Jeter stands as top banana in Big Apple

NEW YORK – He’s a New York icon, as much a part of the city as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

Successful, wealthy, good-looking, Derek Jeter is everything the Big Apple admires. These are his Yankees and this is his era.

So when he went a record-tying 5 for 5 in their postseason opener, an 8-4 victory over Detroit on Tuesday night, it was as much expected as surprising.

“Mr. Clutch. Mr. Perfect. Mr. November. Mr. October. All those things really apply to him,” the original Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, said by the batting cage before Game 2 was rained out Wednesday.

Since his Yankees debut in 1995, Jeter has become a fixture, much as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle before him. If Cole Porter were writing today, he might include Jeter in “You’re the Top,” alongside a Bendel bonnet and a Waldorf salad.

“How can you not like Derek Jeter?” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

Jeter is a king of the city, a permanent toast of a town that divides its athletes into heroes and goats, leaving little in between. His trust owns an 88th floor condominium in Trump World Tower, where he can view the city below, a king reviewing his domain. The real estate taxes for just the current six months alone run $34,903, according to New York City records.

When it comes to October, the only time of the year that really matters for many Yankees fans, he’s led the team to World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. It didn’t take him too long to learn that the ring’s the only thing.

“He just seems to just relish this atmosphere,” said Yankees manager Joe Torre, who often says he finds it hard to believe Jeter is now 32. “He’s been so big for us for 11 years here.”

He holds the postseason record for hits (147) and runs (84); he’s tied with Jackson and Manny Ramirez for third in RBIs with 48, trailing only Bernie Williams (80) and David Justice (63), and he’s tied with Jim Thome for fifth in homers with 17, behind only Williams (22), Ramirez (20), Mantle (18) and Jackson (18).