One...two...THREE HITS!!! Jeter and 2721

You never know when you may, as George once said of Kramer, "stumble ass backwards" into history. You might go to a game on a whim and see a team's first cycle in 14 years (August 2, Melky Cabrera). And you might buy tickets for a random September game six months in advance and witness something not seen in 70 years.

Translation: It's been a good last couple Yankee games for me.

I imagine, though, that last night was a little better for the captain, Derek Jeter, who came into the game three hits shy of Lou Gehrig's team record of 2,721. Jeter was mired in an 0-for-12 slump, his worst of the season, and it looked like the record would have to wait until at least the weekend.

But from the first pitch he saw, Jeter was a man on a mission. Noticing that Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria was playing well back, he laid down a perfect drag bunt and sped down the line, breaking his hitless streak and energizing a crowd that badly wanted to witness history.

Each time Jeter came up, the fans got louder and the atmosphere grew more electric. When the Yankee shortstop laced a double to center field in the fifth inning, the place went wild, and for the next 45 minutes everyone paid a cursory attention to the game and waited for Jeter's next at-bat.

As he's done his entire career, Jeter didn't disappoint. Swinging at the first pitch again, he lined a shot past Tampa Bay first baseman Chris Richard for a clean single.

You know when it's your birthday, and you really really really (really really) want that one present, and then you open your gifts and there it is? That's the way we reacted. The pandemonium in the crowd and the lightshow from thousands of flashbulbs overcame everything, and we screamed ourselves hoarse for Derek Jeter, who finally allowed himself to bask in the moment. It was, in a word, incredible. My goosebumps had goosebumps.

When Jeter came up in the eighth with a chance to break the tie with Gehrig, the tension was palpable in the new Stadium, which braced for its first record. But reliever Grant Balfour walked Jeter on seven pitches, leading to a cascade of boos. The Yankee shortstop won't stand alone until at least Friday, but none of the 45,848 fans were really complaining. We'd seen our share of history.

I'm not going to extol the virtues of Derek Jeter or compare him to Yankees of eras gone by. I'll let the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro and the Daily News' Tim Smith do that. And I encourage all of you to comment on this post and give your take on Jeter and the record.

I will simply say that last night was one of my proudest moments as a New Yorker and a Yankee fan. Jeter epitomizes what it means to be a baseball player, on and off the field, and he deserves every word of praise -- and more. To see him atop the hits list of the most prolific franchise in baseball history was a moment I will never forget.

One more thing: Espn.com's Bill Simmons called Jeter "a washed up shortstop with no range" before the season started. How do you feel now, Bill?