The Jeter Saga

We've all heard by now about the war between the Jeter and Yankees camps in these negotiations. The real war, however, is between the Post and the Daily News. The former has largely sided with management, while the latter has chosen to respect the gangster. Lupica of the Daily News has emerged as the voice of reason. Reason. Like the kids used to have. But it is not hard to understand management's perspective. These are the New York Yankees, and New Yorkers are d*cks. Jeter will end up with either more money or more years than this first offer from the Yankees gives him, but the Yankees, being d*cks, have to act like d*cks first. Sure, they were nice to A-Rod and to CC and that's unfair. But New Yorkers are always nice to tourists. We act all polite around them and give them directions and hold doors. But if another New Yorker looks at us funny, or by accident, it's all "WTF is your problem?!" That's how we roll and Jeter, despite the complex he's building in Tampa, is a basically a New Yorker. He's not going to get the tourist treatment, he gets the 'I want to fight you on the subway for no reason' treatment. It's all a part of being a New Yorker. It is however, hard to watch. Jeter doesn't deserve to be treated like this. Brian Cashman had the gall to suggest the Yankees were upset with Casey Close of all people for going "public" with the negotiations. Are you $#!%%ing me?! Close makes one comment to Mike Lupica after Yankees brass has been talking $#!% in the press for weeks and Close is the bad guy? #@%& outta here! But mine is also a New York reaction. The rest of the people on the subway always think that guy starting the fight is a real jackass. We all condemn him, even though we're only one meaningless stare away from starting some $#!% ourselves. It's just that when you live in as fast paced an environment as New York, you have to find ways to exercise something other than self-interest, like empathy. Feeling bad for Jeter is one of the ways we do that. Which is what makes the Post's response to all this so "baffling." You're going to side with the Steinbrenner brothers and Randy Levine? Really? How #@%&ed up is Rupert Murdoch? Once again the Daily News shows why it's the local paper of choice. You might glance at the Post's Sports Section if someone leaves it on the subway, but you always try to put it back down before someone sees you holding it. But everyone saw you holding it. And they judged you for it. It's okay though. That's what we do. We're New Yorkers.