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Derek Jeter sat about three feet away from me and we were the only two people on the private plane, which was the perfect setting for an interview. For as long as it took us to travel from Tampa to New York, Jeter couldn’t escape my questions. Actually, that was our plan since we were collaborating on a book more than a decade ago.

I learned a lot about Jeter on that day, about his family and his friends and what motivates him. But, whenever I tried to get Jeter to speak in specifics about the future, he didn’t bite. He just wanted to keep on playing baseball for the Yankees. Discussing specific career goals, the type of chatter that thrills fans and interests sportswriters, didn’t interest Jeter. He was worried about the next game. That’s it.

As Jeter has compiled a renaissance season as a hitter in 2012, I’ve thought about that interview on the plane. Part of Jeter’s success as a player is his ability to simplify things. On the field, Jeter has the innate ability to slow the game down. Off the field, Jeter has the impressive ability to ignore distractions and focus on the next pitch, the next play and the next game.

Before Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox, Jeter led the Major Leagues with 167 hits and was on pace for 222 hits this season, which would be a career high. Jeter has 3,255 hits, which is tied with Eddie Murray for 11^th place on the all-time hit list. Willie Mays, who had 3,283 hits, is Jeter’s next target. Jeter is chasing and passing baseball royalty.

At the age of 38 and now playing his 17^th full season, Jeter is playing as well as at any point in his career. Across Jeter’s last 45 games, he is batting .368. He has played in 18 straight games, ignoring the valid notion that a soon-to-be 40-year old could use a rest in August. When I mentioned to Jeter that he hasn’t had a day off in a while, he said, “Wouldn’t be the first time.” And then Jeter ran on to the field to field some grounders.

Because Jeter is performing like the Energizer Bunny of shortstops, there has been speculation about whether he could reach 4,000 hits or if he could even challenge Pete Rose’s record of 4,256. Both of those elusive goals are a long way off. If Jeter finished this season with 3,300 hits, he would need to average 175 hits for the next four seasons to reach 4,000. Jeter is signed through 2013 and has a player option for 2014, which he will surely exercise.

But, rather than focus on the sexy topic of 4,000 hits or the even sexier subject of 4,257 hits, I think there should be some attention on another number: four. There is a very realistic possibility that Jeter will, at the very least, end up with the fourth most hits in history. Let’s stick with 3,300 as Jeter’s hit total after this season. He would need to notch 331 hits in 2013 and 2014 to reach 3,631 and surpass Stan Musial for fourth place, behind Rose, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron. If Jeter avoids injuries and plays full seasons in 2013 and 2014, he is bound to average at least 165.5 hits a year.

So, while it is fascinating to wonder if Jeter can hunt down Rose, it is a lot more realistic to theorize that he can overtake Musial and put himself in a very special place. Obviously, it would be beyond incredible if Jeter made a run at 4,000 hits or the Hit King. But it would also be incredible and much more probable for Jeter to vault himself behind three of the greatest hitters ever. That pursuit continues with Jeter’s next at-bat, which is as far into the future as he will stare.      

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Hiroki Kuroda is a vision of tranquility on the mound. He never seems unnerved and never seems overwhelmed. Pitch after pitch, and inning after inning, Kuroda keeps pushing forward, doing whatever he needs to do to help the Yankees win.

That calm, determined approach was exhibited as Kuroda fashioned a two-hitter and tamed the Texas Rangers, 3-0, on Tuesday night. The Rangers have scored the most runs in the Major Leagues, but, through nine nearly flawless innings, Kuroda baffled them with his sinking fastball and a nasty slider.

“Probably our best pitching performance of the year,” said manager Joe Girardi.

While Kuroda’s dazzling outing helped give the Yankees an important victory in August, it surely caused them to wonder what it might mean in October, too. If Kuroda can dominate the Rangers, then he should conceivably be able to handle any other lineup because no team has been as powerful. So, on a warm August night, the Yankees could be excused for pondering what Kuroda’s potential impact could be on some cool October nights.

As long as CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte return from the disabled list and don’t have additional injury issues, they would join Kuroda as New York’s first three postseason pitchers. The Yankees would start Sabathia, their ace, in the opener and would probably follow with Kuroda and Pettitte. Aligning the pitchers like that would enable Girardi to split up Sabathia and Pettitte, his two left-handed starters.

After watching Kuroda operate efficiently against the Rangers, I think he should be a significant force in the postseason. Kuroda has four quality pitches with a sinker, a slider, a curveball and a split-finger fastball, and he usually spots all of them with precision. When Kuroda’s four pitches are working, catcher Russell Martin said he has “perfect game stuff.”

That was nearly the case at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, even though Kuroda mostly relied on his sinker and slider. Across six innings, Kuroda held the Rangers without a hit. Elvis Andrus had an infield single to start the seventh and end Kuroda’s no-hit bid, but Kuroda stranded Andrus at third. That was the only Ranger that made it beyond first. Of Kuroda’s 27 outs, 17 were generated on the ground. He has a 1.44 ERA in his last six starts.

But, beyond those glossy statistics, here is why I think Kuroda could be so important in the postseason. He frustrated some excellent hitters. The Rangers barely had any decent swings off Kuroda, who is smart enough to read hitters and adept enough to pinpoint his pitches. When Kuroda whiffed Nelson Cruz with a slider in the second, Cruz swung as if he expected a fastball. When Kuroda struck out Josh Hamilton with a splitter in the fourth, Hamilton unleashed an awful hack. When Kuroda got Adrian Beltre to wave at a slider in the seventh, the pitch had cutting action away from the right-handed batter.

Unlike so many pitchers, Kuroda hasn’t had difficulty transitioning from the softer-hitting National League to the American League. He is 11-8 with a 3.06 ERA and 6.85 walks and 2.15 walks per nine innings, strikingly similar statistics to what he did with the Los Angeles Dodgers a year ago (13-16, 3.07 ERA, 7.17 strikeouts, 2.18 walks). Kuroda has thrown at least seven scoreless innings in six starts, something no other Major Leaguer has done.

How will Kuroda perform in October? There’s no reason to believe that this smart and precise pitcher will suddenly falter. Like other Japanese players, Kuroda is obsessed with focusing on the team over the individual. Still, for the team to succeed, individuals like Kuroda must flourish. Kuroda knows that. He will keep pushing forward, staying calm all the way to October.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

As the baseball clock crept closer to Tuesday's 4 P.M. non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees were taking calls and making calls and trying to improve themselves. Before the deadline, the Yankees acquired infielder Casey McGehee and $250,000 from the Pirates for reliever Chad Qualls. Since Qualls was likely to be jettisoned once Joba Chamberlain was activated, the Yankees added a potentially useful player for a player who wasn't going to be with them much longer.

While the Yankees also spoke to the Cubs about pitcher Ryan Dempster, one club official said that those discussions weren't very serious. The Yankees might have been interested in adding Dempster if they could have obtained him for a modest price. In the end, the Cubs dealt Dempster to the Rangers for two minor leaguers. With Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz both out for the rest of the season, the Rangers were desperate to add another starting pitcher.

The Yankees weren't necessarily desperate for another hitter, but they were definitely intrigued by McGehee. McGehee was hitting .230 with eight homers and 35 runs batted in for the Pirates this season. But McGehee is also a player who hit 23 homers as recently as 2010. Although McGee was hitting .207 with runners in scoring position this season, he is batting .285 in that department in his career. Willie Randolph, the former Yankee who coached McGehee with the Brewers, called him a solid situational hitter.

"He's a line drive hitter and he hits the ball to all fields," Randolph said. "He's not a swing and miss guy. You can hit and run with him. He's a good guy to have at the plate."

Randolph described McGehee as a "tough grinder" and a player who "has an edge to him." Defensively, Randolph said McGehee will make the routine plays at first and third, but that he had limited range. McGehee mostly played first for the Pirates.

"He will be ready to play," Randolph said. "He's a tough kid. He will fit in well with the Yankees."

Eight days before the deadline, the Yankees made a splashier move when they acquired Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners for minor league pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. Entering Tuesday night's game, Suzuki had hits in his first seven games with the Yankees and was batting .259. Manager Joe Girardi said he believes Suzuki will be a stellar player for the Yankees, filling the void left by Brett Gardner's absence.

As the Yankees surveyed the trade market, they factored in the injured players who they expect to return this season. Chamberlain was activated on Tuesday and gives Girardi more flexibility in the bullpen because he can retire right-handed and left-handed batters. In addition, the Yankees expect Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez to return in September. Until then, the Yankees will plow ahead with a roster that was slightly revised when they added McGehee.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Forget about Joba Chamberlain surrendering a homer on the second pitch he threw this season. Ignore that he was clipped for four hits while collecting five outs. Don’t stress about the lack of velocity on his fastball. Instead, focus on how Chamberlain made it back to the mound for the Yankees.

When General Manager Brian Cashman first spoke about Chamberlain’s openly dislocated right ankle last March, he was sullen and called it a “massive” injury. The Yankees knew Chamberlain had seriously injured himself, but they couldn’t predict when he would return. It was a disconcerting day, another day when Chamberlain’s roller coaster of a career had been derailed.

“Keep him in our prayers, because obviously he’s facing a lot right now,” said Cashman, at the time.

Since Chamberlain was already rehabilitating from Tommy John elbow surgery, he knew what it was like to be lonely pitcher that aches to get back to the Major Leagues. While Chamberlain noted that he was a quick healer and vowed that he would return in 2012, the Yankees couldn’t count on his words. Until Chamberlain proved that he was healthy and effective, he would be just another rehabbing player.

That unwanted distinction ended for Chamberlain last Wednesday. He was correct. He is a quick healer. He would pitch again this season. After Chamberlain made his first appearance in 14 months in a 12-3 win over the Orioles, he admitted that he felt like a nervous rookie back in 2007. That is the season when Chamberlain was a superhuman setup man to Mariano Rivera. But in the last five seasons, there has been some hope, more hype, different roles and more heartache for Chamberlain.

Now the Yankees need Chamberlain to be a weapon out of the bullpen again. Rafael Soriano is the closer and David Robertson is the setup man in the eighth inning. If Chamberlain can handle the seventh, he would combine with Robertson and Soriano to give manager Joe Girardi an intimidating threesome across the last three innings of games. If Robertson or Soriano need a day off, Chamberlain could also be summoned in the eighth or the ninth, too.

Although the Yankees have had one of the best bullpens in the American League this season, Girardi explained how Chamberlain’s presence could have help him avoid resorting to so many righty-righty and lefty-lefty matchups. Before Chamberlain was activated, the Yankees had two right-handed specialists in Cody Eppley and Chad Qualls, and two lefty specialists in Clay Rapada and Boone Logan.

Unlike those four pitchers, Chamberlain is a pitcher that Girardi trusts to retire righty and lefty batters. For Chamberlain’s career, his numbers against righties and lefties are remarkably similar. In 808 plate appearances, righties have a .250 average, 20 homers and 190 strikeouts against him. In 833 plate appearances, lefties have the same .250 average, 17 homers and 196 strikeouts versus Chamberlain. David Phelps is versatile enough to face righties and lefties, but he is a long man and can’t be used as often as Chamberlain. So Chamberlain should give Girardi more flexibility.

In a season that was almost a lost one for Chamberlain, he is now a pitcher that can have an impact on the Yankees again. The Yankees would love to see some semblance of the Chamberlain of old, the reliever who burst in from the bullpen with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. But, as the Yankees wait for that type of production, they are also just satisfied to see Chamberlain back on the mound at all.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

There was a time when Ichiro Suzuki was one of the best five players in baseball, someone who was a delight to watch at the plate, on the bases and in the outfield. There aren't many singles hitters who force you to watch every move they make, but Ichiro was that kind of must-see player.

While Ichiro isn't a top-five type player anymore, he can still be a very effective player for the Yankees as they refine their roster and push toward the post-season. By acquiring Ichiro from the Mariners for right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, the Yankees didn't surrender any premier prospects and improved their outfield. In addition, the Yankees will only pay Ichiro $2.25 million for the rest of the season. They believe Ichiro is still worth watching and, of course, still worth having.

When General Manager Brian Cashman surveyed the trade for possible outfield help, he didn't like the hefty pricetags for players like Shane Victorino and Denard Span. Although Justin Upton is a very attractive 24-year old, the Yankees weren't thrilled with the type of package it would take to acquire him, either. Ichiro was available at a modest price so the Yankees were smart to pounce. The acquisition of Ichiro makes them a better team.

By obtaining Ichiro, the Yankees have added a reasonable facsimile of Brett Gardner. Ichiro still plays superb defense and still has excellent speed, traits that the Yankees have lacked in Gardner's absence. Once the Yankees realized Gardner was probably done for 2012 because of his impending elbow surgery, they pushed to add another outfielder. The Yankees are hopeful that Ichiro, who only has a .302 on base percentage since the beginning of the 2011 season, will be reujvenated by playing for a contending team.

Ichiro will mostly play left field, which will allow Manager Joe Girardi to use Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones as a designated hitter platoon. As elated as the Yankees have been about what Ibanez and Jones have done, the Yankees have been concerned about overtaxing the two aging players. Ichiro is 38 years old, but he is used to playing every day. Since Ichiro has been a 10-time Gold Glove outfielder, the shift to left field won't be an issue for him.

As Ichiro discussed becoming a Yankee, he said that he was having a difficult time containing his excitement. Ichiro, who had asked the Mariners for a trade, isn't being asked to be a savior. All the Yankees need Ichiro to do is play strong defense, create some mayhem on the bases and provide some offense and excitement from the bottom of the order. If Ichiro does that, he can prove that he is still worth watching.

Raul Ibanez was a searcher in his first few weeks with the Yankees. He searched for his swing, searched for his timing and searched for a groove, that blissful place where hitters always want to live. Ibanez also searched for some hits. In his first 37 at-bats in Spring Training he managed two hits.

So, on a warm night in Fort Myers, Fla., last March, I asked Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach, if he was concerned about Ibanez’s awful start. At the time, Ibanez was batting .059. I realized those were only spring statistics, which can be meaningless. But .059 was an ugly number for a hitter.

“I know Raul is going to hit for us,” Long said.

Long explained how he wasn’t bothered by Ibanez’s unsightly average because he saw some other encouraging signs. The coach watched Ibanez’s routine in the batting cage and saw a hitter who was prepared. He watched how Ibanez worked at-bats and saw a hitter who was intelligent. He watched the way the ball jumped off Ibanez’s bat, even as Ibanez struggled for hits, and saw a hitter who still had power.

Almost four months after Long expressed supreme confidence in a .059 hitter, I watched Ibanez hammer a grand slam off Jason Frasor to catapult the Yankees past the Blue Jays, 6-3, on Monday night. After Ibanez’s smart and patient at bat, I recalled my conversation with Long. Even as Ibanez sputtered in the spring, Long had seen signs that Ibanez could and would be productive. Long was right.

Ibanez is 40 years old and in his 17th season in the Major Leagues. As I have studied Ibanez’s at-bats this season, I am convinced that he is savvier than most of the pitchers he faces. With the score tied, 2-2, the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning, Ibanez knew that Frasor would surely have to throw him fastballs. Frasor throws fastballs 76 percent of the time, according to Fangraphs.com, and he didn’t want to walk in the go-ahead run.

Not only did Ibanez look for a fastball, he looked for the right fastball. Ibanez didn’t swing at three of the first four pitches, patiently waiting for Frasor to put a pitch in an attractive spot. Once the count moved to 3-1, Ibanez was in a superb position. Frasor had to throw a strike and almost definitely had to throw a fastball. When Frasor threw an inside fastball, Ibanez crushed it. It was a familiar sight to the Yankees. In at-bats after the count reaches 3-1, Ibanez is batting .421 this season.

Of Ibanez’s 12 homers, eight have come in the sixth inning or later and five have given the Yankees a lead. Ibanez has 56 hits, but he has also driven in 40 runs. Although Ibanez’s .242 batting average is modest, he has a .463 slugging percentage.

On the same day the Yankees revealed that left fielder Brett Gardner felt more soreness in his injured right elbow, Ibanez started his 41^st game in left and was the main reason the Yankees defeated the Jays. When the Yankees signed Ibanez for $1.1 million last February, the plan was for him to mostly be a designated hitter and to occasionally play the outfield. But Gardner’s injury has forced Ibanez and Andruw Jones to start more games in the outfield.

Since Gardner had another setback, there is no certainty that he will return this season. As the Yankees wait for doctors to evaluate Gardner again, they are relieved that they have Ibanez. He can’t play defense or run like Gardner, but Ibanez can hit and can help. Long could see that, could see it back when Ibanez was an .059 hitter.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

As the Yankees played sluggishly in April and most of May, Brian Cashman waited. Baseball is a long season. Since Cashman is in his 15^th season as the general manager, he could easily recite seasons in which very good Yankee teams sputtered or performed unevenly. That happens.

Even as the starting rotation fizzled and even as the Yankees failed to produce with runners in scoring position, Cashman was patient. He was confident in these Yankees, a message he emphasized during a team meeting on May 22. Cashman told the players he didn’t meet with them because he was panicking, but to remind them that the solutions to the team’s problems were already in the clubhouse.

While Cashman has declined to discuss the meeting, the Yankees have been much better since Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi addressed them. But the Yankees aren’t 16-4 since then because of inspirational words from the g.m. or the manager. The Yankees have been superb for the last 20 games because their pitchers (2.84 earned run average) have excelled and because they have displayed a lot of power (35 homers).

Cashman didn’t fret when the Yankees were mired in fourth-place so he isn’t celebrating now that they are in first place, especially in the middle of June. Again, it’s a long season. Cashman knows that, which is how he remained resolute as the Yankees wobbled through the first six and a half weeks.

“I’ve been through it enough,” said Cashman, on Wednesday. “You believe in the evaluations you’ve made in the players. You believe in the system that you have put in place. We had to trust our track record.”

That trust has been rewarded. There was speculation that Phil Hughes, who starts on Friday against the Washington Nationals, or Ivan Nova could lose their spots in the rotation because of their ineffectiveness. But Cashman and Girardi stayed with them. Now Hughes is 5-1 with a 3.50 E.R.A. in his last seven starts while Nova is 2-0 with a 0.60 E.R.A. in his last two starts.

The Yankees’ rotation has been critical to the turnaround as the starters have gone 9-1 with a 2.13 E.R.A. in June. Oddly enough, CC Sabathia, the ace, is the one pitcher who has struggled lately with a 2-1 record and a 4.29 E.R.A. across his last three starts. Even without Michael Pineda, Cashman said he always believed the Yankees “had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball.” 

If Hughes and Nova continue to pitch adeptly, they can make Cashman’s job easier because, presumably, he won’t need to add a starter before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. When I mentioned that theory to Cashman, he didn’t sound like a g.m. who was pondering a trade.  

 “I have made no phone calls to any general managers about making an acquisition,” Cashman said. “I’d prefer to ride what we’ve got.”

Then Cashman added, “You can’t make moves until you know what you don’t have. I think we have a lot here. I want to find out what we have here first.”

When Cashman explained that he hadn’t contacted any g.m.’s about a trade, that included a possible deal for an outfielder. On Thursday, the Yankees revealed that Brett Gardner’s strained elbow muscle will require about three or four more weeks of rest. Although I spoke with Cashman before the Yankees updated Gardner’s status, Cashman had seemed optimistic about the left fielder’s future.

“I want Gardner to come back,” Cashman said. “I expect Gardner to come back.”

For now, the Yankees, who have their rode pitching and their power, will keep pushing forward without Gardner. It is a long season, something the Yankees have already helped prove.

The boys and girls from St. Lucy’s Catholic School in the Bronx crowded around Russell Martin. They wanted a high-five, an autograph or the chance to have their picture snapped with the Yankees’ catcher. The kids were giddy about meeting a real Yankee, playfully pushing toward Martin to try and steal his attention.

This scene occurred about three weeks ago in the auditorium of an elementary school that is still mourning and still trying to heal. Martin and three teammates visited St. Lucy’s to let the students know how much they cared about them following the loss of Niely Rosario, a first-grader at the school. Niely was one of seven members of the same family killed in the devastating accident along the Bronx River Parkway in April.

As Martin stood between the stage and a first row of chairs, a sea of kids surrounding him, he wondered how the students could handle the kind of loss that no one should ever have to handle. But Martin was relieved because the kids were excited. They were acting like kids, shouting and screaming and doing what kids are supposed to do when a few Yankees suddenly appear at their school.

“I’ve been kind of down because I haven’t been swinging the bat well,” Martin said. “But then you come here and you look around, and you see what these people have been through. It reminds you of how difficult it’s been for them. Your problems are nothing compared to this.”

When Martin smacked Jon Rauch’s 3-2 slider into the left field seats to power the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Mets on Sunday, I thought about his experience at the school. As Martin leaped on to the plate to greet his waiting teammates, which wasn’t a smart move, he looked as giddy as any of the kids he had met at St. Lucy’s.

While Martin joked that his vertical leap was two inches, he did have reasons to be thrilled. In addition to the walk-off homer against Rauch, Martin had also lined a two-run homer off Jon Niese in the seventh inning that helped slice a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Martin’s homer was a Yankee Stadium special, a ball that eluded leaping right fielder Scott Hairston, hit the top of the fence and landed in a fan’s hands. With those two homers, Martin has four in his last six games. He had four in his first 44 games.

“I can’t really picture a better script for me,” Martin told reporters at the Stadium. “I’m starting to feel dangerous at the plate.”

On the day Martin visited St. Lucy’s with Raul Ibanez, Rafael Soriano and Boone Logan, he was batting .181. Of course, he’s not a .181 hitter. He is a better hitter than that and was bound to improve. Still, since Martin’s visit to the school, he is 13-for-44 with four homers and eight runs batted in over 13 games. Now Martin is a .216 hitter. He’s a better hitter than that, too. Despite the low average, he does have a .348 on-base percentage and a .432 slugging percentage.

Sometimes, all a player has to do is make a subtle change to get better results. Martin told Meredith Marakovits of YES that he backed off the plate a few inches, a change that he made on his own, and that alteration has been instrumental in his offensive splurge. After Martin saw how Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers stood away from the plate and looked relaxed, and looked as if he could see the ball travel all the way to the plate, Martin told Marakovits he decided to mimic Cabrera and make the change.

Because of Martin’s power, the Yankees climaxed a successful weekend by sweeping the three game series from the Mets. With a stabilized starting rotation, the Yankees now have 13 wins in their last 17 games. Guess what? That 13-4 streak began on the day that Martin and the Yankees visited St. Lucy’s.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

The plan sounded cool enough. My wife, Pamela, and I decided to take Kyle, our nephew, to a Yankee game for his 16^th birthday. We told Kyle he could bring a few friends, too. Kyle picked Sunday’s game against the Reds long before we knew CC Sabathia would oppose Johnny Cueto, a nifty pitcher’s duel that made the afternoon even more enticing.

Before we reached Yankee Stadium, I tweeted that I would be attending the game instead of analyzing the action with Bob Lorenz at the YES Network studios. Soon after that tweet, I received an invitation from Vinny Milano. Better known as Bald Vinny, he is the maestro of the Bleacher Creatures.

“My wife and kids are coming, too,” Vinny tweeted me. “You guys should join us in Section 203 for Roll Call.”

I had been in the bleachers to witness roll call as a newspaper reporter, once when David Cone joined the creatures in 2002 and again when David Wells returned as a member of the Red Sox in 2005. Both visits at the old Yankee Stadium were intriguing, but for different reasons. It was fascinating how seamlessly Cone blended in with the creatures. It was also notable how the creatures reminded Wells that no Red Sox player would ever receive praise from the bleachers.

“If you want to see a Yankee game,” Cone said, at the time, “you come out here.”

Now Kyle and his posse of John, Brandon and Mike had the chance to do what Cone had done: hang in the bleachers. When I asked the quartet of teenagers if they wanted to join Bald Vinny for the roll call, they reacted as if I asked if they wanted to replace Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson in the starting lineup.

“The roll call?” John said. “Are you serious?”

Yes, I was serious. Since it was Kyle’s birthday, I left the decision up to him. He quickly said that we should accept Bald Vinny’s invitation. Kyle is a serious Yankee fan and a smart kid. He knew the deal. We all knew the deal. If Bald Vinny invites you to a roll call, you sprint to the bleachers because it will be a priceless experience.

Well, we didn’t run to Section 203. But we walked briskly. We met Bald Vinny behind a section of seats that was about to become awfully loud. Vinny is a friendly guy and a perfect host. When Bald Vinny walked down the rows of bleachers, he might as well have been descending the stairs of his own house. Everyone knew him. Everyone waited for his instructions.

After the Yankees trotted to their positions, Bald Vinny’s eyes darted from player to player so he could reaffirm who was in the lineup. He noted that DeWayne Wise was in left field and mentioned that Eric Chavez was playing first base before repeating himself. It was Chavez’s first start at first this season.

“I hate it when our regular guys aren’t playing,” Vinny said.

A few seconds later, the maestro started. He stood and stretched his left leg out to the bleacher row in front of him, holding a blue scarf that said “Bleacher Creatures.” Bald Vinny wanted the creatures to be noisy, but there was no need to remind them. That was a given. Of course, they would be loud. Of course, they would follow Vinny’s guidance.

Granderson was the first Yankee to hear his name chanted. "Cur-tis, Cur-tis," the creatures screamed. Granderson turned toward them and shook his upper body. Wise was the next Yankee to get serenaded, the fourth time that’s happened for him. Then the creatures shouted to Swisher, who is their favorite player. Swisher, of course, turned and saluted them. The Swisher Salute is one of the types of T-Shirts that Bald Vinny sells outside the Stadium on game days.

Smoothly and efficiently, Bald Vinny led the creatures through the roll call for the infielders, too. In a few minutes, the roll call was done. As a journalist, my desire was to observe what the creatures do and show them the respect they deserve. I’m wired to report, not to clap. Vinny thanked his cohorts for being boisterous and sat down. A few seconds later, Vinny’s young daughter, Layla, delivered a message.

“Daddy,” she said, “too loud.”

Kyle and his three buddies disagreed. They thought Bald Vinny and the creatures were just loud enough, just loud enough and passionate enough to solidify a memorable experience in the bleachers.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES