Three thoughts

Two things that bode well and Jeter

There were 2 things that occurred last night that didn't necessarily affect the outcome but made me more sanguine about the post season.

Hafner hit a one-iron that had it been any lower would have gone through the wall.  I don't think that it is any surprise to readers here that we need at least an 80% version of his Pronkness.

The bullpen, especially Rafael left and JLewis, got their feet wet in non-pressure situations.  These guys are huge and I'm happy that they may have gotten some jitters out in this fashion.

Regarding Jeter, I lived in NYC and had endless debates that went like this:

Me:  "I love Derek Jeter and would kill to have him be my shortstop but he is not a plus defender because he can't  go to his left"

Them:  "Yeah but how many rings does he have!"

Last night there were three singles through the middle of which a "gold glover" gets to at least one if not two.  Jeter has no first step to his left and his cross-over footwork can be best described as an awkward skipping.  Go look at the highlights - this is especially clear on one of Lofton's singles.