[GKreindler]

Alright, I had to jump on...

Baseball is indeed a business to the Yankees, whether it yields winning or not. There was always money to be made when the team was doing well, be it through ticket sales or merchandising, but with the advent of things like the YES Network, revenue has skyrocketed.

Thinking about how 'Yankee Pride and Tradition' is packaged, one wonders how much MORE they would have made if players like Mantle and DiMaggio would have lived to be a part of it. Can you imagine the amount of money rolling in if those guys were wheeled out during Old Timer's Day, with the backing of millions who would had been watching their Yankeeographies to supplement the wonderful stories that they had heard from their fathers and grandfathers?

I think that's kind of why Jeter will always be so important to the team. I mean, he's been the face of the franchise since the late 90s, and he'll be the team's first superduperstar to reap the rewards from the YES Network. After he retires, lord knows the Yanks will be capitalizing off of that very idea until (and I suppose after) he passes. I can easily imagine Jeter coming out of the dugout during Old Timer's Day 2042, being introduced last with plenty of pomp and circumstance (just like DiMaggio had been), and of course, the capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium will be going mad, as will the billions of people watching at home. Those same people can tell their children that they saw the great man play, and if they want to relive those memories and even pass them on, all they need to do is watch a Yankeeography or a Yankee Classic - how about the July 1, 2004 game when Derek dives into the stands to make the play? Or, maybe his 2001 ALDS flip to Posada to nab the trailing Giambi? 3000th hit, anyone? It's all there and at your fingertips, and I can't even fathom how much that sort of thing is worth to the Yankees. With that in mind, I would imagine that keeping Jeter happy will be one of the team's prime concerns over the next 50 years, and I'd be lying if I said it had anything to do with 'tradition'.

But, then again, this all comes from a hypocrite who happily would spend $4.50 on a hot pretzel, while he watches his team play at the Stadium. Actually, I could go for one of those right now...