Win/Win. No. Win/Win/Win?

Yesterday was a good day for the Yankees. Not only did they sweep a doubleheader from the hapless Orioles (yeah, that Buck Showalter can really whip a team into shape, can't he?), not only did they gain a complete half-game on the Red Sox, not only did they score 12 runs in the first inning for the first time in franchise history.

They also didn't trade their entire farm system for Ubaldo Jimenez. Nice work, Brian Cashman!

As previously noted here, a Montero-Banuelos-Nova-Betances deal for anybody short of Felix Hernandez (and maybe even then) would have been absurd. Even though it was suggested late that the Rockies were dropping their demand for one of the Killer Bs and would accept only the other three (how nice of them!), sending all those guys for a man with potential and an ERA over 4 in the National League would have been stupid.

And Cashman was explicit recently in his assurance that the Yankees "won't do anything stupid" at the trade deadline.

If there is no deal in the works, okay. Would have been nice to pick up a good starter, but there isn't a really good one available, and getting a mediocre one is pointless when we're loaded with those. A big bat? Where are you going to play him? You want to send Jorge Posada packing after all these years for a two-month rental on someone in an offense that scored 25 runs in two games yesterday?

If there is a side deal, something that can help the bench (you're a nice guy, Andruw Jones, but you are, let's put this delicately, a little past your prime), that would be good. But personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Montero, Betances and Banuelos in pinstripes.

Hold Your Ground, Brian!

As the trade deadline gets nearer (even nearer than the debt ceiling deadline, which is considerably more annoying), rumors continue to circulate that the Yankees might be interested in Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies. And while it would be nice to have another established starter in the rotation, especially with Phil Hughes continuing to look very shaky, so far Brian Cashman has not seemed willing to meet the Rockies' asking price.

And boy, is he right.

According to reports, in exchange for Jimenez, who is 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in the National League, Colorado is asking for Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos, Ivan Nova AND Jesus Montero. One starting pitcher who has already proven himself at least adequate in the major leagues, a hitting prospect who has awed a great number of scouts (although he probably won't come up as a catcher) and the two best pitching prospects in the organization.

6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in the NATIONAL League.

Cashman is completely right in not jumping at that kind of fleecing. For a guy like Jimenez, who has been an elite pitcher for exactly half of one season, and that was the first half of 2010, that's beyond way too much. Maybe you give them Montero, who's not having a fantastic year at Scranton/Wilkes Barre (some people say he seems "disinterested" in the minor leagues). Maybe you give them one pitcher, although probably not one of the "Killer B's." Hell, in exchange for Jimenez, maybe you give them Phil Hughes even up.

But you don't give away the farm (almost literally) for a guy who looked like he was going to be great a year ago. Keep in mind that Hughes was blazing his way through the American League at the same time and was on the 2010 All-Star team. What are we trading for?

Hold your ground, Brian. You're right.

Get Your Phil Today--It Might Be Your Last Chance!

Man, that CC Sabathia can throw a baseball, can't he? Sure do hope that guy doesn't have, like, an opt-out clause in his contract after this season. (Seriously, CC's probably not going anywhere.)

Today is about Phil Hughes. And once again, he might be pitching to save (or lose) his job.

When you're facing a team that's lost 17 games in a row, there are certain expectations. Most notably, that they'll lose 18 games in a row, especially when playing a postseason-worthy team like the Yankees. But that equation is complicated by two factors: 1. Phil Hughes is pitching today, and he has not been sharp in a long, long time; 2. He's pitching against Felix Hernandez (whom I'm NOT going to call "King Felix" because that's a stupid nickname).

Hernandez, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner (let's see him beat CC THIS year!), is always a threat to be dominating. But consider that in the 17 games the Mariners have lost in a row, he had to pitch at least three times, and lost, perhaps he's not as scary as usual.

But Hughes is a real question mark--you honestly don't know what you're going to get, or more importantly, why. And with Ivan Nova reportedly coming back on Saturday to pitch one game of the doubleheader (assuming his ankle permits it), you have to wonder who's auditioning here.

I don't have a lot of confidence in Hughes these days; it's just been too long since I've seen him be very good. Nova was getting better when he was sent down. By the end of this week, we should have a clearer view of who's doing what. Unless there's a big trade (which I don't think there will be). Stay tuned.

Wither Yankees?

How do you play crisp baseball when the field temperature is about 120 degrees?

I'll bet slowly. We'll see later today.

Meanwhile, the ongoing question that is Phil Hughes continues. Handed a 12-run lead, the erstwhile phenom couldn't make it through five to get the win. Is this a slide back to the horrific form that got him sent to the DL with mysterious "shoulder fatigue"? Or is it getting into his head?

Okay, so it was the hottest day pretty much since Apollo started dragging the sun across the sky. And that might have had some effect--it's hard to get a grip on the ball when your hand is soaking wet. Ask Gaylord Perry.

And one lousy start is not nearly enough of a sample to start judging. With Ivan Nova on the seven-day DL in Scranton, and due to come back for a doubleheader start next week, there's no alternative to sending Hughes out anyway. Maybe it's time to take a breath, chalk it up to one bad night, and move on.

But with the trade deadline rapidly approaching, and Hughes (not to mention Colon, Garcia and Burnett, if you want to be honest) question marks themselves, you can pretty much count on Brian Cashman spending the next eight days on his cell phone nonstop.

Seattle's lost 13 in a row--most recently to the Red Sox. Will the King Felix trade rumors start swirling again? (Don't salivate, Yankee fans--they're not trading Felix.)

The Trickle of Youth

Okay, so the last couple outings of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia haven't gone well. That's to be expected, considering how well they'd been pitching in the first half. Is it time to push the panic button?

Maybe not. Colon is still admittedly nervous about--but not favoring--the leg he injured, which could explain his loss of command. Velocity doesn't seem to be a problem. He probably came back too soon, and should either be skipped when it's possible (Ivan Nova for a start, perhaps?) or just work his way through it.

Garcia? He was always living on the edge, fooling hitters with his head rather than his arm. Smart pitching coaches and hitters getting together before a series to size up a pitcher were bound to figure out patterns and if Garcia isn't perfect with his control, he's going to get lit up. So there might be more concern about him than about Colon. But consider this: Garcia had a decent year in 2010 for the White Sox, and can bounce back from a bad start or two.

Botton line: This is probably not the time to go nuts and give away the farm (almost literally) for someone like Ubaldo Jimenez, tempting though it might be. If this were last year and Cliff Lee was being dangled with Jimenez's current contract, you leap and give away whatever it takes. For Jimenez? How much worse is Nova/Banuelos/Betances going to be? Enough to give them all away AND Jesus Montero? That seems, to put it mildly, excessive for a guy who has an ERA over 4 in the National League.

Expect Brian Cashman, who is very smart, to do everything he can to improve the Yankees over the next two weeks. That does not include giving away every top prospect for a pitcher who might or might not have an impact when there are two--admittedly aging, and far from sure things--on the roster who might still be able to pitch.

Really?

Now we're criticizing Christian Lopez for NOT demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars for Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit home run ball? Seriously?

Sports radio and online commenters have been frothing at the mouth over the "naivete" of the 23-year-old Verizon employee, who was sitting in exactly the right place at the most unlikely of right times, and held onto the projectile Jeter launched over the State Farm sign in left center field. How dare he not cash in? How could he not demand that the multi-gajillionaire in pinstripes share some of the wealth to pay off Lopez's college loans? What kind of a jerk can this guy be?

Maybe he's a really good man.

Here's a guy who lunged at the ball and caught it, and whose first thought was not, "My ship has come in!", but instead, "Wow--what a great thing Derek Jeter just did!" And when the inevitable security guy showed up a millisecond later to whisk Lopez away from the Bronx crowd (and away from his cheap bleacher seats), Lopez did not start insisting on a part ownership in the Yankees or even a new Ford Edge (Derek Jeter? He's got... never mind). When asked what he wanted in exchange for the ball, Lopez seemed stunned, and said he wanted nothing more than to hand the ball to Jeter. "It's his accomplishment," he said in the booth with Michael Kay and John Flaherty later. "It's not up to me to take it away from him."

He calls the player "Mr. Jeter," the way Jeter calls his ex-manager "Mr. Torre."

The Yankees then lavished upon Lopez signed Jeter jerseys, bats and balls, tickets in the front row for the next game and tickets on the Championship Suite level for every game for the rest of 2011, including any postseason games the Yankees might host. Depending on whose version you read, Lopez had asked only for the signed Jeter paraphernalia. The tickets were the Yankees' idea.

So clearly, Christian Lopez should be harshly criticized. Not cashing in on a moment like that? In front of millions of eyes? When it could have changed his life--a few lousy baseball tickets? It's downright un-American!

We should celebrate Christian Lopez's gesture for its focus, which is proper. It was Derek Jeter who hit the ball. 3,000 times. Christian Lopez was just in the right seat at the right time to become involved.

For one, I'm glad it was him and not someone else.

Good Day

If yesterday was Derek Jeter's last big hurrah with the Yankees--and I doubt that it was--it would be more than we could have hoped it would be.

I'm not much for particular numbers; is 3,000 hits really THAT much more impressive than 2,999? But to celebrate the consistency and the longevity and, let's face it, the breadth of a career that has so far taken in 15 remarkable summers, this was as good a time to pause and express our appreciation as any. Better than some. Perhaps even better than it will be on that inevitable day at Cooperstown (I'm going--anybody want to carpool?) or the even more inevitable Derek Jeter day, when they retire the #2, give him yet another Edge and shower a man who has made hundreds of millions of dollars with gifts. Hopefully, one of those gifts will be part ownership of the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter should never actually leave the team.

To reach the numerical milestone he did and to do it with one of the least probable home runs (and no cheapie!) ever, and then to get three more hits, including--here's the best part--the one that won the game, well, that's Derek Jeter. It was as if he'd gone to everyone on both teams before the game began and said, "Here's how I want it to go. Any objections?" And then hearing none, he proceeded.

In this age of ridiculously bloated salaries (for which I blame the owners, not the players--if someone offers YOU $30-million a year to do your job, are you going to protest that you're not worth it?), it takes a lot to bring the goosebumps one got watching Mantle hobble around on those tortured legs or Guidry strike out batter after batter seemingly on the power of a mustache. But watching Jeter yesterday, acting like he was 27 instead of 37, getting his five hits, raising his average about 15 points, getting hugs and applause from his teammates and THE OPPOSING PLAYERS, acknowledging his family first and then the fans, whom he never seems to forget--that was a day. A really, really good day. I'm glad my daughter, now an 18-year-old Yankee fan, was home from college to watch it with me.

Thank you, Derek.

Rain Out--Bummer, Man

Nothing to report, other than this gives Derek Jeter one less game to get two hits, but that shouldn't be a problem. Look at it on the bright side--one less game for Sergio Mitre to pitch in!

2,997 and Counting: Why Do I Care?

Forget the recurring nightmare that is Sergio Mitre's Yankee career. Forget Phil Hughes coming back and pitching better--but perhaps not as well as Ivan Nova. Forget the first lost series since the decimation that was the last visit by the Red Sox.

The next four days are about three hits.

With a double over the head of Austin Kearns, Derek Jeter now stands at 2,997 base hits in his career (as if you needed reminding). And with four games coming up against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium: the Theme Park, that means it will be a major upset if Jeter does not get his 3,000th hit at home.

So the question becomes: Why do we care?

Before you get tuned up, let's understand a few things. I'm a Yankee fan since the waning days of Mickey Mantle. I've lived through such "talents" as Ron Woods, Horace Clarke, Rich McKinney and the immortal Celerino Sanchez. Good times and bad, the Stump Merrill years as well as the Joe Torre years. And I am a huge fan of Derek Jeter. I've seen him make errors, but I've never seen him do anything wrong. The man is a Yankee, and one of the best there ever was.

That out of the way, let's examine the 3,000 hit "quest" (how did this become a "quest"? Why isn't it a "chase," a "pursuit," or a "countdown"?) as it stands today. Yes, it will be a tremendous event at The Theme Park (I've been there, and that ain't Yankee Stadium--it's a nice ballpark, but it ain't Yankee Stadium) when Cap'n Jeter gets his ovation, is probably given a new Ford Edge (Jeter? He's got an Edge!) and the game is interrupted for a long period of time for festivities. And Jeter being the first Yankee to reach that plateau (while a Yankee) is significant. It shows his endurance, his talent, his consistency, all the things that have made him a terrific Yankee.

But let's not kid ourselves--this isn't Derek Jeter from 1998. This is Derek Jeter now. And no, I'm not one of those people who will pull out the cybermetrics and prove how Eduardo Nunez should be the starting shortstop or Nick Swisher should be leading off. I think Jeter should remain the shortstop until: 1. He retires; 2. He shows such decline that he is a liability (in which case I believe he would retire); 3. He tells the team he thinks he can help more elsewhere; 4. Someone demonstrably better is in the Yankee system and ready to play. None of those things have happened yet, so Jeter is and should be the starting shortstop, this year and probably next.

Jeter now, however, is a different player. You can talk about the mechanics of his swing and the stride and all that stuff that Kevin Long and he reportedly adjusted throughout the winter and spring training, all of which was abandoned a couple of weeks into the season. The young shortstop superstar prince of New York has become the grizzled veteran surviving with his knowledge of the game and his wiles. That's okay. It happens to everybody. Except Mariano Rivera.

What's significant about Jeter's 3,000th hit--when it comes, which will shortly--is that it gives the fans a chance to celebrate a magnificent career. It gives HBO a chance to do the same, which is sort of interesting--how did they talk Jeter into that one? And it is yet another statistic which will eventually usher Jeter into the Hall of Fame. Any writer who doesn't vote for him is officially designated here as "crazy."

But there's a sadness to the event, too, because we're never getting the old Derek Jeter back. A .340 batting average? I don't think so. Gold Gloves? Probably, but only to make up for the ones he should have gotten when he really deserved them. Extra-base hits? They'll get rarer. Spectacular plays? Occasionally, but more based on his knowledge of the hitter and where to play than on the physical ability he used to have.

It's a little sad, but it's mostly happy. And sometime in the next four days, we'll get to see it play out. Stay tuned.