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Jeter Keeps His Cool

Shrugs off slump

Daily News, May 11, 2000

By Peter Botte

Derek Jeter has accepted advice from his coaches, from his teammates and from his mom.

He has watched enough films to put him in line to be Roger Ebert's new partner.

He even stored his bats overnight in Jorge Posada's locker, with the hope some of the line drives that have bounced off his buddy's bats all season will transfer to his lumber through osmosis.

Imagine the horror of being Derek Jeter and having, like the rest of us, to try to get through life with various imperfections.

But then you ask him about it and you find the walls are hardly closing in on the Yankees' most visible superstar, .268 batting average and all.

"What's baffling to me is everyone's paying so much attention to this," Jeter said before last night's game against Tampa Bay at the Stadium was rained out, and rescheduled for tonight at 7:05. "You understand it, but it's a situation where every year you go through it. No matter who you are or how good you are.

"But if you do it at the beginning of the season, what you're hitting is shown on the scoreboard. It's still so early in the season, you go out and have two good games and you're back to .300 and people tend to forget about it.

"So I don't focus on it. It's just part of the game."

Just not usually for the Yankees' all-everything shortstop. Jeter is hitless in his last three games, a span of 12 at-bats. It marks the first time since April 26-29 of the 1997 season that he hasn't recorded at least one hit over any three-game stretch.

"Well, let's hope it's not four," Jeter said with a smile. "But really it's three games and we play 162. I'm sure it won't be the last time it happens."

It's just that Jeter has spoiled everyone since his arrival in 1996. Even Joe Torre admitted it's "very odd" to see Jeter, who batted .349 last season, look so disjointed offensively for any extended period.

"But you know what's interesting is he's still the same guy," Torre said. "I've seen guys in slumps and I'm not sure it'll be OK. But with him (it's different)."

It is Jeter's uncanny ability to block everything out that made Torre completely comfortable seeing him stroll to the plate with two runners in scoring position in the 10th inning of a 3-3 game Tuesday night. Jeter was walked intentionally before Paul O'Neill also walked to score the winning run.

"He may not do the job, but if I know one thing it's he won't be afraid to do the job," Torre said. "This is all part of being tested."

Jeter actually hit a few balls hard to right field Tuesday. He saw that as a sign his front shoulder "is not flying open as much" and that his stroke is coming back.

"Before the (intentional) walk I was like, there's no way I'm getting out this time," Jeter said. "The law of averages has to be on your side sometimes.

"But it'll come, whether it's today or tomorrow or next week. Every player goes through those zones like Jorge is going through right now."

Jeter also has no plans to accept a day of rest from the lineup to clear his head.

Torre agreed that removing Jeter from the lineup would be "counterproductive" since the 25-year-old shortstop is not tired with all of the built-in off-days on the schedule.

"Jeter's just not that animal," Torre said.

"No-o-o-o. How can you correct it if you're not playing?" Jeter said. "I'd rather have a day off when I'm playing well. You just have to continue having at-bats. And there's a lot of at-bats left."