Were we fools to think Jeter could come back so soon?

Remember that collapsed deal in mid-2010, when we almost traded Jesus Montero to Seattle for Cliff Lee? It died because a promising Yankee 2B prospect  named David Adams had broken his ankle - not sprained it, as originally believed, and the Mariners pulled out. (Also, I think their fan base rebelled against the deal when it was made public; they didn't want to help the hated Yankees, so the organization got frozen-feet; I can't prove this, of course, but I believe it.)

Well, it took Adams the better part of 18 months to return to form, and he is now just 25. (He's playing 3B for Scranton, by the way, and hitting about .350 in the tiny sample.) He's no longer on the 40-man protected roster.

Two years ago, a promising Yankee kid named Ravel Santana slid into 2B in the Gulf Coast League and broke an ankle. He still isn't the same. Maybe never will be.

Oh well, prospects come and go. Every team in baseball has a Top 20 list touted by slobbery blogger who have never once watched them play.

But why did we think Jeter, pushing 39, could come back in six months?

Well, the answer is easy: He's Derek Effing Jeter. He's been magic all his career. The flip, the dive, Mr. November, Mariah Carey. He's as close as we'll ever get to Minka Kelly. He owns the entire west coast of Florida. He remains one of the two active Yankee Gods, the other being Mariano. If God says six months, dammit, we agree... six months.

But now, it looks more like ten. And if Jeter pulls that off, he'll still be outdoing athletes who were 15 years younger, while playing a position that 38-year-olds do not play. Yankee fans like to say, you don't bet against Jeter. They're right: He's great, he's wonderful, blah-blah-blah.

Listen: There's only one thing you don't bet against... Time. And it's not on our side. We're hoping this team of retreads can hold the line until the stars return - pretending that time is on our side.  Never think that. It's not.