Hey sports fans! This is New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter coming to you “live” from this blog to talk to you about the baseball playoffs. Being a member of the Yankees when I’ve been I have a unique perspective on the playoffs. You see this is the first year since I made the Yankees as a rookie that I’m not in the playoffs. And on one hand it’s upsetting to not be able to bring another World Series championship back to The City That Never Sleeps. On the other hand it’s great to have all this free time in October! Finally! No but seriously I mean it.  Especially when you get to be my age. With all the effort I put into making myself one of the best shortstops in baseball it’s hard to squeeze in “me” time after the final out is put away. What with all the endorsements I got going on like my cologne Derek Jeter’s Driven and the G2 sports drink and replacing that soccer player in the Gillette commercials or my role as a Ford or Chevy spokesperson (sorry but I always get those things confused). On top of being one of the most recognizable faces in all of sports which I don’t mind at all but still. But this year with the team finishing just outside of the playoffs I’m stuck with a whole lot of nothing to do! Except watch some baseball! which is what I did. And here’s what I found out.

First: I didn’t know the games are this long! On behalf of the New York Yankees and all of baseball, I’m so sorry!  It’s one thing to be in the middle of the field during a game and actually be a part of the action. It’s another to be sitting at home with a few teammates and some lovely ladies and watch how slow baseball actually is! It got so bad at one point that I was able to watch TWO episodes of Entourage during one inning of that extra-inning Angels Red Sox game. I’m sorry, but that’s not baseball. That’s like watching grass grow during winter! Seriously! By the way everyone that hasn’t seen Entourage should see it right now. Vinnie Chase is one of the greatest characters to ever be created for a TV show, and they also break a lot of gay stereotypes with Lloyd and Eric. Plus it’s got lots of hot women throughout the show. And it’s funny as heck! I may not be a TV critic or anything, but I know what I like, and I like Entourage. And by the way it looks like this new Frank TV show about George W. Bush might be just as funny, if not more so!

Second: Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays for their first appearance in the ALCS, but I gotta say I’m still not all that impressed. This isn’t to say that you should wonder about what they accomplished. Going last to first is a hard thing to do especially when you’re doing it for the first time. But it’s even harder to win in the playoffs. Just look at the Yankees. In all honesty I think we should have won more World Series titles, and if it weren’t for a few bounces here and there, we would have won more. And I’m talking about a team that’s loaded with veterans that have been in trenches like Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez. Playing young guys like Evan Longoria and BJ Upton might get you wins in the regular season, but if there’s anything I learned in all my years of baseball, it’s that the regular season is not the post-season. You need guys that can drive in runs in the clutch, guys that can manufacture runs, guys that get their hits when it matters and not in the 9th inning of an elimination game. And you need guys with experience. You ask me, I’ll take Scott Brosius nine times out of ten and I’ll take Charlie Hayes on the tenth. It’s like that old joke about how you need a job to get experience but to get experience you need a job. You can’t do both at the same time!  It just doesn’t make sense! And I think Tampa Bay is going to learn that lesson the hard way next round.

Third: I don’t know all that much about National League ball, but I do know that despite the differences anyone that can play in the NL can play in the AL. I saw it on my own team this year with Bobby Abreu and Xavier Nady.  And Manny Ramirez is also total proof of this with what he’s done to the NL this year. He’s hitting like I’ve never seen before and I’ve seen Manny hit a lot! And it’s not just the hitting. He’s playing the game like it should be played, with a lot of hustle and energy. He’s always been a guy that liked the spotlight, and I guess being close to Hollywood made him rise to the occasion. The same goes for CC Sabathia. Even if he didn’t pitch well in the NLDS against Philly he was the main reason that the Brewers even had a shot to play Philly. His pitching of all those complete games on 3 days rest was like watching a pitcher from the 1960s come back to life and showing folks how it’s done. Sometimes I wish I played in the 1960s so I could play baseball like that.  But hey you can’t be unhappy with four World Series rings right?  I mean I’m playing with some guys that don’t even have one!  That’s gotta be hard.  Anyway Manny and CC are players that I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for, even when we’ve been facing off head-to-head in key playoff battles. I always admired the way they carried themselves especially when coming to New York which everyone knows is a pressure cooker.  And I’m sure I’m not the only one in New York that feels the same way.  Not that I’m trying to drop any hints!

Fourth: you know I just realized that Manny could end up playing against Boston, the team that traded him just a few months ago! You can’t write a script like that even if you tried! I’m sure baseball fans all over the world are looking forward to that sort of match-up and all the playoff drama it will bring.  That’s the great thing about baseball as Yankees radio announcer John Sterling says.  You just can’t figure it out!  I mean who would’ve guessed that a team like the Yankees had this year would end up having a lot of their veteran players spending lots of time on the disabled list?  And don’t get me started on pitchers getting hurt.  If we stayed healthy and produced, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be writing this right now, which is sad but that’s life right?  It’s just amazing how anything can and will happen when you play baseball.  Just like life!  It’s why I love this sport, and it’s why I love New York City.

So anyway that’s all I have to say about this round of the baseball playoffs.  Maybe I’ll see you guys next time after the League Championship Series.  Or maybe I’ll see you guys out on the town when I’m out clubbing with my girl or girls!  Just kidding I’ll see you right here!  Peace!

In December 2007, Derek Jeter was inducted into the Kalamazoo Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame.