HEY MISTER DJ PLAY THAT SONG

Derek Jeter, who was criticized this off-season by Yankee owner George Steinbrenner for paying too much attention to his extra ciricular activities, at the expense of his baseball responsibilities, has surfaced with a rebuttal. According to a report in today's Daily News:

As [Jeter] left the Yankees minor league complex wearing a black sweatsuit and driving a black SUV yesterday, Jeter was asked if he's going to change anything about his lifestyle.

"I'm not going to change," Jeter said. "Not at all."

...Yesterday, Jeter admitted he was surprised to find himself in The Boss' crosshairs, but shook his head when asked if the words hurt.

"One thing you realize is that The Boss is The Boss," he said. "Everyone who works has a boss they have to deal with. Bosses are entitled to their own opinion."

The two met recently to discuss the issue as well as Steinbrenner's public comments criticizing the All-Star for his defensive play in 2002 and his lack of focus.

..."We met and we talked about it," Jeter said. "It's pretty much over."

Jeter lives in the Tampa area and has been working out regularly for more than a week. Yesterday he took batting practice and fielded 75-100 ground balls. He was joined for his workout by catcher Jorge Posada and infielder Drew Henson. Pitcher David Wells was also at the complex working out.

Jeter is excited about starting a new season and putting last year's playoff loss to the Angels behind him. He is also happy to have cleared the air with The Boss. Still, it is clear he doesn't agree with all his employer has said.

"Bosses can say what they want to say," Jeter said. "Right or wrong, he gets to say what he wants to say."

Jeter's comments are characteristically measured and tame; don't let the inflammatory headlines fool you. It's interesting to note that Jeter actually met with Steinbrenner before he made any public statements. Jeter clearly isn't interested in taking George on in the tabliods. As irked as the future Yankee captain may be over the Boss' comments, one thing is for sure: we've come a long way since the Bronx Zoo, baby.

ONLY THE LONELY

Isolation and lonliness are major components of baseball culture. They are obviously magnified for foreign players coming to the States for the first time. Both Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras will face the difficulties of lonliness this season, though they will be handsomely paid for their struggles:

"It is a bit lonely leaving my country," the 28-year-old [Matsuir] said [yesterday] before getting on the New York-bound flight from Tokyo's Narita Airport. "There will be a lot for me to learn."

The sense of isolation is irrevocably more complex for Contreras, who unlike Matsui, won't be returning home any time soon:

Al Avila, assistant general manager of the Detroit Tigers, says two reasons many Cuban pitchers fail after their escape are the new, higher level of competition and the homesickness they confront.

The Cuban national team travels the baseball world. Excluding exhibitions like the one with Baltimore three years ago, in which Contreras starred, they are rarely challenged.

"Homesickness might be the biggest obstacle," says Avila, whose father, Ralph, took his family from Castro's Cuba to the USA and became a scout and executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Many players, Avila says, must leave a family behind, with no guarantees it will be reunited.

The cultural changes also present hardships. The players, Avila says, are dazzled by the money after leaving an island where giving a can of shaving cream, a hair bush, jeans, CDs or other consumer items makes one a friend for life.

"To get away from a dictatorship and then to have everything, it can be a dangerous transition," Avila says