Every year, people look at the first few weeks of the baseball season and overreact. There are lots of folks right now that are jumping on the Milwaukee Brewers bandwagon, just as there are lots of folks jumping off the Senators wagon. Anyone that knows baseball knows that these things aren’t going to stay this way. There are 162 games in a season, and lots of things can happen, but usually these things are what you can expect to happen before the season began. It’s like that story about the slumping .300 hitter – if he hits .260 before the All-Star break, then you know he’ll hit .340 after the All-Star break and end up at .300 like he usually does. It’s the way things work out.

When it comes to the New York Yankees, folks overreact more than they should. That’s because the Yankees are the dominant franchise in all of baseball. They are the team to beat, year in and year out. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, you know about the New York Yankees. And if you are a baseball fan, you’re either a fan of the Yankees, or a fan of a team that wants to beat the Yankees, or you’re just a fan of the game that knows about the Yankees. Every year, you can pencil them in for 90-100 wins and a trip to the playoffs, and you can guess they’ll make it to the World Series too.

George Steinbrenner makes sure the team is stocked with the best talent available, no matter what the cost. Winning is the key to success, and success is the key to winning. Every off season, if there’s a star veteran on the free agent market, you know the Yankees are going to go after them. That’s why the Yankees can afford to have a star player like Bernie Williams as their 4th OF and part of their DH platoon. Bernie could probably start in CF for a lot of teams. His speed isn’t what it was, though he is still a fast runner, and his arm’s been questionable at times, but Bernie brings a lot to the table and leaves it all on the field every time he goes out there.

The Yankees started the 2006 season on a tough stretch, going 2-4 against the Anaheim Angels and Oakland A’s, two teams that are in the playoff picture in the AL West. That stretch was tough going. The Yankees weren’t hitting, and when they were hitting, they weren’t pitching. But, against the surprising Kansas City Royals, the Yankees were able to right their ship and sweep their opening homestand, and are now only one game back of their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. This return to form is thanks in large part to the heart and soul of the Yankees, Derek Jeter.

There’s a reason I picked Jeter as my #1 pick in the Yard Work Fantasy Baseball Draft. People always underrate Jeter, and look at the things he can’t do. They say he’s overrated on defense and should be playing anywhere besides shortstop. They say he bunts too often. They say he’s not as clutch as most folks believe him to be. They say he’s cocky and a showoff and spoiled and nothing but a pretty face that likes to pump his fist a lot. And these folks always have numbers that are supposed to prove that they’re right. Fact is, people that doubt Jeter just aren’t looking at him the right way.

Derek Jeter is a fearless competitor, both in the field and at the plate. He has the heart of the champion, and when the game is on the line, is always there with the big hit or sacrifice, or the big defensive stop. When the Yankees needed a big hit in their home opener, there was Jeter hitting a 3-run homer off of Royals closer Ambiorix Burgos. These are things that regular baseball stats can’t measure, and never will. And that’s why I drafted Jeter with my #1 pick. He’s the guy you build a team around, whether that team is fake or real. Former MVP A-Rod might be the highest paid player in baseball, and former MVP Gary Sheffield might be one of the most dangerous on or off the field, and Cy Young winner Randy Johnson might be the scariest, but Jeter is the one that grabs the attention and imagination and hearts of fans. He’s part of possibly the best all-around infield in baseball, and he’s part of possibly the best all-around team in baseball. And you can’t measure that greatness with statistics.

While teams like Oakland and Cleveland put up impressive numbers in July and August, it’s teams like the Yankees that are playing for the World Series come playoff time. And while hot starters like Detroit’s Chris Shelton or Cincinnatti’s Adam Dunn are playing over their head right now and are bound to come back to earth hard, superstars like Derek Jeter are always playing over their heads time and again. That’s what makes these stars super. And Derek Jeter is what makes the Yankees super. And he’ll be the main reason why the Yankees will once again be one of the best teams in baseball.