I'm Going To Hate Myself For This Post

It's damn near impossible to be a Red Sox fan without occasionally complaining about the Yankees. There's been so much history between the two teams that they share a grossly twisted symbiotic relationship; you can't have one without the other.

My typical posts about the Yankees involve me bitching and moaning about how much I hate them (I run a 774-member Facebook group titled "Yankee Hater," for example). There are exceedingly rare instances, however, when even New York's staunchest anti-fan must concede a point to the Bronx Bastards. This is one of those instances, and this is why I'm going to be so disgusted with myself that I won't be able to sleep tonight.

Last night, Yankee captain Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig atop the New York all-time hits list with 2,721. Jeter executed a bunt single in the first inning against the Rays to break an 0-for-12 slump, and finished his three-hit night in the seventh inning by lining a single to right to tie the Iron Horse.

Jeter received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at George Steinbrenner's Scale Model of Yankee Stadium, and (this is where I'm going to burn in Red Sox hell) I must say that he deserved it. There's a reason why he's one of only two designated team captains in the Majors; he's a damn good ballplayer.

Tying Gehrig is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone. Jeter is a class act; I hate the guy with a fiery passion for playing in the pinstripes, but I have to respect what he's done for baseball and his club. He would be an excellent role model if he played for any other team in the league. Of course, as long as random schmucks with PhotoShop give us pictures like this, he will continue to be a source for Red Sox ridicule. Thank God for technology.

And now, a poem I wrote while bored in a high school math class:

There once was a shortstop named Jeter
Who everyone knew was a cheater.
He swung and struck out
With a whine and a pout
And to the Red Sox, nothing was sweeter