Minka Kelly trading Jeter's Yankees cap for a Fez

It sounds like Derek Jeter won't need an extra toothbrush in his St. Petersburg mansion during spring training this year.  The New York Daily News reported that the New York Yankees former squeeze Minka Kelly was spotted being squired around a Hollywood club by Wilmer Valderrama— better known as the character Fez on "That '70's Show."

Sources told the Daily News that, on Saturday night, Valderrama exited Beacher's Madhouse to escort Kelly and her friend inside the club.

The 32-year-old Valderrama— who besides the sit-com is mostly known for being a Hollywood Lothario last seen dating 19-year-old Demi Lovato— stayed by the side of Kelly all night.

The source reported that the pair was careful about not appearing too affectionate in the celebrity hangout.

Kelly— whose "Charlie's Angels" series was cancelled after a few episodes last season— was spotted in Paris with the Yankees shortstop this winter after they reportedly broke up.  They haven't been seen together since.

Jeter is currently at the Yankees spring training camp in Tampa.

A friend of Valderrama's told the Daily News said the actor and Kelly "are getting to know each other" right now.

Derek Jeter's Ups and Downs in 2011

It's a pretty common for a lot of men to wish they were Derek Jeter— probably a few women too.  Who wouldn't want to be the starting shortstop of the New York Yankees?  Rich, handsome, athletic and the idol of thousands of fans. There wasn't too much not to like about the basically untarnished image of the Yankees Captain until 2011 rolled around.

There was a lot of good, bad and great things for Jeter in 2011.

The past year was probably the most turbulent and public twelve months in both Jeter's personal and baseball life.  The virtuous Jeter started showing a few chinks in his armor.

Coming off the Yankees losing to the Texas Rangers in the 2010 ALCS, Jeter ushered in 2011 after contentious contract negotiations with the Yankees— the only pro team he has ever played for.

The leaking of the private negotiations led to a public feud with GM Brian Cashman and Hal and Hank Steinbrenner and left a bitter taste in Jeter's mouth.  A three-year, $51 million deal was deemed an overpayment by many for the 36-year old player on his last legs.

At a press conference, Jeter bared his fangs but tempered his anger at how the talks were handled by management. 

Not a good way to start the new year even with 51 million reasons to be happy.



Even the good people next door started to sour on Jeets.

There was the completion of his $7.7 million mansion in St. Petersburg, Florida which had his neighbors crying foul.

"St. Jetersburg," as it became known was being called a monstrosity with nearby residents complaining that it would become a bigger attraction than Disney World and there would fans and photographers cruising up and down their palmetto-lined streets.

Even Hal Steinbrenner used the eight bathroom home to backhandedly disparage his player during contract talks by saying some people "are too busy building mansions."

Jeter signed the contract and did what he does best— work hard.  He even headed down to training camp a few weeks early to work with hitting coach Kevin Long.

The extra practice did nothing for Jeter and, by his 37th birthday in June, he was lugging around a sub-par .260 average with 2 home-run offense while he stoically pursued his 3,000 career hit.

Dropped from the lead-off spot down to No. 2 and then near the bottom of the order, fans started to count the days until his benching more than how many games until he got number 3,000.

Pulling Jeter from the lineup came from an unexpected source.  An injury to Jeter's calf put him on the 15-day DL for the first time since 2003— only six hits from the milestone 3,000.

Eduardo Nunez filled in capably for Jeter at the plate but was pretty much a disaster in the field and, still,some fans started to think he was Jeter's heir apparent.

Jeter came back from the sprained calf with a vengeance and— on July 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays— became only the 28th player in major league history to get his 3,000th career hit.

He did it like only Jeter and Hollywood could script it with a dramatic home run before going 5-for-5 on a glorious summer day in front of his family with girlfriend Minka Kelly sitting in a luxury box in Yankee Stadium.

But even after "The Natural" moment there was controversy to follow.

Christian Lopez, the man who caught the valuable ball, was awarded box seats and autographed memorabilia from the Yankees team for the prized possession.  Some people thought Lopez got screwed but he insisted he was more than happy to give the ball back to his favorite player.

Things got better again.

After all the hub-bub about the 3K ball, the batting slump subsided and Jeter was named the "Most Popular Male Athlete" in a Harris poll.

The glory was once again short-lived after the 11-time All-Star infuriated baseball fans when he snubbed the All-Star game to rest his calf in Florida.  Many thought he didn't even deserve to make the team anyway.

The came fall, and things started to turn for the worse.

Rumors that Jeter's longtime squeeze Kelly started circulating that the sexy actress was having an affair with one of her co-stars on the set of the television series "Charlie's Angels."  Losing the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers in five games had to hurt just as bad.

In November, the rumors of a breakup with Kelly became reality then followed by gossip pages filled with stories of Jeter's one-night stands and the love-em-and-leave-em bachelor giving his conquests autographed baseballs and a limo ride home after a night of passion.

 After all, anything Jeter was valuable.

They even auctioned off the foul ball he hit right before his historic 3,000th hit.  The FOUL ball!

Jeter is valuable in charitable ways too.  Last month, a Long Island  judge, who knew Derek's father Charles, asked him a favor to help brighten a traumatized young boy's— he had been stabbed— life by sending him some signed gear.

Jeter obliged and even offered the youngster a box seat for an upcoming Yankees game.  A real Pride of the Yankees moment.

Throughout 2011, we saw many new dimensions to the extremely private Derek Jeter.

The once enigmatic figure was at times vulnerable, angry, broken-hearted, limping, caring and kinky— sometimes in swift succession and— through the ups-and-downs— for all the world to see.

From being called a has-been to achieving the milestone of his career or planning a life together with someone to having the breakup played out in public— it was quite a year for the Yankee.

But, it sounds like Jeter's year is going to end on a high note.

If you didn't already see it splashed across the gossip pages, Jeter was spotted rekindling his romance with Kelly in —where else— Paris.

His one-nighters get a swag bag.  Kelly gets the City of Lights.

No matter what, it's still good to be Derek Jeter.

Jeter Ends Romantic Nights With A Signed Memorabilia Kiss-Off

New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter has been bedding a slew of women since his public breakup with longtime girlfriend Minka Kelly and—after a one-night stand together— sends his new conquests home with gift baskets of autographed souvenirs, according to the New York Post.

 New York City's most eligible bachelor's romantic nights and cold sendoffs became public after Jeter gave one woman the same parting gift twice—after forgetting she had spent the night with him before at his Trump World Tower bachelor pad,  a Jeter friend told the Post.

My guess is she didn't want to be known as his 3,000th hit.

"Derek has girls stay with him at his apartment in New York, and then he gets them a car to take them home the next day.  Waiting in his car is a gift basket containing signed Jeter memorabilia, usually a signed baseball," the friend said.

"This summer, he ended up hooking up with a girl he had hooked up with before, but Jeter seemed to have forgotten about the first time and gave her the same identical parting gift, a gift basket with a signed Derek Jeter baseball," the friend said.

Call it swag for a shag.  Only this time he re-gifted.

"He basically gave her the same gift twice," the friend continued.  "Because he'd forgotten hooking up with her the first time!"

That must be a lot of women because I bet the future Hall-of-Famer can remember his batting average and number of hits against every single pitcher (1171 when Jeter got to 3K) he's faced.

The notoriously private shortstop usually guards his All-American image and marketability tooth-and-nail.  The breakup with actress Kelly must have rocked his stable world because the Post reports he has hooked up with a bevy of woman since the summer.

The 37 year-old Yankees' Captain shies away from public places and the bright lights of Manhattan and reportedly prefers to host private cocktail parties in his million dollar apartment with close friends. 

"He normally doesn't go out with girls.  He will have them come over to his house.  He'll have cocktail parties," another friend said.  "His friends invite girls they think he'll be interested in.  He's very shy."

So don't expect the Kardashians to be dragging their cameras and cabooses to Jeter's place anytime soon.

"He'll occasionally take girls to a restaurant.  He has a couple of restaurants that he goes to that aren't trendy," said the pal.

"I know he's been dating multiple girls.  He likes a hole in the wall, or he likes  a place that his friends own," the friend explained.  "He's very cautious.  He'll only go out on off nights."

After that, he sneaks the women into his apartment, said the Post.

"The girls go through the back door entrance to Trump World Tower to avoid the paparazzi," continued the friend.  "He broke up with Minka in the summer and is definitely over her.  He's playing the field."

A signed baseball might seem a little cold after a night of hot passion, but they can bring big bucks on the Internet.

Jeter's autographed baseballs can bring in hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the memorabilia market.

Neither Jeter nor the Yankees returned calls according to the Post.

A lot of people think Christian Lopez got screwed by the Yankees when he returned the home-run ball that Jeter got his milestone 3,000th hit with in July, but at least the generous fan got four season-tickets out of the deal.

Derek Jeter Rekindling Romance With Minka Kelly

The thought of clomping around the halls of his St. Petersburg mansion all alone this winter must have gotten to Derek Jeter so the New York Yankees star flew down to Miami to meet with his ex-girlfriend actress Minka Kelly and try to patch things up.

According to the New York Post, the Yankees shortstop met with the "Charlie's Angels" star at Morgan's South Beach on Sunday and were spotted "laughing and having a fun breakfast together."

For Jeter, the sight of his sexy ex-flame has to wipe out the final image of the Yankees disappointing season-- Alex Rodriguez striking out against Jose Valverde.

"They met up to try and figure it out," a source told the the Post.  "They are trying to see what the future holds for them.  They may eventually get back together.  This was not some sort of final conversation and meeting between them."

Jeter and Kelly split up in August after three years as a couple.  She was last seen in Yankee Stadium, hanging with his family in a luxury suite, when Jeter got his historic 3,000th hit.

It had been reported that Kelly was getting cozy with her "Charlie's Angels" co-star Ramon Rodriguez-- but that talk has been dismissed by both parties.

"They are simply just friends," the Post reported. "There's nothing beyond that."

Last week, Rodriquez (R-Rod) hastily left before a television interview after a promo on the show mentioned the rumored romance with Kelly.  The show claims, " He didn't want to talk about his co-star and left before his segment was scheduled to air."

Sources told the Post that Jeter and Kelly split because she was spending more time in Miami filming the show while Jeter was battling through a slump and in the middle of the AL East division race.  They insist no other parties played a part in the breakup.

Jeter now has the whole winter to woo back his former-love and might have to hang around south Florida a lot more.

"Charlies Angels" isn't exactly a ratings blockbuster, but it's got better legs than Jorge Posada.

Letterman To Minka Kelly: "I always wanted to date Derek Jeter"

Last night on "The Late Show," David Letterman expressed his own yearning-- and the desire of millions of New York women-- to have dinner and catch a flick with New York Yankees star Derek Jeter.

While interviewing Jeter's ex-girlfriend Minka Kelly, Letterman-- a die-hard Yankees fan-- gushed about the shortstop and said, "I've always wanted to date Derek Jeter."

To which Kelly laughed and said, "I know."

Letterman was only joking, but that segment of the interview seemed to make the actress a little uncomfortable.

Jeter, New York's favorite son, and Kelly broke up a few weeks after the Yankees' "Captain" got his milestone 3,000th hit.  It was later reported-- but not confirmed-- that she was involved with a co-star.

It was only a matter of time before Letterman veered from Kelly's real reason for appearing-- to promote her new TV show, "Charlie's Angels," and ask the sexy actress about her three-and-a-half year relationship with Jeter.

"I know you were in a romantic relationship with Derek Jeter," prodded the host.  "It must have been great fun."

"He's a tremendous guy," Kelly shyly replied.

That's when Letterman jokingly made the great reveal.

Kelly was a good sport for appearing in a city where Jeter can basically do no wrong then face one of the Yankees' biggest fans on TV.

The Yankees, meanwhile, had just won the AL East division title earlier in the night after sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays.

I'm sure Jeter was too busy celebrating to watch.

R-Rod Replaces A-Rod As Derek Jeter's Newest Antagonist

After the announcement of Derek Jeter's breakup with his long-time girlfriend Minka Kelly last week, much was made of the actress getting cozy with her "Charlie's Angels" co-star Ramon Rodriguez.

Jeter is used to being in the headlines and has weathered media storms before but this seems different.

Remember Jeter getting dissed by his new teammate in a magazine article like Alex Rodriguez did to the Yankees captain when A-Rod first joined the team.   Unlike that, the breakup publicity has got to be bothering the Yankees shortstop.

Jeter had one of his best seasons after A-Rod was quoted saying things like "He [Jeter] has never had to lead" in the 2001 Esquire piece.  "He" was an All-Star and batted .311 that season.

Since the breakup announcement, Jeter is 3-for-16 with one run scored and his average is heading south of .300.

R-Rod reportedly spent many a long night inside Kelly's film-set trailer lending a sympathetic ear to the heartbroken starlet.  Yeah, I've heard that one before.

All A-Rod did was spend many a long night inside his hotel rooms checking himself out in the mirror.

According to the New York Daily News, R-Rod and Kelly have been spotted in Miami together; while they film scenes for the new television series, which is debuting in the fall.  It is a remake of the iconic '70's series.

Yesterday, the former "Saturday Night Lights" beauty and the 31 year-old R-Rod were spotted huddled together under an umbrella as they headed back to their trailers.

What's really unbelievable is that beefcake Rodriguez is reprising the role of Bosley.  Wasn't he originally played by the character actor David Doyle in the first series?

I bet Jeter wishes the doughy Doyle was still playing the part.

Derek Jeter Spends All-Star Break in South Beach With Minka Kelly

The 82nd All-Star Game is over and the New York Yankees first 3,000-hit Club member, Derek Jeter,  didn't make a surprise appearance at Chase Field as many had rumored.  Instead, Jeter skipped the mid-summer classic to rest his strained calf and relieve the pressure of getting the milestone hit with his long-time girlfriend Minka Kelly.

Jeter was spotted hanging out in Miami with the 31 year-old actress this week.  The couple was seen having lunch and cuddling in the trendy South Beach area, only a baseball toss away from where Kelly is filming the new "Charlie's Angels" television series.

What better way to relieve pressure than for Jeter to opt for snuggling with a Hollywood angel over facing the Los Angeles baseball kind like Jered Weaver.

Jeter hasn't made too many comments regarding his controversial snub of the All-Star Game, after getting his historic 3,000th hit,  but plenty of others have come to the elected All-Star's defense.

"I have no problem with Derek Jeter," said Commissioner Bud Selig, according to the New York Post.  "I've known him for 15 years; he's always done the right thing.  I completely understand the situation.  And to tell you the truth, I probably would have done the same thing myself."

Jeter's teammate, Curtis Granderson echoed the sentiment.

"We understand where he is coming from," said the All-Star centerfielder.  "The most important goal is for the team, to go ahead and be healthy for the later part of the season, which is obviously the most important, which is what the  fans want to see."

Jeter picked up his 3,000th hit with a dramatic home-run on Saturday and there was speculation the twelve-time All-Star would still make it to last night's celebration, even if it was only to throw out the first ball. 

Now we know the Yankees Captain instead headed to Florida for some love during the three day break.