Life in New York

I often scoff when people talk about the "pressure" of playing in New York. Not because playing there is the same as playing everywhere else -- it isn't -- but because I just don't think "pressure" is quite the right word. For some -- the telegenic, happy-go-lucky types -- the pressure can be less in New York than elsewhere because the press is more forgiving of such types, allowing them to get away with anything (see Lo Duca; Franco). What's more, if you win -- see Eli Manning -- all past sins are quickly washed away, and you may find yourself more celebrated by the New York press than you ever would in a place like Boston or Philly or Detroit. In other words, the "pressure" is not constant and not inevitable, and for every bad thing about it there is a corresponding benefit if things break just right.

But there certainly is a different sort of discourse in the Big Apple that, even if not properly thought of as pressure, is something that probably takes a lot of getting used to. Like this:

Derek Jeter has romanced Mariah Carey, squired Jessica Biel, sweet-talked Scarlett Johansson - and now he's made it to first base with the state taxman.

You just don't get that kind of stuff written about you if you play in Kansas City.