankees will try to clinch tonight with a lineup missing Jeter, Giambi, Sheffield, Jorge Posada (getting a breather) and Johnny Damon (in a 9-for-44 slide and "leaking a little bit in the batter's box," according to Torre).

Damon contributed last night on defense, making a diving catch on the warning track of Russ Adams' deep fly ball with two outs, the bases loaded and the score 3-3 in the fifth. That set the stage for Abreu, who followed Jeter's infield single off the right shin of Jason Frasor (2-2) with a blast to center off Justin Speier

Rookie Jeff Karstens (2-1) got the win despite allowing 10 hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings. Mike Myers, T.J. Beam, Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth combined for the final eight outs, with Farnsworth earning his sixth save.

"We want to get this thing clinched," Torre said. "The sooner the better. We're tired now, but the fact is that (if) you're tired, fine -- go play and get it done first."

© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

©2006 New Jersey On-Line LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jeter, A-Rod lead Yanks past Jays

2006-10-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

09/19/2006 1:12 AM ET
Jeter, A-Rod lead Yanks past Jays
Pair of two-run blasts lead way as Bombers hold on for win
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

TORONTO -- Life without Mariano Rivera is no picnic. Just ask Joe Torre.
Torre and the Yankees carried a four-run lead into the ninth inning on Monday against the Blue Jays, only to watch four pitchers struggle to record the final three outs.

Troy Glaus hit a three-run home run off Octavio Dotel to cut the lead to one. Two batters later, Toronto had the tying run on base, but Jose Veras retired Aaron Hill to seal the 7-6 victory for New York.

"It's sort of helpless," Torre said. "It makes you hate Mariano Rivera. I told him not to send me a Christmas card."

"He was going nuts," Rivera said of his manager's demeanor in the final frame. "The most important thing is that we won the game."

Derek Jeter furthered his case for the American League's MVP Award on Monday, coming through with a huge two-run home run against A.J. Burnett in the seventh, giving the Yankees their first lead of the game.

Alex Rodriguez also had a two-run home run, helping the Yankees move one step closer to their ninth consecutive division title. New York's magic number now stands at 3.

"You want to take care of that, because we haven't clinched anything yet," Jeter said. "It doesn't matter how we do it, we just want to get it done. It doesn't matter if it's pretty or ugly, we just need wins. We were fortunate to get this one."

"Our job isn't done yet," Johnny Damon said. "We need to win our division -- and we hope to do it soon."

Darrell Rasner, starting in place of Cory Lidle (tendinitis in his right index finger), allowed three runs in six innings. Rasner, who was pitching on three days' rest after throwing 45 pitches over four innings of relief on Thursday, struggled early before settling down.

"It was good; I really didn't throw many pitches in my last outing, so it was really no issue for me," Rasner (3-0) said. "It was a battle from the get-go today, but I got through it."

Following back-to-back day-night doubleheaders against the Red Sox, Torre contemplated giving some of his regulars the night off. After speaking with his coaches and hearing some lively chatter and laughter in his clubhouse before the game, Torre opted to send out his normal lineup.

"It's really not the message we wanted to send," Torre said of resting his regulars. "Guys were having a good time today, so I felt pretty good about that decision. They seemed to be in good spirits."

Unfortunately for New York, Burnett looked virtually unhittable in the first five innings, holding the Yanks to a pair of singles -- both coming with two outs in the second inning -- while striking out five.

"We were dead," Rodriguez said. "He was dominating us as much as we've been dominated all year."

Rasner, meanwhile, needed 28 pitches to get through the first inning after loading the bases before recording an out. The right-hander managed to pull a Houdini act, getting Lyle Overbay and Glaus to pop out before striking out Bengie Molina to end the inning.

"One pitch at a time," Rasner said of his approach. "Damage control."

Rasner wasn't as lucky in the second, as the Jays touched him for a run. Toronto added two more in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead.

Damon was ejected by home plate umpire Bill Miller for arguing a call against Hideki Matsui, who was called out on a questionable check swing that Miller ruled a swinging strike.

"The only thing I wanted out of it was for him to get help; there's a third-base ump out there for a reason," Damon said. "I'm not going to say I was right, I'm not going to say I was wrong, but there are four umpires out there for a reason."

A-Rod cut the lead to one in the sixth with a two-run blast to center field, his 34th of the season. The homer was No. 463 of Rodriguez's career, moving him past Jose Canseco for sole possession of 29th place on the all-time list. He stands one homer behind Dave Winfield for 28th place.

"Alex left a wake-up call for us with the two-run homer," Torre said. "It looked like we were being dominated, but it was only 3-2."

The next inning, Burnett was one out away from completing the seventh, but Aaron Guiel -- who entered the game for Damon -- doubled to left, setting up Jeter's two-run homer to left-center.

"It's not like that's the first time we saw Jeter get the big hit," Jays manager John Gibbons said. "That's why he's one of the top players in the game -- he does those things."

The homer came on a 3-0 pitch, marking the second time in two days that Jeter has put the ball in play with a 3-0 count. Before Sunday, Jeter hadn't done that since 2002.

"I got the green light; you have to get the OK before you can swing at it," Jeter said. "If you get ahead in the count, you have to be selective with the pitch you swing at. I didn't try to hit a home run, but fortunately, it went out."

Brian Bruney pitched a scoreless seventh, while Scott Proctor did the same in the eighth. Guiel and Bobby Abreu singled in runs in the ninth, then Andy Phillips drew a bases-loaded walk, pushing the lead to 7-3 and giving Ron Villone a nice cushion to close out the game.

But Villone gave up a pair of one-out singles, prompting Torre to pull the left-hander in favor of Dotel, who opened with three straight balls against Glaus. Dotel threw a strike to make the count 3-1, but Glaus blasted the next pitch over the wall in right-center, cutting the lead to make it a 7-6 game.

"It's so unfair to rely on him," Torre said of Dotel, who is still trying to find his groove after returning from Tommy John surgery. "You bring him in there based on the fact that he's done this before, even though he's not at full strength."

Mike Myers took over for Dotel with one out, retiring John Hattig for the second out. Jason Phillips singled off Myers to put the tying run on base, as Torre called on Veras -- who got Hill for the final out, earning the first save of his career.

"It got interesting at the end there," Jeter said. "There's only one Mo; you get spoiled with him pitching the end of the game here. You have to tip your hat to them, because they never gave up. They battled, but Veras got that big out."

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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