Anyone needing an explanation for why Yankee fans love Derek Jeter need only look at his measured response to David Ortiz’s pre-emptive whining about the upcoming MVP vote now that the Dead Sox are 10.5 out of first place:

“Don’t get me wrong — he’s a great player, having a great season, but he’s got a lot of guys in that lineup,” Ortiz said of Jeter. “Top to bottom, you’ve got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be.”

To that, Jeter replied “I don’t have to do it in his lineup.”

Oh no he di-unt!

“I’m not thinking about the MVP right now,” he told reporters Monday. “We’re thinking about winning a division. We’ve still got something to play for.”

Oh, SNAP!

He then added, “No one here’s focused on individual awards.”

Game, set, match. As cool as the other side of the pillow, Jeter pretty much hangs the otherwise likeable but suddenly, puzzlingly petulant Papi with the rope of his own words while pouring him a frosty glass of Shut the Fuck Up.

Yankee haters love to dwell on the high esteem in which Jeter’s held for the things that don’t show up in the box scores, the intangibles. It’s true Jeter’s raw hitting stats don’t hold a candle to Ortiz’s in this or any year — they’re completely different players, and vive la difference. I’m not even sold on the notion that Jeter deserves the MVP award; if I had to vote today I’d probably cast mine for Johan Santana first. But today Jeter’s delivered something that you can mark down in your scorebook, and I’ll wager that it’s remembered come ballot time.