New York Yankees

Courtesy of Yankees 'n More

All the New York Yankees news the past week or so has been about Derek Jeter and his new deal. How much will Jeter "settle" for and will the Yankees come up from their three-year, $45 million deal. Also, some Mariano Rivera news has popped up. Will the Yankees give him a two-year deal?

Would Derek Jeter be underpaid at $10 million a year for the next three years? Could he be worth as much as $20 million a year over that time span. Does the Yankees' offer of $15 million per adequately cover both possible contingencies?

The sports industry is an odd one.

You can give your heart and soul to a team and its fans, and they can want no part of you when it comes to a new contract. 

There have been several instances where a player has chosen to move on, or a team chooses to trade a player and at least get something for their star player.

But, in rare instances, a player wants nothing more in the world than to remain with his team. Only to find out that the team doesn't feel the same, but some other team is more than willing to take them in.

With each passing day, this seemingly solid and prosperous marriage between Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees seems to be on the verge of divorce.

No doubt the two are more perfect as a union, as I don’t know one baseball fan that can imagine either surviving without the other.

Captain Clutch is no more.

Derek Jeter entered this season an elite shortstop, but proved in the end why he is no longer worth the money. The former rookie of the year, two time Hank Aaron award recipient, four time Silver Slugger, six time Gold Glover, and once a World Series MVP had a dismal season. His batting average dropped to .270, and he hit just .231 in the ALCS.

One of my favorite pictures is of my brother, dad and I sitting together on the couch on Father's Day with our Yankee hats on and watching the game.

In the picture, my brother is about three, I'm five and my dad is absolutely beaming with joy.

My brother, who happens to be named after a former Yankee team captain, now has two kids of his own, and they have their own Yankee hats (they just happen to be pink).

John Lennon once sang, "New York City...back in New York City...New York City...Que pasa, New York?...Que pasa, New York?"

Lennon wrote that song in a tribute to his new hometown when he moved in September 1971 with Yoko Ono from Ole England.

It was in the same city that never sleeps where he was murdered on December 8, 1980, three weeks after releasing a comeback album, Double Fantasy.

Lennon, on his way to heaven, probably asked, "Que pasa, New York?"

       Will he’ll be the third best shortstop on the team in a couple years?  Sure.  Don’t his career numbers make him a rich man’s Craig Biggio?  Of course.  But the Yankees need Derek Jeter as much as the Yankee captain needs the pinstripes.  The Yankees are built on quiet professionalism and championship legacy, and no player, now or on the horizon (sorry, Robinson Cano), represents the Yankee brand like Derek Jeter.

No one suspected that New York Yankee captain Derek Jeter’s contract negotiations would start to resemble a page out of the Alex Rodriguez biography.

The new Yankee regime sans “the Boss” has made it very clear that this is a business decision and not a personal one. The rumored offer made was somewhere in $45-$50 million range for a period of three years.