If this is goodbye, it was REALLY good

There Jorge Posada was Saturday, waving his arms in front of the Yankees' dugout. He was calling for his teammates to join Derek Jeter behind home plate during the Yankees' pregame ceremony to honor their captain for his 3,000th hit.

Cheerleader has been Posada's main job since last Sunday, when manager Joe Girardi revealed that the former catcher's time as the Yankees' lefthanded-hitting DH was over, too.

On a day when the Yankees gave Jeter expensive presents, Girardi gave Posada the greatest gift of all: the chance to DH against Tampa Bay righthander Jeremy Hellickson.

Expectations were low. Posada was hitting eighth and hadn't had an at-bat in a week. But three hits -- including a grand slam -- and six RBIs turned Jeter's day into Posada's day in the Yankees' 9-2 victory.

It seemed fitting that Jeter's best friend on the Yankees should grab the spotlight. Jeter doesn't need any more spotlight right now. Posada does, badly.

"I'm extremely happy for him,'' Jeter said. "Jorge has a lot of pride. You're talking about someone that's used to playing every day for a long time. He's been working extremely hard. He had a huge day. That's not easy to do when you haven't played for a while, to come in and be productive.''

From starting catcher last October to bench player by August, Posada's decline has been steep in what undoubtedly will be his final season as a Yankee. It has been awkward and at times contentious, with Posada angrily asking out of the lineup when he was slotted ninth in May against Boston, leading to a 24-hour brouhaha of tabloidic proportions.

Since that episode, Posada has acted professionally as reality has closed in around him. He got a fair chance in the next few months and didn't hit well enough to keep even a part-time DH role. With less than a month left before rosters expand, the Yankees are doing him a favor by keeping him around instead of releasing him.

Or are they? The last thing they would want is for Posada to hook on with another club and get hot. Something tells us the Red Sox, who love to tweak the Yankees so much that they made an offseason offer to Mariano Rivera, would at least kick the tires if Posada suddenly was available. And if he became miffed enough at the Yankees . . .

But that's not going to happen, not after Saturday. He's here to stay, and he's going to start again Sunday.

"I said to him that day in Boston that he still was going to play a role on our team,'' Girardi said. "I meant it . . . This guy is a beloved Yankee and we all love him. At times, it's been a struggle for him, but he has never stopped working. For that, I'm extremely proud of him.''

Posada's situation certainly has touched a nerve with the fans. He was greeted with an enthusiastic ovation before every at-bat Saturday. Yankees fans are hip-hip-Jorge enough to recognize that his days here are numbered. They are treating each appearance as part of a farewell tour.

"They've been so supportive,'' Posada said. "The fans are a big reason why I love playing the game -- and especially here. They deserve a lot of credit. They supported me all through my career and I think after the first hit, they really were a big part for me today.''

Imagine the fans' glee when Posada lined a two-run single to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the second. And when he singled with one out in the fourth. But that was nothing compared to the eruption when he drove Brandon Gomes' 2-and-0 pitch into the lower deck in right for a grand slam and a 7-0 lead.

The fifth-inning shot was his first homer in 84 at-bats. It led to a curtain call -- the final confirmation of just whose day it really was. "The fans appreciate everything he's done,'' Jeter said. "He's been a fan favorite for quite some time. It's probably a special moment for him.''

That Posada came up twice in the first five innings with the bases loaded and what he did in those situations tells us that the baseball gods might not be done with him yet. Even if the Yankees will be soon enough.