Derek Jeter's request for day off a first in 20-year career

By Maureen Mullen / USA Today

PHOTO: Derek Jeter opted to sit the first game of the three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway.

BOSTON – At 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, the New York Yankees had still not posted the lineup for the opening game of their season-ending series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In itself, that was rather unusual.

When Yankees manager Joe Girardi was asked what his lineup was, he had to pause and think about. That was also unusual. He couldn't quite recall until an assistant handed him her cell phone with the lineup written out.

Girardi might not have known who was in his lineup, but he definitely knew who was not in it.

Derek Jeter.

After the Hollywood-style ending to his final game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, when Jeter's ninth-inning base hit powered the walk-off win, Derek Jeter had asked for a day off.

"I think he's going to take a day off," Girardi said. "I talked to him today, said, 'What do you want to do?' And he said he'd like to have a day. It's always difficult at this point because everyone wants to see him. And I understand that. But he's been through a lot.

Jeter's request for a day off was a first.

"Never," he said. "Yeah, today. I couldn't play today. First time."

"Maybe in spring training. Certain road trips in spring training," Girardi said. "I don't ever remember him saying that. So as I said, I'm sure he's emotionally drained today. He's probably physically drained. He played 10 or 11 days in a row, day games, night games. But it is the first time I remember."

He may play later this weekend.

"To finish up my season, if there's anywhere to play besides New York, I guess it's only fitting that it's here in Boston because of all the games that I've played here, the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees," Jeter said. "If you can't do it in New York, this is the next-best place, I guess."

He admitted it may be hard for him to recharge after the dramatics on Thursday.

"I don't know if I could play tonight if I wanted to play tonight," he said. "Last night was as special as it gets. Playing your last game at home at Yankee Stadium, the way the fans were, the atmosphere; it was supposed to rain and people didn't think we were going to play, and I don't even think there was a raindrop the whole night. Everything was pretty much perfect in terms of the situation we were in for my last game.

"I had to stop myself from crying when I was on the field. I've never really felt like that before. The emotions changed quickly, but that started before the game even began. It just built up and built up. If they would have taken me out of the game, I probably would have lost it. All the reflection and the – I don't want to say sadness – but the reflection changed to excitement after the hit. That's why after the game I was pretty excited. It was no longer time to be sad. I was close. I lost it a little bit in the bathroom."

If Jeter does play this weekend at Fenway, it won't be at shortstop. He had already decided his last game there would be at Yankee Stadium. Girardi has said Jeter can play any position he wants. He can even manage if he wants.

"No, no, I don't pay attention enough," Jeter said. "When I'm not playing, I'm all over the place. And I don't want to have to come and talk to [the media] after the game. Too much media."

There were many at Fenway Park hoping to see the future Hall of Famer in one of the final games of his career. And while there was disappointment on Friday, there was also understanding.

"I would like to have seen him," said Cathy Colonese, of Connecticut. "He'll be here so that'll be good enough. The guy's a class act. So it's fine. As long as he's here. I just wanted to see his last few games."

Colonese, wearing a Yankee pinstriped uniform jersey with Yogi Berra's name and number on the back, was at the game with Joe Ponzillo, who was wearing a Red Sox uniform jersey.

"He should play, but I can understand after last night," Ponzillo said. "Even if he does DH, at least he shows up at Fenway for everybody to see him, which is nice."

Colonese and Ponzillo will get another chance to see Jeter play. They also have tickets for Saturday's game. But, for Paul Turner and his 10-year-old daughter Sarah, this is their last game of the season.

"It's disappointing," said Turner, of Woburn, Mass., wearing a Red Sox hat. "It's her first Yankees game ever. But he's worked long and hard; he deserves it to some extent. As much as we love to hate the Yankees, you have to respect Jeter. Twenty years in the game and no scandals. That goes a long way."

What will he remember most?

"He was so damn good and consistent," Turner said. "No matter what the situation was he was calm and ready to play."

Jeter has given some of the credit for that to Brian Butterfield. The Red Sox third base coach was a coach in the Yankees organization when Jeter was a first-round (sixth overall) pick in 1992. The two worked tirelessly to improve the young prospect's fielding.

"He's always giving somebody else credit," Butterfield said. "He gives his teammates credit. He gives the people that came before him credit. He gives his coaches and managers great respect. There's only one Derek Jeter and there will only ever be one Derek Jeter."

Butterfield acknowledged this weekend will be emotional for him.

"It's always fun to watch him just because he's meant something to me in my life and he's such a great player," Butterfield said. "To see him, to see what happened last night was unbelievable. So, I don't know, I'm kind of excited for this weekend. It's bittersweet just because it's the end of the season and we're not going to the postseason. But this gives you a little something to look forward to, other than watching our young kids play.

"I hope he plays one of the games, but if he doesn't, I'd understand. I would shut it down after that last game in new York. You couldn't have written a better script. [If you did], nobody would believe it. And he's done that his entire life ever since he was young guy in the big leagues. He just has a knack for greatness."

There was no question what kind of reception Jeter will receive when he does make his first appearance at Fenway this weekend.

"I think there will be a great amount of respect," Girardi said. "Even though it's a huge rivalry, I think there's a lot of respect, too, for what these organizations have done, what they've meant to the game of baseball, and I think you'll see that over the weekend. I wouldn't expect anything else from the Boston fans. Obviously they love their team and they don't like us to win. But I think they're great fans and they show respect for people and they do it the right way."

"Oh definitely," said David Ortiz. "It's going to happen.

"[He is] very professional, a guy that have a hell of a career …through the years teach all of us how to do the right thing, and we're going to miss him.

"When you talk about the Yankees you're talking about Derek Jeter."

"It'll be cheers," said Turner, the Red Sox fan. "No boos. After [Roger] Clemens and everybody else gets cheered, how can you boo him?"

Rich Hill has watched Derek Jeter from several angles. The left-hander grew up in Milton, Mass., just outside Boston, and now lives in South Boston. He's pitched for six teams in his 10-season major league career, including American League East rivals Boston and Baltimore. He's been teammates with Jeter since joining the Yankees as a free agent in July.

"He's just very consistent about everything and it shows," Hill said. "It shows throughout the last 20 years."

Hill and his teammates were still trying to process the surreal ending to Thursday's game.

"There's no real words to describe it because just the way everything came to happen, the accumulation of everything, how it built up over the game, and have it end the way it did, it just sums up Derek Jeter," he said. "I've seen that the last couple of months over and over again. When you see it growing up as a kid and then to experience it last night was special.

"You couldn't write it in a movie. You couldn't have it play out any better than it did last night."

But, if Jeter could plan it out, how would he like his last at-bat at Fenway to go?

"I don't know," he said. "I don't try to script things. I have no idea."

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