John Lennon once sang, “New York City…back in New York City…New York City…Que pasa, New York?…Que pasa, New York?”
Lennon wrote that song in a tribute to his new hometown when he moved in September 1971 with Yoko Ono from Ole England.
It was in the same city that never sleeps where he was murdered on December 8, 1980, three weeks after releasing a comeback album, Double Fantasy.
Lennon, on his way to heaven, probably asked, “Que pasa, New York?”
It’s the same question nowadays many Yankee fans are asking.
Forget Korea, Afghanistan, President Obama and Palin. Main street news in the Big Apple is the Derek Jeter saga.
In summary, the Steinbrenner family has been very clear that Derek Jeter should take their offer of three years for $45 million or bust.
General Manager Brian Cashman, on the record, encouraged the former Yankees captain—remember, he is a free agent right now—to shop for a better deal.
For Yankee fans these days, it was supposed to be yule time that their magnificent three of Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte would have been signed and the team efforts would be in signing new faces such as Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford.
Nothing about that. The latest news from the Bronx Bombers is that they raised their ticket prices for next season and offered arbitration to hurler Javier Vazquez.
By the way, it’s very possible Vazquez will end up with the Florida Marlins, and the Yankees’ move was mainly to get free agent compensation.
The Yankees do not want to exorbitantly pay for a 36-year-old veteran shortstop who hit .270 last season with 10 home runs, 67 RBI and a declining defensive range.
Jeter feels he should get paid in respect to his status as the 16-year iconic figure with five World Series rings that is en route to becoming the first Yankee to get 3,000 hits in pinstripes.
Word is that Mariano Rivera was told that as a 41-year-old reliever, he was not going to get a two-year contract for $18 million per year. No matter, because like Jeter, he is a future all-time Yankee and Hall of Famer.
New York City was supposed to be the city of sweet dreams as Lennon once envisioned.
Jeter should ask the latest great Yankee to leave the game, Bernie Williams, what happens when the Steinbrenner clan makes their last offer on the table.
Maybe Jeter should have a good conversation with Babe Ruth in his dreams. Ruth built the old Yankee Stadium, but finished his career with the Boston Braves.
The Babe probably will tell Jeter that there are no guarantees he will end up a Yankee even though he built the new Yankee Stadium.
Very possibly, the 2010 American League Gold Glove shortstop will end up as a Yankee, but for how long and how much?
Changing Lennon’s question, now it is que pasa, Derek Jeter?
Yankee followers hope to know before Christmas.
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