Jeter, ARod on the outs again?

I normally don't pay much attention to gossip columns, knowing their propensity to exaggerate and fudge the facts. But an item in the New York Daily News' Gatecrasher column caught my attention. The story claimed that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez avoided each other at not one, but two parties during Super Bowl weekend. If there's any truth to this story, it's a real cause for concern.

The tension between Jeter and ARod was palpable in the New York Yankees clubhouse ever since ARod was traded to the Yankees. In their book the Yankee Years, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci described the impact the frosty relationship between the two players had on the rest of the baseball team, creating a vast divide that only healed with the influx of new, untarnished players like Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira.

ARod obviously was at fault in starting the rift, saying things that he never should have said about anyone, especially a friend, to a national magazine writer. But Jeter played a role in dragging out the animosity. I'm not saying Jeter should just forgive and forget, but you have to find a way to get along with your co-workers, even the ones you don't like.

In an interview with Harold Reynolds on MLB Network last week, Jeter said he was extremely happy that ARod got the proverbial monkey off his back with his monster playoff run. "The better Alex plays, the better our team is," he said. "He's a vital part of our team. He had one of those postseasons to remember."

I hope he means it. The last thing that a team with such amazing chemistry in 2009 needs is another spat between two of its biggest stars. It would only hurt the Yankees' quest to repeat.

Thanks to Keith Allison for the photos.