TAMPA, Fla. -- There are certain days in every year that remind us that any resemblance between the New York Yankees and, say, the Devil Rays is purely coincidental.

Monday was another one of those days.

On other teams, spring-training mornings might start with a little extra batting practice, or maybe a special seminar on the 3-6-3 double play. The Yankees' morning Monday began with Derek Jeter wriggling through 10 camera crews to hold a press conference to deny that he's a party animal.

	Derek Jeter addresses the throng of media on Monday.

On other teams, spring-training afternoons might end with stretching and a round of golf. The Yankees' afternoon ended with more than 100 Japanese media -- and almost that many from our beloved continent -- gathered under a tent to welcome the Yankees' new left fielder, a man referred to by manager Joe Torre as "Mr. Matsui," to Legends Field.

Every circus needs its own tent. Only the Yankees always have one on hand whenever they need one.

"This," Torre said, "is what spring training is about with the Yankees ... a lot of stories."

And by that, obviously, he doesn't mean what are commonly referred to in some portions of the sports page by that technical term -- "baseball stories."

Oh, there may come a time this spring when people will focus on who will wind up as the fifth starter, or where Alfonso Soriano will hit, or what the heck long-lost talents like Nigel Wilson and Ben Rivera are doing in this camp. But we'll warn you now: It might take till St. Patrick's Day.

Hey, who can be bothered with that kind of trivia when you've got one of the game's great shortstops sitting in the dugout, saying stuff like: "Everywhere I go now, people are asking me about parties?"

Friends, we guarantee you this is a quote you won't be hearing from Angel Berroa in that high-profile Royals camp.

Of course, it's not one we're used to hearing from the always-guarded Jeter, either. But then, this winter, Boss Steinbrenner had to go question whether Jeter was being distracted by all "his other activities." The inference was that those other activities probably didn't include playing checkers and baking brownies.

The Boss specifically mentioned he wasn't happy to hear about Jeter being out at a birthday party until 3 a.m. And the next thing he knew, Jeter said, people were acting "like I'm Dennis Rodman."

Well, if anybody is confusing Jeter with Dennis Rodman to begin with, they need to adjust their video settings immediately. And if anyone ever sees Jeter in a pro wrestling match, we're hereby authorizing Steinbrenner to climb into the ring personally and bash him with a folding chair.

But we know how things can take on a life of their own, especially in Yankee Land. So Jeter eventually decided he had no choice but to call his own press conference Monday to restore his image.

We learned he'd met with Steinbrenner a couple of weeks ago to clear the air. They discussed what was said "for 10-15 minutes," Jeter reported. "Then he started bragging about Ohio State winning the (football) championship."

	"	This is what spring training is about with the Yankees ... a lot of stories. "
		— Joe Torre, Yankees manager

We learned that Jeter understands that this was just Steinbrenner's way of motivating a guy who had the nerve to only score 124 runs last year and then go a lousy 8 for 16 in the postseason. But Jeter also said, firmly: "I don't need any extra motivation. I only care about one thing -- and that's winning."

We learned that Jeter thinks Steinbrenner has every right to be irritated that the Yankees haven't won the World Series for two stinking years now: "Everyone's irritated," Jeter said. "He's irritated. I'm irritated."

We learned that Jeter claimed he wasn't irritated anymore with the principal owner, that his chief source of irritation now is a New York Daily News story last week under the headline, "Party On." Thanks to that headline, Jeter claimed, he's worried that fans everywhere "are thinking, 'All he wants to do is party.' "

And we learned that Jeter thinks the whole affair is over now -- and that he has no plans to get even with Steinbrenner, because "I don't how you can get back at The Boss," he said. "He's the owner of the team."

Hmm, good point. But Jeter did concede he was "my own biggest critic." And he admitted he isn't happy with himself after watching his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage decline in three straight seasons.

"Obviously," he said, "I know I can do better than what happened last year."

But when told about those remarks, Torre said he might have to have a conversation with Jeter to remind his shortstop that what has always made him special has little to do with numbers.

"He's never had numbers that jumped off the page," the manager said. "Not (when measured against) the numbers A-Rod has put up, or (Nomar) Garciaparra leading the league in hitting or the numbers (Miguel) Tejada has put up. I think Derek understands his value to this club."

The question it's fair to ask at this point is: Why doesn't Steinbrenner? But here in his (ahem) "mellow years," it's no fun for The Boss to direct his cannons at the Enrique Wilsons of his kingdom. He saves his shots for guys like Torre and Jeter -- guys whose profile is higher than the Empire State Building, guys who he may just know can handle it.

But if sniping at his most dependable people is Steinbrenner at his worst, then bringing in the Hideki "Godzilla" Matsuis of the world is Steinbrenner at his best.

There is a reason there is always a buzz about the Yankees, any day, any month, any year. And the signing of men like the Babe Ruth of Japan goes right to the heart of it.

"When you're a member of the Yankees," Torre said, "you get attention all over the world."

That's true even when the Yankees haven't just signed the highest-profile slugger in the Far East. But the fact that the Yankees, MLB officials and the Japanese media had to take actual time Monday to clear up whether it was legal to televise Matsui's batting-practice session the next day on live Japanese TV tells you it's more true now than ever.

It might not have dawned on most of America that Matsui's arrival is bigger than the coming of Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo or, quite possibly, any foreign-born player ever. But it sure has dawned on anyone who has spent 30 seconds around Legends Field this spring.

The gift shop was already sold out of Matsui souvenirs Monday -- and he hadn't even set foot on the stadium field yet. And the number of media reps just covering this one guy is about equal to the number covering Donald Rumsfield's Pentagon briefings.

Matsui, let us remind you, is a three-time Japanese Central League MVP who hit 50 homers last year and has made more home run trots the last four years (170) than Vladimir Guerrero (159). We don't know how his power will translate into American baseball yet. But that has nothing to do with his stature in Japan at the moment.

	"	When you're a member of the Yankees you get attention all over the world. "
		— Torre

He was the greatest slugger in Japan. He played for the Yankees of Japan -- the Yomiuri Giants. And by coming to America to play for the Yankees of New York, he has done nothing but increase his standing among his countrymen.

"In Japan," said Kyodo News sportswriter Yoric Kittaka, "everyone thinks he's more of a man for throwing away his career in Japan and coming here. It's just made him more popular."

So Matsui's every move is being chronicled by writers and photographers from 13 Japanese newspapers and two wire services, plus crews from six Japanese TV networks. That comes to more than 100 media reps in all. Which would be approximately 98 more than can fit into the ancient press box at Yankee Stadium.

And the size of the media crowd won't be the only issue. Among the questions Torre had to deal with Monday were: 1) Was there any significance to the fact that Matsui would play with the other starters in an intrasquad game next week? 2) Where would he bat in the lineup in that intrasquad game? And 3) how many home runs and RBI Torre was expecting from Matsui -- whom, oh by the way, he had never seen play.

On his own, Torre also felt the need to warn Matsui's countrymen that they shouldn't worry if he doesn't make all the road trips in spring training, and that "he'll get booed once in a while (in New York). That does happen."

In other words, if you think Steinbrenner now has placed Jeter under the microscope, then Matsui is under a bigger microscope than the entire amoeba population.

So Torre had a two-word message on how to deal with that microscope.

"Be patient," he told the Japanese media throng. "That goes for you .... and him."

But it also may have to go for the Yankees themselves. They were never big fans of the nightly media invasions to begin with. Now they're about to be visited by more troops than the Iraquis.

And one big reason for that is that Matsui, aside from his stature as a player, is known in Japan for being loose and personal with media and fans. He even said Monday he didn't mind his personal life being covered in the media "to a certain extent." (We pause now to give Jeter and David Wells time to find some smelling salts.)

When asked if it was fair that he would be the most scrutinized Yankee of them all, Matsui didn't even attempt to whine: "I think that's natural," he said. "It can't be helped."

Undoubtedly, there are many Yankee-hating Americans who think that all the attention heaped on this team can be helped. But the fact is, the Yankees and Boss Steinbrenner won't allow that. They just have a knack for being able to manufacture the Story of the Century -- pretty much every day.

You can love that Steinbrenner. Or you can hate him. But on days like Monday, you can't help but be reminded that he has built himself one heck of a monster. And by that, we don't mean Godzilla Matsui.

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.