Today’s news is powered by the (Yankees’) quest for the Holy Grail:

• More of Jeter’s own perception of his future:

Jeter joked to Joe Girardi the other day that he could see himself being a designated hitter for five more years after he stops playing short, saying that DH duties are “easier” because “you only have to worry about one thing.” A handful of reporters were talking with Jeter on Wednesday when one asked him if he could see himself being a DH at age 41 – six years from now.

“You’ll see me at short still,” Jeter said without a hint of humor in his voice.

After riding Jeter’s defensive ability for years, the stat-heads have decided this season that he’s actually a pretty good shortstop. I asked Jeter if he felt like he was playing any better in the field this year than he ever has, and his answer was typical Jeter: “I don’t know. It’s not over yet.”

Then, he added, “I just try to be consistent. I don’t sit around and rate my seasons. That’s your job, right? I feel good. That’s pretty much all I can say.”

• Six bullets left in the Chamberlain:

Because (Joba) Chamberlain threw only 100 innings last season, the Yankees intend to limit his innings to guard against injury. Chamberlain has thrown 126 innings so far. Six more starts would likely put him around 165.

“We sat down and figured out a plan that works for both of us as far as keeping it as regular as possible,” Chamberlain said. “It gives my arm the rest that this whole thing is for, so it all worked out great. Mentally, for me to know that this is the plan for the rest of the year, it’s definitely calming.”

. . . Come the postseason, Chamberlain will be used as a starter with no limitations.

• A-Rod’s batting woes:

A-Rod has struggled since his big swing against Boston, batting .188 (6-for-32) with one RBI in nine games including an 0-for-4 performance with two strikeouts Wednesday night.”I’m certainly not pressing,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been dealing with what I’ve been dealing with physically, just doing the best I can. Being in the mix, you want to score runs, get on base and see a lot of pitches. Just help the team win.”

His recent ineffectiveness could be related to the Shawn Camp pitch that drilled him on the left elbow a week ago – he missed two games with elbow and back problems stemming from the plunking – but Joe Girardi doesn’t believe that’s the case. “I don’t think it’s physical,” the manager said. “I just think he’s going through a spell that all hitters go through.”

A-Rod was hit on the same elbow again on Tuesday, and while he said it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did when he was hit last week, he said that his arm felt “so-so” before last night’s game.

[My take: Good grief . . . you’ve got $270 million still invested in him, and a huge lead in the division (and wild card) . . . let him sit for 3 days in a row.  Is Girardi making the calls here?  Is the training staff looking the other way?]

• Baseball Prospectus has a really interesting (at least to a biz of baseball/economics geek like me) analysis of team payroll efficiency.   Here’s their bottom line on the Yanks’ bottom line (after stating that they are about average in terms of marginal revenue per win):

. . . the marginal returns clearly diminish very quickly after about $120-$130 million (which is where the Red Sox usually are), and the Yankees could obviously win a lot of games with a $150 million payroll, if managed correctly. That they’re about average seems right—when you spend fifty percent more than anybody else, you probably should win 101 games.

• Gimme an S . . . gimme a T . . . gimme an E:

What school would have a course entitled BOSS? None other than Steinbrenner High School, where opening day is Tuesday in Lutz, Fla., near the home of Yankees patriarch George Steinbrenner.

The $60 million structure in Hillsborough County is fairly state of the art, and there are reports that some parents have been angling to stretch the boundaries to have their children included in the district. There are no empty seats to be had in this structure, where nearly 2,000 students will report.

To quickly clear up any misconceptions, Steinbrenner did not buy his way into naming rights, though his largely financial “good deeds” certainly earned him the honor.

Steinbrenner High will have the usual subjects of English, math and science, but will kick it up a notch with offerings for students preparing for a career in sports. Sports marketing, sports medicine and the business of sports (BOSS), including George’s specialty of entrepreneurship, will be available in Grades 9-12.  . . .

The athletic teams, called the Warriors (Yankees was considered) will wear navy and gold uniforms (no names, of course) and, perhaps owing to the marketing sense of its namesake, school T-shirts are in pre-order for $10.

[My take: Hey . . . is there a moat around the good seats at the Warriors’ field?]

• John Wetteland turns 43 today.  The Yanks just about stole  him from the Expos in April ’95 (for Fernando Seguignol and cash).  He proceeded over the next two years to compile 74 saves while allowing only 94 hits in 125 IP for the Yanks.  He notched 7 saves during the Bombers’ 1996 post-season run to the title.
• John Ellis turns 61 today.  Ellis was a part-time C/1B for the Yanks in the early 70s, before being included in the deal to the Indians for Graig Nettles.
• On this date in 1991, Yankees OF Bernie Williams fans five consecutive times in a 7-4 loss to the Royals to tie the major league mark for a 9-inning game. He’s consoled by Yankee hitting coach Frank Howard, one of the 28 batters who share the mark.

See you Monday!