Where was I?

Two topics seem inescapable these days:

Joe Giradi going to the Cubs.

Derek Jeter, in the throes of his worst year, and his expiring contract.

To the first, I say good riddance. Frankly, I don't know who's next in line, but I'm in the "Anybody but Joe" camp. Have fun in Chi-town JG. And take your braces with you.

As for Jeter, I just heard someone call him Marco Scutaro. Wow. And ouch.

Speculation is Jeter wants A-Rod money, or at least in the $20 million per year stratosphere. Other speculation if pinstripes aren't in Jeter's future, he doesn't care about the money and he's done.

Yankees fans, at least 99 percent of them, love DJ and imagining the Yankees without him is much like me trying to imagine my life without hands. It just doesn't compute.

Because it's not my money, I say, pay the man. Because it's Derek Jeter, I say, pay the man. But because he's hitting .260 and appears to be limping around the bases, I say ... um, how about do the Paul O'Neill and take contracts year to year. Derek's defense has never been better. At least there's that.

This situation would have been much less awkward had the Yankees and Jeter come to some kind of agreement last year, when the 35-year-old SS was playing out of his mind.

Some guys just need to stay where there are, whatever the cost. And considering the Yankees are well off, there are worse things the Yankees could do with there's money.