Derek Jeter's Journal

Updated on September 22, 2005

Heading into the final week of the season, things are getting exciting. In terms of the mindset, this year isn't really much different even with the situation we're in. I've said it before; whether you're in first place or a couple of games behind, you still have to go out and win every day to clinch the division. In that sense, it's the same as every other year. This season is a lot closer in the final two weeks, but I don't take any different approach.

Whether you're in first or second, there should always be a sense of urgency. In the past, we've never taken the field thinking, 'It's OK if we don't win today.' The mindset is exactly the same this year.

Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small have come through so big for us in the second half, they're the reason we are where we are right now. We've had a lot of injuries this year -- though that's not an excuse, seeing how every team has its injuries -- but those guys really stepped up. Both Smalley and Chacon have done an incredible job.

Seeing how they've handled New York and the pennant race has been impressive. Unlike some other guys that have come here in recent years, they came in under the radar. They've gone out in big situations and pitched well. They throw strikes, they don't get intimidated and they give us an opportunity to win every time they take the mound.

I've always said that the hottest team going into the playoffs usually wins the whole thing. The best teams make it and the hottest team wins. Right now, I think we're one of the best eight teams. You have to feel that way about your own team, or you might as well go home.

Playing at home has been a huge advantage for us this season. You can get spoiled here with the attendance we have, as we're going to hit four million for the first time. Every night we have a huge crowd, and the fans are into every pitch. They're very knowledgeable. You feel off the fans, which is one reason we've played so well at home.

Closing out the season with three games at Fenway Park, they're going to be like playoff games. It can't get any bigger than playing the Red Sox in the ALCS, because the World Series is at stake, but it's going to be close. We've played plenty of big games against them, and now we'll have three more.

August 14, 2005

Even if we had a five-game lead, we'd still have to play well every day until you wrap it up. I don't think it's that much different. Unless we're playing the team we're trying to catch, we have to rely on the help of other teams, so we just have to worry about our own business.

In the clubhouse, the atmosphere isn't any different than it has been in past years. This year, we just don't have much room for error. That's probably the biggest thing; every single game is so important. When you have the luxury of a lead, every game may not be magnified as much as they are now. But as far as our approach, it's the same.

It's been a carousel in here when it comes to the pitching staff. That's how you find out how good your organization is; when people go down, you have to have other people come in and step up.

It's probably been hardest on Mel and Jorge, because the pitching coach and the catcher work with the pitchers the closest. Unfortunately, there are always going to be injuries, but you can't anticipate how many there will be. The guys that have come in to pitch have done a great job. Hopefully they can stay healthy, too.

Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small, even Chien-Ming Wang before he got hurt, they've all pitched well. Those guys weren't being talked about going into the season, but they've been our most consistent starters lately. Shawn doesn't have much to show for it, but he's kept us in every game.

With the pitching injuries we've had, the offense may have a little more responsibility on its shoulders, because we want to get our starters an early lead whenever we can. I don't know if that translates into more pressure on the hitters, but we certainly have to pay more attention to every opportunity we have.

Over the next seven weeks, we're going to find out how good we really are. It's easy to play when you're in first place and everyone is coming after you, but when you have to deal with some adversity, that's when you find out how good both you and your team are.

We're behind by 4 1/2 games with 46 games to play. We can do that. We have to gain one game every 10 days; that's how you have to look at it. You can't try to get it all back in one week. You play one game at a time. We still play Boston some games, so we'll take it from there.

The Wild Card is also a possibility, but our goal is to win the division. I don't think about the Wild Card. But the bottom line is to get to the postseason, because once you get there, everyone starts over. We want to win the division and get to the postseason that way.

People keep talking about our $200 million payroll, but this is why we play the games. The highest payroll doesn't always win. Teams with high payrolls aren't always successful, while many teams with low payrolls have won it all.

We've had a great organization from top to bottom for years, but it's always an easy thing for people to say, 'They have a high payroll, which is why they win.' It's an excuse for why other teams haven't beaten us.

In the coming weeks, the spotlight may be brighter here than it's been in the regular season. That said, it won't be the brightest I've seen. There's always more pressure in the playoffs or the World Series.

It should be fun. This is why you play, to have meaningful games late in the season. It's fun for baseball, fun for the players and fun for the fans.

This is going to be a new challenge for our team. People have written us off since mid-May, so we've been an underdog for a while. I don't mind that. Any time you're an underdog trying to accomplish something, it makes it more gratifying when it happens. Hopefully seven weeks from now, we can say 'I told you so.'

July 11, 2005

The first half of the season is over, and although we didn't play as consistently as we would have liked, we're still in great shape.

There's no real explanation for the roller coaster first half. Sometimes, it's just baseball and that's how it goes. You can't explain it. People are so quick to say how much we're struggling, comparing us to this team or that team. But the teams they're always comparing us to are old Yankees teams, and we're not playing against them. We're playing Boston, Baltimore, Toronto and Tampa, so those are the teams you should compare us against.

The highlight of the first half is how we've finished. We've played well, which is a good sign for the second half. The low point of the first half was that Friday night game in St. Louis. That was as poorly as we've played since I've been here, and not just because we lost the game, it was how we played. After that, we seemed to turn things around. It may have been a bit of a wake-up call; something we'll remember later in the season.

Chien-Ming Wang has been the biggest surprise for us so far this year. He's arguably been the most consistent pitcher we've had, and he's won some really big games for us. You can't say enough about what he's done.

It's always great to have youngsters come up and play well. It's similar to when guys like myself, Mo and Jorge came up to the Majors. We came into a veteran team and helped out, which is what Wang, Cano and Cabrera are doing.

Personally, I've just tried to do whatever I can to help us win. I never think about my own stats, as long as I'm contributing to the team. I still don't feel as though I've had a hot stretch. I've been able to have a few games here and there, but I'm still waiting for that month where I get really hot. My job is to get on base, and as long as I do that, we'll be fine.

You ask anyone in baseball, they'll tell you how great the Orioles played in the first half, and we're right there with them. It puts things in perspective for you. It's all a matter of how you look at it. We played inconsistently, but we're fortunate not to be in a big hole right now.

The key for us in the second half is easy: stay healthy and pitch well. That's it. That's how you win. You have to have strong pitching, because the offense will run into people that can shut you down.

It seems like we play the Red Sox every other day, so to start the second half in Boston isn't a big deal. To me, I don't really care who we play. If we play well, we're capable of beating anybody; and if we don't play well, we can lose to anybody.

May 27, 2005

It's Memorial Day weekend, and we're ready for another series against the Red Sox. But this one feels different than it did during the first week of the season because it's more about the baseball and less about the hype of the rivalry.

After our bad start, we've rolled off 15 wins in the last 17 games going into the weekend, and the biggest difference for us has been the pitching.

When we were scuffling early on, we'd find ourselves falling behind by a lot of runs early, which would put pressure on the offense. Now, the pitching staff is going out and shutting people down, keeping us in every game. It all starts with pitching.

Robinson Cano has also injected some energy into our club since he came up. I like the way he plays and the kind of attitude he brings to the field. He's relaxed, and doesn't seem overwhelmed by any situation that comes up. Even when he wasn't playing the way he wanted to play, he showed a lot of confidence. He's really loose.

Both our team and the Red Sox have gotten our feet wet a little bit, playing a good part of the season. We play Boston so often that for the most part, it really feels like playing any other team. There's more attention and more questions from reporters, but when you play a team 19 times a year, it becomes fairly routine.

It's too early to worry about who is in first place. It's more important how we're playing, and if we play well, things will work themselves out.

That said, there is some added excitement in a Red Sox series because fans get into it so much. The atmosphere is great to play in, and I'd be lying to you if I said there wasn't more energy there during those games.

Should be a fun weekend.

- Derek

May 12, 2005

It's almost Subway Series time. Here we go again.

Playing the Mets now is just like playing any other team. We play them every year, we play them six times, so it's just like a team in the American League Central or West.

There are more storylines this year to the Subway Series because you've got Willie Randolph over there now, and Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, too. The "New Mets" is what they're calling them. The atmosphere will be exciting because it always is.

Pedro is pitching the first game, and I have to admit, it will be a little bit different seeing him in a Mets uniform. Obviously, players switch teams all the time, but we're so used to seeing Pedro with Boston that it will be a little strange.

The Mets are playing better this year than they have in recent years, and their fans have a lot of optimism, which is good. It definitely adds some excitement to this series but you have to remember, we played them in the World Series five years ago: that's a lot bigger than any games we could play in May.

We have some new guys who haven't played in the Subway Series, so they'll see the energy around the city. Playing the Red Sox is very high-profile, but this is different, because it's a New York thing. You hear it from Mets fans, which can be fun.

I talked to Willie a couple of weeks ago, and he sounds like he's enjoying himself. From what I understand, he's doing a good job. Seeing him over there will kind of be like the first time I saw Lee Mazzilli after he took over in Baltimore. Willie was here even longer, so it will be pretty funny to see him in that uniform. That said, I'm going to do everything I can to give him three losses.

We've been playing better lately. The key is that we've been getting good pitching and that sets the tone. That's what we need to do, to pitch. If we can pitch, we'll be fine.

I've been impressed with Chien-Ming Wang since he joined our team. He's pitched well for the most part. His first game, he did an outstanding job and could have gotten the win. He throws a lot of strikes, challenges guys and isn't trying to nibble. It's fun to play behind him because we get a lot of ground balls.

Before I end this, I want to wish Yogi Berra a happy 80th birthday. Yogi always keeps everyone loose, is light-hearted and likes to have fun. Having him around, it's one of the things that you get spoiled with when you're part of this organization. Happy birthday, Yogi.

- Derek

April 28, 2005

This season has been one of ups and downs so far for the Yankees. As a team, we've been a lot better lately, but like I always tell everyone, over the course of the season, this won't be the only time we struggle. We may go through another stretch like this, but it gets more attention at the beginning of the season.

A lot of our new guys have impressed me so far this year. The new pitchers on our team have done a pretty good job, and they're starting to get comfortable. Tony Womack has been playing well, and I've played with a lot of second basemen. He's doing a great job over there.

It takes a while for everyone to feel that they fit in, to feel comfortable and get acclimated to their surroundings. Playing in New York is unlike any other place, so it takes time to feel completely at ease here.

For me, personally, this is a little bit different than last season. Last year at this time, I was hitting about .170 and had gone through an 0-for-32 slump. Even though I'm off to a good start this year, I try to keep things in perspective whether they're good or bad, because there's a long way to go.

Last year, when things weren't going well, I took the same approach, the same mentality. My goal is for the team to win, so I'm not consumed with my numbers and how I'm doing personally.

We just want to be consistent over the next couple of weeks. You don't want to come out, play two good games and then play three bad games. You want to consistently go out there and give yourself a chance to win. We know we can do it, so hopefully we'll continue to do it.

I know a lot of people have been talking about our slow start, but that's all it is -- a start. The baseball season is a very long one. To make any declarations about a team after 20 games is just too early.

There are 140 games left, which is the biggest thing. In 1998, we went through a similar stretch in August and September, going 8-10 at one point. In 2000, we went 5-16 in the last month of the season and went on to win the World Series.

These things happen. You can't panic, because there's a long way to go.