Jeter: "There is no rift"

A day after reporters enjoyed personal revelations from Alex Rodriguez, they were unable to pry similar information from Derek Jeter. As always, Jeter steered clear of his personal life as the media looked for a response to Rodriguez' remarks about their friendship. From Jeter's reply today, a few things remain very clear. No matter how much the New York media would love to expose Jeter's personal life, he will keep it hidden. Whether it's a fling with a celebrity, or personal relationships with teammates, they'll never get the full story. He alluded to that fear of "opening the flood-gates" with this:

"I understand my job is public, but your personal life is your personal life. Once you open that door, it doesn't stop," he said. "Away from the field, people want to keep tabs on how many times we go out to eat, things like that. That has no bearing on what we're trying to do."

Jeter has, and always will be, all about winning. He understands that teammates don't need to hold hands. They just need to be willing to fight for a common goal. The big knock on Jeter during the A-Rod era has been his reluctance to embrace the embattled star. I've said this before in a column about Mike and the Mad Dog, but I think it's ridiculous to suggest that Jeter needs to be more vocal of his defense of their third basemen. The captain acknowledged this today, continuing his emphasis that he will not tell the fans how to treat any of his teammates.

Many media types are quick to point out that Jeter seemed more supportive when Giambi endured his hardships. In a recent radio interview, Joe Torre gave a great explanation. He made a distinction between the two issues. Giambi's problems stemmed from off-field incidents, A-Rod's were a direct result of his poor on-field performance. They needed to be handled as seperate problems, and the captain acted accordingly. I really do not believe that Jeter has failed to back his teammate due to a perceived rift. Hopefully now that both players have weighed in on this issue, reporters can begin to look for a new story.