The Legend of Jeter cont.

So it is not everyday that one makes Yankee history...and it is extremely rare that one does it twice in one week. If anyone is capable of achieving that...it is Derek Jeter...who did just that.

There are many things that make it great to be home...and one of them is the fact that I get to watch Yankee baseball...which I truly missed during my stay on the west coast. Just getting to watching today's game was awesome...the fact that it was an amazing game was icing on the cake.

Now I have tons of great Yankee memories...and today I was lucky enough to be able to add another one to the list. When Derek walked up the plate in the 5th inning he looked totally calm, as usual. He seemed unphased by the fact that he was on the brink of a major milestone. Everyone knew that he was one hit away from being tied with Lou Gehrig's for most hits by a player in Yankee Stadium. I don't think that there was any doubt for anyone that Derek would tie the record before the end of the season, but I don't know that any of us thought that Derek would do by hitting a beauty of home run like he did today.

By now you readers know what a Jeter fanatic I am so this next admission shouldn't surprise you. The fact is that I actually teared up as Derek rounded the bases. As the 54,000+ Yankees fans chanted for him until he came out of the dugout for a well deserved curtain call, I shed a few tears. As silly as it sounds...I couldn't help but be proud of him.

As I explained to someone last week, there is more to Derek Jeter than the fact that he is probably the most gorgeous man on the planet. Sure the man is an incredibly talented and poised athlete but there is even more than that. The fact is that Derek is all of these things and still manages to humble and classy...which is a rare in sports these days. By all rights, Derek could have been jumping and screaming all around the diamond and yet he didn't. In fact, short of that amazing smile he flashed in the dugout, there seemed to be little celebration at all.

Sure it is too late to salvage the Yankee's postseason but it is amazing to see that at least some of the players are still playing until the end.

Derek really is the man.

The Legend of Jeter

So I couldn't help but sneak into the command center in order to honor a great moment...one of the greatest moments in Yankee baseball. No not the Yankee/Angel fight...which was awesome by the way...but a great moment for my beloved Derek Jeter.

So let's take a moment and pay tribute to the fact that Derek is now second on the list of all-time Yankee hitters...passing the legendary Babe Ruth.

Think about that...words cannot describe how amazing that truly is.

Celebrate We Will...For Life Is Sweet For Certain

Well folks...I promised myself that I would not allow my work trip to San Francisco stop me from blogging entirely. So here is a sleep costing Monday Night Shuffle.

Two Step by Dave Matthews Band (37): So here is the deal with this song. I enjoy but I don't get a lot of what is said in it. I perceive it to be a love song but I think that my opinion of it is slightly tainted because of its biblical references. It is hard to feel romantic when it is singing about stuff from the bible. Oh well. It is a pretty song but much like most of the other songs by Dave Matthews Band it is just too long. Oh well. Best Line: "You came to me like wine comes to this mouth, grown tired of water all the time, you quench my heart and, oh, you quench my mind." I am not a huge DMB fan but I was pretty bummed out to hear that one of the band members passed away a few weeks ago.

The Power Of Love by Celine Dion (123): OK I know that it is going to make me sound really really lame but I love this song. Celine really is the queen of women who sing love songs. I will admit it, I have been known to sing this song in the shower and the fact it is that I am certain that it sounds absolutely terrible! So my challenge to you is to try to sing this song before you knock Celine. Sure it is one of the sappiest love songs out there but she really does sing the shit out of it. The lyrics are also pretty damn good as well. Anyone who has been love sick over a man can relate to most of the lines in this song. So there it is...I really love this song. Best Line: "Cause I am your lady and you are my man, whenever you reach for me I'll do all that I can."

Here With Me by Dido (154): Dido has the remarkable gift of being able to get into your head and heart with her lyrics alone which is why I think that she managed to find success in spite of mediocre voice. You really have to listen carefully to really get them but they are raw and real and that is why I have loved everything that she has done. This song in particular is powerful because it paints such a clear picture when you listen to it...at least for me. Maybe it is because I have lived that moment before. That moment when you are lying there right after he has left and you feel more alone than you have ever felt before, even if he is just one floor beneath you. The emotional distance is far greater than any physical distance could ever be. Best Line: "And I don't want to move a thing it might change my memory".

Graduation by Vitamin C (30): I know that every graduation class has claimed this song but I feel the need to point out that it actually came out the year that my crew and I graduated. Not to say that I mind sharing it with them...but I just wanted to point out that we were the first to hug and cry and reminence to this song. In a way it makes us kinda cool but overall probably not. I remember us vowing to friends forever....and as I reflect on how many of us are still pretty close...I would have to say that we have been true to our word in spite of how ours lives have changed. So yeah, I will admit that I like this song too...in spite of the fact that it is also one of the sappiest songs ever! Best Line: "No more hanging out cause we're on a different track and if you got something that you need to say you better say it right now cause you don't have another day". Lame as it is, that is line that is true at any time and shouldn't not be forgotten.

Blog Hiatus Off

So in my sleep deprived state allow me to make a few observations. The first is one that only my military readers will get so bare with me. I have learned that one cannot fully comprehend the horror that is known as low quarters until you have climbed up San Francisco's Nob Hill in them. Walking down in them is no picnic either however the misery was not as great. I kid you not, if I could have cut off my own feet at the top of the hill I would have just to stop the pain. I guess that I should consider myself blessed because so far I have not taken a tumble down the hill yet but I still have seven more days of this so I am not out of the woods yet. Yes I am aware that there is a trolley however that brings me to my next point...

I have concluded...and I am not alone on this one...that San Francisco is the most unfriendly military town any of us have ever been to. So far members of our group have encountered everything from evil stares to assault with a cane and we have only been here for two days. Now I respect the right to free speech as much as the next gal but what would possess someone to bitch me out for being in the military. Last time I checked...the Coast Guard had very little in common with the Nazis and I am damn certain that I had nothing to do with the fact that this particular individual is homeless. Fortunately, my common sense prevailed and I did not stand around and try to convince him of this....I walked away and added San Francisco to my list of places that I NEVER want to get stationed at.

As busy as we have been over the past few days have been...the "real deal" hasn't even started yet. So on that note...I am calling it a night but will leave you with this....

Clearly someone was not crossing their fingers like I asked because the Yankees lost their past two games. The lose to the Rays wasn't too bad but I was saddened and slightly embarrassed by the lose to the Mariners.

If You're Going To San Francisco....

Well folks, in a few hours I will be making the drive to the airport to start my work trip to San Francisco. I will try to add a few posts but I will probably be kept pretty busy being prim and proper....and with any luck...charming.

Keep cheering for the Yankees and cross your fingers that the Colts start their season off right by beating da bears.

All You Need Is JC!

All I can say is thank goodness that the Yankees won tonight! We really, really needed this win. We just need to keep the momentum going!

I hate to say I told you so but....I told you that Joba would make all the difference! Sure he wasn't as amazing as he normally is but he got the job done. He pitched 1 and 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and no runs where scored. There is nothing more that we could have asked for. He pitched well and even when he got behind on the count, he didn't get frustrated or rattled. The commentators kept harping on him missing his velocity but he still looked phenomenal. Bottom line, it was his first game back, allowed one hit, no runs, and he in one inning managed to be a big part in the Yankees huge win tonight. How can there be any doubt that he is the real deal?

And how 'bout those beautiful HRs hit by the X-Man and A-Rod. I mean my goodness...Nady's almost broke through the damn roof. (OK maybe not but it sure looked like it could have.) And A-Rod is now 12 on the all time HR list...which doesn't redeem his bad habit of choking but makes me less angry at him. Jeter played well...if you overlook that whole dropped ball between him and Nady. You can't really blame him...he can't be damn near perfect all of the time. And Johnny Damon....I really do love this guy. He is a man who has been consistently good and that is why I love him.

And then of course there is Mike Mussina. He made it through 6+ innings and did it in great fashion. Tonight was his 267th career win and his 19th win against the Devil Rays. Mike is the one starting pitcher on the Yankee roster who has stepped up and tried to fill the gap left by Wang and Joba. It is a joy to watch him pitch...and it is even more of joy to look at his numbers. 17-7 this season is pretty damn amazing.

Overall...I couldn't be happier. I have said it before and I will say it again...when the Yankees play the way that the Yankees should...it is truly a beautiful thing.

So let's end with the whole Joba/Jesus thing. I know the "interview" that everyone is talking about and I find it amusing....especially since it never actually happened. It is a made-up interview that was posted on a blog. That being said...could you really blame God for being a Yankee fan?

I will leave you with that thought.

You Have Opened My Eyes & Lifted Me Inside By Showing Me Yourself Undisguised

Happy Labor Day! I hope that everyone had as great of a day as my Yankees did. Sure they almost blew an 11-1 lead but the point is that they held on and got the win. Enough of that...let's shuffle.

Set A Drift On Memory Bliss of You by PM Dawn (56): While I still don't get a lot of the metaphors used in this song, I get that is a pretty sad of longing. It sucks when you want something that you can't have. I think that in this particular song he can't have what he wants because he is a star and she is not. Seems pretty foolish now considering one must ask where is PM Dawn now but I guess that is what the gamble of life is all about. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose what could have been the one thing that could have taken your life from content to extraordinary. (Derek Jeter...I'm talking to you!) Imagine how much it would suck to run into that same person later on and realize that you blew your chance. Best Line: " I think its one of those de ja vu things or a dream that's trying to tell me something, or will I ever stop thinking about it. I don't know, I doubt it."

Whenever You Call by Mariah Carey and Brian McKnight (34): Of all of the Mariah Carey duets, this one is my favorite. I think that it because I feel this song. I am not sure why but it gets me a little bit every time I hear it. I think that it is because while there is no doubt that it is a passionate song, it is not necessarily romantic. I usually think of my friends who are far away whenever I hear it. This song captures that feeling of never being too far away from the few people that you love unconditionally....and more importantly who love you back. So this song is dedicated to my long distance best friends whom I still feel strongly in spite of the fact that they are in Dallas, Denver, and Seattle. Best Line: "I won't ever be too far away to feel you and I won't hesitate at all whenever you call."

On The Way Down by Ryan Cabrera (41): For such a simple song, it is actually pretty damn good. I will admit that I didn't really get on board with this song when it first came out but that is OK. Better late than never. It took realizing that there is actually a lot of truth in the lyrics before I decided that I liked it and it was worthy of downloading to the iPod. I consider myself to be lucky to have been rescued and to have been saved from myself. This song always makes me reflect on that and be grateful that I did hold on. Best Line: "And on the way down I saw you and you saved me from myself".

Raise Your Hands by Bon Jovi (137): I am not sure that you can really appreciate the greatness that is this song until you have seen it preformed live. Sure it is awesome to rock out to when you are working out or driving around on an open road but it goes to whole new level when it is being sung out loud in front of a sold out crowd. It is impossible not "raise your hands" on command as well as sing out out loud at the top of your lungs. Of all of the things I remember most about seeing this song performed live, the thing that stands out the most is seeing a smile on each member of the bands face as they rocked this song out. They felt the electricity that this song created and made for on the best songs performed for the night. Killer song...vastly underrated in my opinion. Best Line: "But I...I ain't here looking for surrender, I'll raise the flag if you'll defend her, it's up to you".

Tonight I will leave you with one simple request that you cross your fingers that Joba will be taken off of the DL soon. The Yankees really, really, really need him back...even if it is in the bullpen as opposed to the starting rotation where we all know that he belongs.