Jeter Has 2 For 2

With last night's rainout between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter's chances of getting hit #3,000 at home diminished by one. The Yankees asked Tampa to play a day-night twinbill today, but the Rays said no, preferring to make the game up in September. Anyone who is angry at Tampa for doing that is bananas. They have to think about winning not about DJ.

Also bananas is Buster Olney, who tweeted this gem on Twitter this morning.

Obviously if not for his pursuit of 3,000 and the chance to reach the milestone at home, Jeter would not have been playing every day since returning from the DL. Joe Girardi is much more cautious than that when it comes to injuries. I will agree with Olney though that Jeter could still attend the game to thank the fans who voted him as the starter in a year that he didn't deserve to start (my words not Olney's). Back to the other side of the coin, this is the first time that Jeter has backed out of a game while playing. Olney later ridiculously brought up Manny Ramirez, who constantly backed out of games, as if there was some comparison.

More bananas- people calling into WFAN or 1050ESPN to criticize Jeter for just about anything. For the Yankees losing four of five since his return as if no one else on the team should shoulder blame. Of course there have also been Mets fans pointing out how well the Mets have done since Reyes has been out of the lineup. There really are a lot of idiots out there. Like someone on 1050 this morning who brought up Jeter not attending Bob Shephard's funeral. Water under the bridge people.

As for 3,000, no one wants to get this out of the way more than Jeter. It's a distraction to him and certainly the fans, just as home run #600 was for A-Rod last year. But it is not a distraction to the team and hasn't affected the way they have played. Injuries, poor pitching, and no timely hitting is responsible for this skid. Seasons are about streaks and this is one of the bad ones. (Boston and Tampa Bay have gone through the same ups and downs too, that is why the race is so close.)

In addition to Jeter, Mariano Rivera (elbow) and Alex Rodriguez (knee) will both miss the All-Star game as well. A-Rod's knee is of major concern as he has not been driving the ball at all. The three days off and maybe today and tomorrow as well will do him good.

Speaking of All-Stars not able to play- Shane Victorino was voted in by the fans in the NL "Final Vote" and immediately went on the DL.

Bad job by NL Home Run Derby captain Prince Fielder for not selecting Justin Upton to compete in front of his home fans in Phoenix.

Back to the insane radio callers..."Nick from Manhattan" I can understand your mistrust of ball players, but to suggest that Bartolo Colon is on HGH because he is "like 40 pounds heavier" and in light of Roger Clemens upcoming trial...is idiotic. Colon has 40 pounds of hamburgers, fries, and chalupas.

Good luck to Brian Gordon. The feel-good-story pitcher - released by the Phillies - starting pitcher for the Yankees the next day - was remarkable. That the converted outfielder even got his first big league at-bats in interleague play makes the story even better. But with the return of Colon and Phil Hughes there was no room for Gordon and the Yankees sent him down. Now they have released him and sold his contract to a team in Korea. Long way to go, but if you love the game...

In non-Yankees news, another big time prospect made his debut last night. With centerfielder Peter Bourjos sidelined by a bad hamstring, the Angels recalled 19-yr old uber-prospect Mike Trout from Double-A. Though he went 0-3, it was exciting to see him out there. Trout joined Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Belt, and Lonnie Chisenhall in making their Major League debuts this season. All were among the top 25 prospects (Baseball America) in baseball prior to the season. Pineda (Sea) and Freeman (Atl) have been with their teams since day one and are among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year.