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24 BeauDerek 59 Theater A Gotham lohn Simon f€ By lames Kaplan 15 Pizzarelli channels a$n ;ohnny Plummer depths:The star of Bcr- Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, Matting- Mercer; don't smoke on Jackson, fohnny rymore is, like his subject, a tal- ly-and now feter? After his 1996 season, top of a cab; ode on a Grecian ent for the ages which made him Rookie of the Year (and neighborhood Most Eligible YankeeBachelor), people start- 61 Ad Depadments MarkStevens ed believing that this disarmingly sweet 22- 20lhe GityPolitic Bird brains: fohn James Audu- year-oldcould be a superstar.And his preco- MichaelTomasky bon's works convey personality cious charismamight even score him the big Come November, Rudy Giuliani as well as facility with feathers endorsementsthat rarely go to playersof what may have a surprise constituen- used to be known as the national pastime. cy: Iiberalsl 63 GlassicalMusic Peter G. Davis 22 Technology That party for Lenny: At Sympho- 32 Amongthe Believerc MatthewMcGann Fenton ny Space, Bernstein gets the ex- ByCraig Horowitz Silicon Alley companies,and ven- ftavaganza he desewes As the violence in Israel rages and the ture capitalists, put aside their rocks crash againsther front doot Shani dilettantish ways and grow up Gue Hororvitz and a small band of ex-New 65 Broadway's Bach; Wendy \brkers are holding the line in Hebron. Marketplace Wasserstein's Daughter ; vinicul- From Pelham Parkway to the perils of 52 BestBets ture's new spinner; versifiers' an- nual recognition; Squirrel Nut the \\rest Bank: an inside look at life GorkyPollan The return of Wallabees;polka- Zippers' alterna-swing among the besiegedsettlers in fudaism's dotted Provence porcelainsl second-holiestcity. weighty dogs 40 DoublesTake 56 Sales& Bargains ByMelinda Blau DanyLevy Insider trading: Decorators' Not everyonein the new generationat Doubles, the private club in sources, designer undies, and a prep- the Sherry-Netherland,is in the Social Register.But they're downtown Sanctuary py and polished, and don't mind dancing alongsideMom and Dad. TheAds 46 (herdrive 57 Movies By Rebecca Mead DavidDenby 81 PaulaVogel's How I Learned to Drive offers the season'sfunni- Devilry in all its forms: Ford and est portrait of a child molester-alternately charming and repel- Pitt show their acting chops, while Catrey just melts lent-and his complicit almost-partner. fim down Misc. 48 WormleyTurns Letters...... 9 ByRene Ghun Intelligencerby Beth Landman Keil Eames is overexposed.Aalto is andDeborah Mitchell ...... 1 1 t\ler Yor*Gompetition overpriced. Robsjohn-Gibbingsis by MaryAnn Madden...... 107 over. Who's the newest name in GuardrbrGrossword ...... 108 old furniture? Have a look at the 'Gue'Grossword by Maura B. Jacobson r08 work of Edward Wormley, the Glassified .96 postwar icon of tomorrow. Strictly Personals 103

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lj--\_ --_--_ ilt:l: 5- EREKJETER IS SIX FEETTHREE INCHES TALL AND 195 pounds,broad at the shoulders,narrow at the hips.Praxiteles would havebeen impressed. The smoothcaf6-aulait skin of his long,broad face is sunburnedred. His kinky brownhair is cut rook- ie-copstyle, buzzed around the sides,short on top. A heavygold chainhangs on his thick sun- tannedneck. feter is in a battingcage on aprac- tice field in Tampa,on a winter moming long be- fore the start ofrf the season.Amid the minsled aromasof cut grassand Flexall,as teammatesand coachesbanter and traffic streamsalong the highwaybeyond the outfield,he standsin the cage,wearing a blue-on-whiteNew York YankeesT-shirt and baggygray shortsover dark-bluecompression shorts, holding his bat high behind his head and facing the practicepitcher, who'sbehind a safetynet on the mound. "Can you stand a little heat?" the asks."I'm really wild today." "Today?"feter says. There'sa slight,innocent sneer in his white, lopsidedsmile, a draw-pokerchallenge to his long-lashed,green-eyed stare. It's the look of a very youngman regardingthe beckoningworld with cautionand a certainironic distance.It is alsothe look of a youngman holding a handful of aces.In the cage,his eyes fixed on the red seamsof the Rawlingscork-centered as the practicepitcher releases it, his lankybody jittering ashe preparesto swing, he resemblesa Thoroughbredcolt in the startinggate, itching to getat it. *rh;*q*t.= fetersets as the pitcherthrows, then takes a smoothwhistling cut and cracksthe ball high, high, out over the left-fieldfence, toward the weekday-morningtraffic. He hits the ball out to- ward the cars three times in succession:three pitches,three homers. Everyone expected he would hit decently-it was Jeter's "Whoo!" saysTino Martinez, the Yankees'first-baseman. dependable glove that was the real surprise last year. "You could start today." Martinez,the star brought in from Seattleto replaceDon fielderTony Tarasco by a boyin the stands.The homeradded to Mattingly,is a disarminglymodest, pleasant-looking young man the ten that feterhit in his gloriousfirst season,a numberthat, with massiveforearms. He lookslike pure capability.At bat, he as the euphoric haze of the world championshipwears off, is a provencommodity. And yet his stancehas none of Jeter's takeson a certainsobering quality. On the day he signedwith electricity.One's eyes wander awayfrom when he the Yankeesin 1992, weighed 159 pounds-"in my standsin the cage.Derek |eter attractsattention wherever he shoes,"he says.The Yankees listed him at 175.A hundredand goes.After batting practice,he leanson the chain-linkfence, fifty-ninepounds is not an impressivefigure, especially in this chattingwith two white-shoedgrannies. era of power-hittingshortstops. an era for which iron man Cal "Theseare my girls," the shortstopsays, in his rich, boyish Ripken fr.-six feet four and 220 pounds;twenty-plus home baritone. runs per year for elevenyears running-has set the standard. The granniesgiggle. "We've been following him from the be- Through weight-training.Jeter has bulked up to 195, but he ginning,"one says. wantsto weighmore. "l'm veak," he told me, that morningin Tampa."l needto get stronger." IT HASN'T BEENSO LONG. IETERSIGNED WITH THE YANKEESON JUNE It struckme thenas a curiousstatement: He lookednot even 27, 1992,the day after his 18th birthday,and-partly because remotelyweak. But it was clearthat somehowin the merciless the teambadly needed a shortstop,and partly becauseJeter had arenaof top-flightmajor-league baseball, as well as in the hard the whiff of stardomabout him-came alongamazingly quick- light of his own high ambition,Derek feter felt . . . challenged. ly in the minors. Notwithstandingthe Yankees'reputation for It wasand is, afterall, the beginningofhis secondseason un- squanderingtheir own homegrowntalent-George Steinbren- der the most demandingboss in baseball,on a teamunder pal- ner is notoriouslyimpatient with rookies-foe Torre brought pable pressureto repeata nearlyimpossible feat, in the most feterup for full-timework lessthan four yearsafter he signed. vociferouslycritical sportsmarketplace in the world. To make And thenlightning struck: The young shortstop batted .314, mattersworse, Jeter is slatedto bat leadoff-which meanshe knockedin 78 runs, and was chosenAmerican League Rook- will haveto learnto be patientat the plateand takemore walks. ie of the Year; the Yankeeswon the Series.Whatever any of He'll alsobe anchoringa slightlyiffy infield,a fact that will put them might havetold you, the womenwho threw handwritten pressureon him to improveupon last year'stotal of 22 errors. marriageproposals to feter during the Yankees'October vic- As early as |anuary,New York's army of sportswriterswas start- tory paradethrough Manhattan weren't merely inspired by his ing to natter about Jeter,polishing up old battle-axeslike youth and good looks. His athleticprowess was an important "sophomorejinx" and "sophomoreslump." part of the picture, as was his World Seriesring. feter was in But no onedemands more of Jeterthan feterhimself. "I don't the right placeat the right time, with the right stuff. But is it setmy sightslow," he says."l didn't go into my my first yearsay- the stuff of superstardom? ing 'lf I hit .250,I'll be satisfied.'I setgoals for myself,but I Derekfeter hit a famoushome in the playoffsagainst Bal- don't tell people.When I was in high school,I told myself,'l timore last October,the ball that was grabbedaway from out- want to be High SchoolPlayer of the Year.'" And he got it-de- z6 NEw YoRK API.IL 7, rggT Photogmph by AP Wide \lbrld. - spite the fact that, coming from the snow world championshipsmultiple times;all are the best at what belt town of Kalamazoo,Michigan, he was they do. When you talk about iconsin baseball,Ken Griffey is up againstFlorida and California players the goingrate. He hits homers,scores runs, and is a Gold Glove who got to practiceyear-round. "ln'94," he player." says,"l told myselfI wanted to be Minor For the moment, feter's image-in New York, a market LeaguePlayer of the Year."He got it. larger than local but smaller than national-couldn't be "He's #t $. nf What's he telling himselfabout 1997? stronger. extremelybright, articulate, handsome,and fetershakes his head:He doesn'ttell people. he'sa good guy,"Adam Katz says."Plus he'sa very fine play- And yet howeverhe hasset his sights,Alex er, he plays in the center of the diamond, and he's in New Rodriguezhas to be standingsquare in the York. All the things are there to createmarketing opportuni- middleof them. ties, and he'son the way." Rodriguezis the SeattleMariners' phe- But is he?Some marketing insiders mutter ominouslythat he nomenal-and phenomenally young- may be being undersold.feter and his agent,Casey Close of shortstop.He's only 21, andhe would have IMG, recently signeda shoe-endorsementdeal with Fila-two won Rookie of the Year honors by a land- weeksbefore the Yankeesclosed a $95 million, ten-yearmar- slidelast seasonif he hadn't playedfor half keting deal with Adidas, under which |eter almost certainly of 1995 and so beenineligible. Rodriguez would have made far more. Are Jeter'srelatively lowball en- batted.358 in 1996and hit 36 homeruns. dorsementsfor New York companieslike Nobody Beatsthe Wiz He, too, will be facing enormouspressure giving the market at large the wrong impression-that he's this season.Still, Alex Rodriguezhas one strictlya local hero?"It's hard to get a youngplayer who's not thing that Derek feter doesn'thave: a shoe makingthat much moneyto turn thingsdown," saysScott Bo- dealwithNike. ras. "feter did a thing for Pepsi;we turned it down. They want- ed Derek and Alex to hawk things in a catalogue.We require a IT IS A TRUISM IN OUR TIME THAT IT IS NO long-term,major endorsementcampaign as opposedto print longer enoughfor a superlativeprofession- ads;we didn't want to loseall other drink endorsementsfor a al athletesimply to be a superlativeathlete. one-yeardeal." A multiyear,multi-million-dollar contract is According to some marketing insiders, feter has a two-year part of the brassring, but the otheressential window in which to establisha national presence.Much de- elementis product endorsements.Michael pendson the Yankees'fortunes."Unless you're a brilliant play- fordan has shown that the money a player er,the sundoesn't rise again," one agent says. Will Derekfeter's can make from endorsing products can sun shinefor more than two years?Are he and his management . dwarf that player'ssalary, no matter how being shortsighted,or are they merely getting what they can largethe salaryis. Many otherathletes in varioussports-foot- while they can? ball, tennis, golf, hockey,track and field-have followed for- dan's lead, and prosperedmightily. But the one sport whose A FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT THE END OF JANUARY:DEREK JETERIS IN playershave largely been left out of the moneyis, ironically,the the fourth-floor formalwear salon of the Giorgio Armani store one that was onceknown as the nationalpastime. on MadisonAvenue, trying on tuxedos.On highly unfamiliar "Baseballplayers don't wear shoesthat peoplesee, the sport turf, amid the beigewalls and minimalist d6cor and salespeople has had terrible labor problems,and in generalit hasn'tmar- in black,as the soundsystem plays neo-disco, Jeter stands be- keteditself well," sayssports agent Adam Katz,who represents fore a full-length mirror, regardinghimself. His mouth is slight- severaltop players,including ,, and ex- ly open:He is fully concentratedon the black-and-white-garbed Yankeefohn Wetteland."How manybaseball players have good figurebefore him. nationalads? Ken Griffey [Jr.],,, feter'sface in the spotlessArmani mirror is slightly off-kiltea Ripken,Frank Thomas.Maybe one or two others.Now think and fully open.It is not the facehe presentsto the importunate aboutthe basketballplayers that havenational ads. Or the foot- pressor his importunatefans. fust for a moment,it is possible ball players-and you don't evensee their faces." to imagine,watching Derek feter watch himself,that deepin- Thingsare slowlychanging. Some baseball agents have been side,he is delightedwith what he sees. startingto get shoecontracts for their clients., who And yet this is somethingit would never do to admit, not representsAlex Rodriguez,landed the Nike deal for his client evenquite to oneself,in a world of men such as professional by overcomingthe company'sinitial hesitation:"I pointedout baseball,in a historicalorganization like theNew York Yankees,

to them that the tvpe of shoesthey're selling with Michaelfor- in a sportwhere looks must be backedup bt performance.It's all dan'sname on them arenot the shoesMichael Iordan is actual- verywell for CecilFielder to pipe up-as he did two weeksear- ly wearing.Baseball plalers only wear spikesduring the game. lier when feter strodethrough the lockel room of the Yankee That'snot the sell.\lichael Jordanis not sellingsomething he TrainingCenter in Tampa-"You not like us regularpeople; you wears,Michael Jordan is sellingsontething." a star."This was funny and affectionate,yet it alsocontained a Imageand charismaare shat Borasis talkingabout, the barb,and a challenge.Big Daddy Fielder may not look like Derek su'eetintangibles that can makeanv athletewildh' rich-espe- Jeter,but he is the rock of the Yankeesbatting order,pulling ciallvif the athleteis a big *'inner."The standoutfigures in en- down $7.2 mil this year(to feter'ssecond-year $540,000). dorsementsin the last fifteenvears have been foe Montana, It's true that not sincethe earlydays of have Ilagic |ohnson,and Michael Jordan," Boras says. "All havewon the Yankeespossessed a young player of |eter'straffic-stopping

APRrL 7, rg97 NEW YORK 27

f charisma,not to mentionpotentially nationalmarketability. But all the more so at this moment,since feter is on his way to a on a World Championshipteam notable for beinggreatei than sold-outevent called the YankeeFan Fest at the Coliseum. the parts, sum of its Derek feter'suniqueness is merelypart of On the other hand, he is also-here and there, now and the big picture. It is a brightflash that may,or maynor, panour. then-a 22-year-oldprivate citizen.Who, by the way, rents an No modern yan- teamhas ever pulled together the way the 96 Upper EastSide apartment during the season,one oi only two kees,under foeTorre's spectacularly graceful leadership, did. It Yankees- being the other-to make his home in is hard to imagine a lessfruitful climatefor self-admirition. Manhattan.Did the notoriouslycontrol-hungry yankees have So grantDerek fetera momentof furtive,well-deserved nar- anyconcerns about their marqueerookie's living in the big city? cissism:In any passes case,it quickly.In a blink, he becomesa The official line is that they did not. Still, one rionders.pYor tris big, bored boy,restive under the attentiveministrations of an part, |eter is crazyabout Manhattan."I love to walk down the Armani salesmannamed feremy, an angularand elegantyoung street,feel the energy,"he says.It is possibleto sensecertain man with, perhaps, a dim awarenessof who DerekIeter ii. anJ tensionsamong the variousfactions who feel theyhave a claim givento "There statementslike are two schoolsof thousht on on ]eter: the Yankees,a notably un-self-effacingorganization; cummerbunds." )eter,who seemsto have limited inteiest in the no les.sself-important International Management-Group, of cummerbunds,is staring suspiciouslydown at the patent- Cleveland,which servesas feter'sagent, , and carter leathershoes on ,,This his feet.The shoeshave bows on them. guide;and evenDerek feter himself. shoe-ruobueno," he savs. Not to mention,in evergreater measure, the equallyunretir_ He's talking to his buddy posada, yankees' _ forge the new ing New York press.In the fabulousNovember Tollowins the backupcatcher. Posada, too, is a very young man, from San Yankees'WorldSeries victory paradethrough Manhattanl the with a sweet, jug-eared fuan, big-nosed, facethat makeshim re- rookie shortstopcelebrated the Yankeewin and his new fame semble friendly posada a mousein a cartoon. is lollins in an with Posadaand anotherbuddy from minor-leaguedays around armchair jeans in and a black leatherjacket, doing nothing town. He went to China Club, he went to Roxv: he flared his more than watch his famousfriend try on tuxes.Ieter keepi nostrilsand drank in the adulation.But he didn't touch a droo duckingsideways and dartingglancei down the hall to the of alcohol,let aloneanything stronger. Safe in the fraternitvof

women's formal-department,where several pretty girls appear his pals,he enjoyedthe smilesand adoringstares of beautiful to be-being outfitted for a wedding,and then, when the girls women, but capitalizedon his triumph-if at all-minimallv. vanish around a corneq back at himself in the mirror, wiere Derekleter's November was headi-he ownedManhattan-but fleeting self-approval has metamorphosedinto ironv. Teter its truth is considerablyless Dionr,sian than was made out bv shakeshis headat his reflection.It's time, |eremyannounces, to the tabloidpress, which took the irresistibleclay of a largg decideon shirts.There arefour differentkinds. . . . Ietertells Ie- quite handsome,quite young. and galvanicallytilented neiw_ remy he'll take one of each. Armani can deliver them-alons comerand evokedshades of Nlantleand Martin in their vouth. with tuxedo,belt and cummerbund, socksand bow-lessshoes_l "Listen,"feter says."During the season,I play biseball to his hotel room tomorrow night, well aheadof time for the every day-that's all I do. Dur.ingthe off-season,when I go New York Baseball Writers'Dinner on Sunday.where Ieter will out, I havefun. But peoplernake up a lot of stuff about whit be honored year. as American LeazueRookie of th! I'm doingwhen I go our. ['r,ebeen at this placetill this hour, thatplace till thathour, and I wasn'teven tliere. Still," he says, ACK IN HIS STREETCLOTHES (TAN CORDUROYS. smilingagain, "New York'sa lot of fun. I wouldn't want to beigeknit lisherman'sshirt, behed black leather playanywhere else." coat),he goesdownstairs, posada wherehe and Fun actualand imagined.Now the Yankeevan driver ioshes meet the Yankee driver at the door, then cross Igter about Tyra Banks,and feter shakeshis head. "Tyra MadisonAvenue mid-block. Ieter has the lock Banks,"he says."Tyra Banksis [an] IMG [client], and i'm Walk:a_ shouldery swaggerthat, in his case,says IMG. So I go to a Knicksgame with my father,and TVraBanks more about youth and athletic self-confidenie is in theseat next ro mine.The next day all thepap"ri huueme than about personal arrogance.Nevertheless, it goin'a-ro_undwithTyra Banks, and they dont evenmention my is not an inconspicuous walk. The natureof his father." He shakeshis head again."That,s the only time I've famein New York at this momentis that in surprisevenues- everbeen with Tyra Banks." placeswhere just popsup, unexpected-it feter takesapproxi- More significantis that he was with his father.feter is ex- mately 1.8 secondsbefore he is recognized,with a aeiightea tremelyclose to his parentsand youngersister-he still calls smile,by a singlepasserby, and then roughly 1.j secondsuntil, hometo Kalamazooevery night. It is a very tightly knit family, by a mysteriousprocess akin to the behaviorof schoolsof fish an interracialfamily (feter'sfather is black, his mother lrish- or flocks of birds, the recognitionbegins to spreadamong American),with a strong drive toward sobrietyand achieve- strangerson the street.Fortunately for Jeter,by the time thii ment. Charlesfeter, who has a doctoratein soiial work, is a startsto happenon Madisonhe's safely ensconced inside a drug-and-alcoholcounselor in Kalamazoo;his wife, Dorothy,is white Plymouthminivan. its sliding door closingwith a solid an accountant.Derek grew up in an atmospherethat was both Detroit whunk. loving and rigorous:Even as he wasdistinguishing himself as a "They say 'l to me, don't want him on the street-don,t let b-aseballprodigy, bringing scoutsand agentss*arming into him walk aroundon the street,'" the driver says.feter shakes Kalamazoo,his parentsdemanded that he keepresular hours his head.Posada grins his mousegrin. and a high grade-pointaverage. A momentof york clarification.They, of course,are the New His upbringingcertainly accounts for extraordinary Yankees,who . feter,s are sensiblyprotective of their youngsupersrar, levelheadedness;at the sametime, it has preventedhim from z8 NEw r'oRK ApRrL 7, rggT -

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\,. tr/ growingup too fast.His first yearin the minor leagues,playing Der-ek! rookie-leagueball for Tampa,was almost ruined by a severe Greatyee-uh, man. bout of homesickness."l was miserable,"he says,unashamed- Greatseason. ly. "I had never beenaway from home exceptto stay over at my You the man. grandmother'shouse." He lost his confidenceat the plate-he leter! Look this way! batted .202-and in the field. "I'd never struggledplaying base- lee-ter! ball before,"he says."l didn't know anybody-it was about as Derek! bad as it could be." A tough femalesecurity guard standsby the table,oversee- The van turnsdown EighthAvenue. "Gonna be a mob scene ing each transaction."One item only!" she barks. "Quicklyl over there,"the driver says. Quickly!" "lt's Friday, twelve o'clock," feter says. "Aren't kids in Behind the table feter sits (his body looking powerful evenin school?" a folding chair), smilinga small,mildly ironic smile,and sign- "Derekl Derekfeter!" Posadasqueals, like a schoolgirl. ing, signing,signing. He signsbats, balls, photographs,pro- Jeternarrows his eyelidsand puffs air out his nose.The van grams,seat cushions, Wheaties boxes, home plates-even what swingsinto the Coliseum'sgarage, and the men get out. Even appearsto be a seat back from YankeeStadium. He writes his the jaded securityguys look excitedto seethe shortstop.leter loopy signaturein blue or black marker (on light-colored ob- walks into the Yankeelounge, a big, blank, windowlessroom jects),in gold or silvermarker (on dark-coloredobjects). The with fluorescentlights, a few chairsand couches,a tablealong fanshave one almost invariable request: "Could you put'Rook- thewall containinga ten-footsandwich. The room is slowlyfill- ie of the Yeaf?" they ask. "Could you write 'R.O.Y., '96?'" ing with Yankeesold and new: foe Girardi, PaulO'Neill, Bob- This is part of the juju: the talismanmust be complete. by Murcer,.The air is choppywith charisma. "Next up!" the guardbarks. foe Torre radiatestoughness and command,but also givesoff a A woman plops an infant on the counter.feter standsup and palpablesweetness: It's an odd, compellingmixture. He walks puts his facenext to the baby'sfor the Instamatic,giving a tight- by feter,smiling as if at an especiallypleasing son. "l had some- lipped almost-smile(his full grins are strictly private affairs). thing to tell you, but I can't remember,"he says,looking puz- "You the father!You the father!"a fan yells.The almost-smile zled."It must be my age." vanishes. Derekfeter goes out into the main room of the Coliseum.At A pretty, busty,HispanicJooking young woman with a tight the rear of the big room, parallelto the wall, is a long row of green blouseedges in, gazingmeaningfully at the shortstop, foldingtables, behind which will sit the players.In front of each smiling helplessly.She hands Jeteran orange envelope.He man is a long,cordoned aisle, like a cattlechute, in which fans glancesat her; shebacks off into the mob. He puts the envelope, will line up for autographs.This, in sum, is the Fan Fest.For which is marked IERSoNALAND coNFIDENTIAL in flowing script, five hours a day,for three daysin a row the fans churn through on the counter. the chutes;the playersshake hands and write their nameson Now somethingcatches Jeter's eye: a girl in the front of the variousobjects. It is a processboth dehumanizingand strange- crowd, maybe 12, staring at him and weeping.She's wearing a ly touching. An autograph is an odd artifact, both significant pinstriped Yankeejersey with a large 2 on it, feter's number. and meaningless,a mementoof a transactioncharged (but fi- She'sa skinny little creature,all quivering lips and puffy eyes, nally empty) for one party and cool and empty for the other. and she seemsgenuinely miserable. feter gesturesto a male ba. ttd \at \-e1

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And, in theseboom times for sportsmemorabilia, with fakesig- guard."Bring her back,"he says. naturesflooding the market,an autographis evenfinancially The girl is brought behind the counter.She can't take her eyes ambiguous. off feter,and shecan't stop weeping."Thank you so much," she fetersits down, and the floodgatesopen. The line beforehim keepstelling him. is bulging,roiling, clamoring, extending all the way to the back "What'syour name?"he asks. of the room and out the door.It is, by far,the biggestline in the "Danielle." She shakesher head helplessly."l waited thrce place.The linesare graphicrepresentations of fameand popu- hours to seeyou outside,"she says,sobbing. "My friendstold larity: BobbyMurcer and Mel Stottlemyreface modest queues; me I'd nevermeet you." BernieWilliams's is somewhatlarger. forge Posada sits before "They're at school-where you shouldbe," feter tells her. He's an emptyaisle. smilingslightly, a little bemusedby all this, but very cool, too. The P.A.system blares audio highlights from the '96 Series's And the fans are still coming, the lame and the halt and the final moments,interspersed with fight songsand unlovely, faces filled with an unspeakableyeaming. He tums hortatorycommercials for FanFest participants: awayto sign a few balls, then swivelshis chair back to Danielle. "Theone! The only! loe! Pepitone!!" "You all right?" he asksher. "You sure you don't want any wa- A perfunctorysmattering of applause. ter? Somebrownies or sandwichesor something?" "fohnny.. . . Blanchard!"Nothing. She shakesher head over and over, still staring at him. He Al1 the emotionin the room, all the adulationand passion, goes back to signing balls and photos. "I could die now," seemsto havefunneled into Derekfeter's line. It's asthough the Daniellesays. Coliseum had been lifted and tilted and everyonehad fallen Now a guy puts two baseballson the counter,glancing back over to one side:giggling girls and gawkingboys and blushing furtively at the guard. feter signsboth balls. middle-agedmen and lecherouslystaring women, pushing for- "Thanks, man," the guy says."Have a great year." ward, clamoringfor their Instamaticmoment, congratulating in feter turns to me. "He'll be booin' me if I go oh-for-two, New York voices: right?" he says.

NEw YORK APRlL 7, rggT With just ten home runs last year-too few for the upper crust of shortstopi-Jeter bulked up EveF the winter.

legeboys in the big city.Their seatsare in row WW, remarkably far back from the giant stage.feter bought the ticketshimself. The strikingfact of the matteris that, for the moment,nobody- leastof all feter himself-appears to be working Derek feter's reputationin the world at large.IMG can get him good seatsat Knicks games,but that appearsto be the sum of it. Would he evermention his nameover the phoneto get a good restaurant table?"Never," feter says,firmly. "l'm not that type. I just go, and whateverhappens, happens." The show, heavily amped and choreographed,has an overblown, distancedfeeling, as if it's taking place in a 747 hangar.Toni Braxton-a little like Whitney Houston with less rangeand more midriff-poses and pouts,her imageprojected on two giant screenson either side of the stage.But feter is pleased.He's a big Braxtonfan; he's also very fond of Mariah Carey.One senseshe hasboyish crushes. Since he and a longtime hometowngirlfriend broke up a year and a half ago,he's dated sporadically,but doesn'tseem much interestedin working his reputationin this respecteither. When I ask,later, whether he has a steadygirl thesedays, he shakeshis headglumly. "l needone," he says."l needsome help." During intermissionand beforeKenny G's set, there'sa dif- fuselittle security-controlledparty in a dim downstairslounge of the theater:the rumor is that Toni Braxtonmay show up. feter standsaround, a bottle of Evian in his hand, talking to (alsodrinking water) and a coupleof guyswho work for the Yankees.Gooden, in a fancywhite Nehru-collaredshirt, looks strongand healthy,but he also hasa wary,chastened air, as though being cleanand soberbeats the alternative,but isn't the most fun in the world. Neither is this party.Braxton nevel' appears.feter and his friendsgo backupstairs, sit out a little of KennyG's tootling,then exit betweennumbers and get backin- AT THE END OF THE LONG AFTERNOON.IETER AND POSADAGET to thewhite stretch.feter's off to meetup againwith his parents, back in a Yankeevan to return to their hotel, which is on Cen- who'vejust takenin Beautyand the Beast.Later, he and his two tral ParkSouth, less than a quarter-mileaway. As soonas the pals go to a club to sip sodasand listento hip-hopmusic. They van is out ofthe Coliseumand into 58th Streettraffic, the dri- return to their hotel alone. ver turns to Jeter."l'm sorryto inconvenienceyou, but could you signa coupleof pictures?"he asks. NEXT EVENING:THE BASEBALLWRITERS, DINNER, AT THE SHERATON. feterdoes an infinitesimaldouble-take. "No problem,"he says. In his Armani tux, feter sits on the dais alongwith three dozen The driver instantlyproduces a silvermarker; Jeter signs the pho- or so other luminariesof the presentand past.The after-dinner tos. The driver thankshim, then bringsout two . speechesare by turns windy,funny, painfully inarticulate,halt- ingly sincere,and-in the caseof Mrs. ,who's ATURDAY.YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, TUST BEFORE here to note the fiftieth anniversaryof her late husband's dropping feter off at his hotel, the van driver breakingthe color line in baseball-eloquent.When it comes told a quick, nastyanecdote about a well-known time for Derek feter to receivehis award, he stands,with no former Yankee,also attendingthe Fan Fest,be- visiblepiece of paperin his hand,and looksout at the audi- ing so drunk the night beforethat he had to be ence.I remembernow that in the Yankees'meeting room at carriedinto his hoteland deoosited in the bath- the Fan Fest, he turned down a P.R. person'soffer of a ple- tub. (Whythe bathtub?) In anycase. it wasnot written, shtick-lacedscript. "Naw, man," he said."I can't sa]' only a tale out of schoolbut one out of the Yan- that stuff." kee past, and, a year and a half after Mickey "I just want to say,")eter tells the audiencenow "that one of Mantle'sdeath, one that failedto amuse:feter did not react. the main rewardsof winning this awardis the opportunin to sit The Yankeepresent, Derek feter-style,is significantlydiffer- up herenext to a womanlike Mrs. Robinson." ent. Tonight,after anotherhard aftemoonat the Fan Fest,Jeter Who is this guy?Clean, graceful, polite, magnetic. and hugeh' is going out on the town. This remarkablychaste event may be talented:Is he too goodto be true?Or is he goodenough at all? takenas a replay,in miniatureand with slightvariations, of last Is he strongenough to carryon the athletictraditions of Di\lag- November'.After he finishessigning autographs, Jeter retums to gioand Mantle, or is hejust a passinggleam in theere of a hero- his hotel,showers and changes,and meetshis parentsand sis- starvedcity? The city expectsmuch. Derek feter seems almost ter for dinner.Next, he and |orge Posadaand former minor- purposefullyoblivious of this.'l think pressureis uhat tou put leagueroommate SeanTwitt]'-his companionsof Novem- on yourself,"he says."Nobody else can put pressureon ).ou-no ber-take a long white stretchlimo (sprungfor by feter)to a matterwhat the mediasays." Toni Braxton-KennyG concertat RadioCity. They get out of Perhaps.But the fact remainsthat if four voungYankees- the car and gawk around a little. When the crowd startsto BernieWilliams, , . and feter-live up gawkback at Jeter,he and his friendswalk into the theater. to expectations,a new New York dynastyn.ray be in the making, Jeterand his buddieslook avid,excited-like threebig col- And-no Dressure.Derek-but wouldn'tthat be fine? r

Photographby Focus On Sports. APRIL 7, I997 NE\\'YORK

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