What was Jeter thinking with that bunt anyway?

Like the bad calls mentioned earlier, Jeter’s bunt attempt with two strikes on him in the seventh ended up not making a difference, but my mouth was agape when he tried to lay it down all the same. What were you thinking, Derek? Did Girardi actually give you the bunt sign with two strikes and a rally brewing?

“That was me. That was stupid. I had the bunt early on and it was taken off, but I thought I would try to do it. It was dumb for me to try and do it with two strikes.”

I suppose you can go one of two ways with this: believe that Jeter thinks he’s invincible and can get away with risky-to-the-point-of-ridiculous plays, or alternatively, believe that for as easy as they make this game look sometimes, it’s crazy out there, especially in the postseason, and even the greatest of ballplayers lose their gravity once in awhile and make a bad decision.

Given the fun I’ve had with Jeter in this space the past some of you may be surprised to hear that I believe the latter. But the fact is that Jeter doesn’t have a long rap sheet of dumb plays over the course of his career, so he can be excused for the rare brain lock.

Especially considering that A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera rendered it harmless.