Oh, my, goodness, the media pressure would be off the charts.  But, if Jeter pulled it off, what would that do to his already Cooperstown-worthy resume?

They might have to rename River Avenue in the Bronx to “Jeter Way” or something…

But, it’s not  going to happen.  It’s too crazy to think that a right-handed batter as old as Jeter could hit .400 for the season.  But, then again, this is Derek Jeter…

…nah, it can’t happen, can it?

Now, that’s not too far out there. But, in this dream, the Baltimore Orioles just edge out the Yankees and the Rays in the East and take the 2011 A.L. Wildcard berth.

And, then, in the ALDS, the A’s beat the Bosox and the O’s beat the Chisox – setting up a 2011 ALCS between Baltimore and Oakland.

Nah, it can’t happen…can it?

But, here’s a wild thought: What if the Yankees do low-ball and/or insult Jeter with an offer and then the talks between the two parties start drag out and become unproductive. At some point, if you’re the Boston Red Sox, just to make things interesting, do you reach out to Jeter and say “We’d like to give you a one-year deal for $25 million. And, you can play shortstop for us in 2011. We’ll move Marco Scutaro into a utility role.”

Would Jeter take it? Or, at the least, would the thought of Derek Jeter getting his 3,000th career hit as a member of the Boston Red Sox freak the Yankees out and force them to up their offer? And, if Derek went to Boston, what would Red Sox Nation then do with all those T-Shirts that mention how happy Jeter is?

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It’s a total of 463 PA, by the way, in case you were wondering – just about the number that a full-time Damon or Matsui could have filled.

In the wake of controversial comments he made regarding Stephen Strasburg on his Sirius XM radio show, MASN analyst Rob Dibble will not work tonight’s game or tomorrow’s game.

Several MASN employees were not certain why Dibble will not work the next two games, but Nationals President Stan Kasten shed some light and perhaps gave a not-so-thinly-veiled opinion of Dibble’s comments.

“Rob asked for some time off,” Kasten said. “Perhaps he’s not feeling well. But I’m not a doctor, nor have I seen his records. So I shouldn’t say anything more about it.”

Dibble also found the spotlight recently for comments about a pair of women sitting behind home plate during a MASN telecast. Dibble later apologized to those he offended, both in print and on camera.

Ray Knight will work alongside MASN play-by-play man Bob Carpenter for the next two nights.

Yeah, I know, this is Rob Dibble and/or Nationals news, and this is a Yankees-blog. But, seeing this, I wonder – could we ever see something like this happen in Yankeeland with Michael Kay?

If you’ve ever listened to Kay’s show on ESPN Radio in NYC, you will notice that he tends to be a little more critical on the radio than he is during the YES telecasts. Now, granted, Michael is no dummy. And, I’m sure he’s careful in choosing his words on the radio. But, mistakes do happen, sometimes. Then again, it would have to be a huge thing to get everyone’s attention – since I doubt the Yankees are monitoring Kay’s radio show.

If one of these three becomes available, should the Yankees look to pick them up, for August/September insurance; or, at the least, to keep them away from the Rays? Or, is it not worth losing someone off the 40-man roster to get them on the team for a few weeks?

Just an add-on: I think, but am not sure, that with Nick Johnson on the D.L., maybe the Yankees could sneak one of these guys on to the post-season roster. Imagine if they had Manny Ramirez as their D.H. in the post-season?

I’m not sure how I would feel about that? But, for sure, it’s interesting and a wild thought, no?

And, for certain, I would not mind having Damon or Matsui hanging around, in September, just to add some good karma in the clubhouse, etc.

And, that leads to today’s wild thought.  Say the Yankees had another option at third base – I dunno, like, say, move Jeter there and bring up Eduardo Nunez, or, something else – should they consider moving Rodriguez, even if it means eating over a hundred million? Or, is it better to just give A-Rod the money and watch his skills decline as he ties up a spot in the Yankees roster and line-up?

First, forget everything that Derek Jeter has ever done in his Yankees career. Forget the great plays, clutch moments, all his team records and those World Series rings. Also, forget that he’s closing in on 3,000 career hits. Forget that he’s the Captain of the team. Heck, forget that his name is “Derek Jeter.” Instead, think of him as being named “Simon Bosco.”

And, when you think of Simon Bosco, think of him as being a 36-year old shortstop with questionable range who is currently having the worst offensive season in his career – across the board in terms of batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Oh, and he’s in the last year of his contract.

Further, when you think of Simon Bosco, and all the aforementioned stuff, consider that you have a 23-year old shortstop named Eduardo Nunez playing in Triple-A behind him. And, note that Nunez is batting over .300 this season after posting a batting average of .322 in Double-A, playing half his games in a pitcher’s park, last year.

Now, you’re the G.M. of Simon Bosco’s team. What are you going to do in terms of dealing with Simon Bosco’s free agency at season end, all things considered?

It’s an interesting wild thought, isn’t it? If “Derek Jeter” weren’t “Derek Jeter” and had the resume that he does have, and if we were talking about a 36-year old declining shortstop named “Simon Bosco” being pushed by a prospect in the minors, I think most teams would go with the younger kid next year, no? How about you?

Here’s a wild thought: Say Nick Johnson continues to struggle or ends up on the D.L., and Big Papi is “out there” for anyone to pick up…would the Yankees make a move and replace Johnson with Ortiz?

How strange would that be…seeing Ortiz in a Yankees uniform?

It would sort be like when New York picked up George Scott in 1979 and John Mayberry in 1982. And, it would probably work out just as well as those two moves did – meaning badly.

So [Derek Jeter] talked, patiently fielding questions as if they were batting practice ground balls. Only one subject was off limits.

A NewsChannel 8 reporter barely got a question out about the 30,875-square foot palace Jeter is building on Davis Islands, only to be sternly rebuked.

“I’m not going to talk about that,” Jeter said.

In case we didn’t get the message, a Yankees public relations official chimed in, “No more questions about the fence around his house, either.”

Actually, Jeter has lived among us since 1994 when he was working through the Yankees’ minor-league system. The house would seem to indicate he plans to stay a while longer, which is a good thing.

“I moved down here permanently to work out because it got a little cold in Michigan when I was in the minor leagues and I’ve been here ever since. This is where I call home. I enjoy Tampa, I enjoy my time here.”

O.K., so, Derek hearts Tampa. Warm weather, better taxes, etc. That’s not hard to understand. But, if Jeter really calls Tampa “home,” would he ever consider playing for “the home team”?

If the Rays ever get their new ballpark, and the team continues to be an factor in the A.L. East, and if Jeter wants to keep playing and the Yankees don’t want him around, is it such a wild thought to think that Derek Jeter – perhaps like Wade Boggs – might close out his career as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays?

Hey, the last stat line in Yogi Berra’s playing career says “Mets.” Hank Aaron closed out as a Brewer. Anything is possible, no?