New York Yankees

And here it is ... yet another tribute to #2 ... courtesy of Red Sox superfan Ben Affleck.

Ben was out at a "Project Greenlight" event on Sunset last night when we asked if he's GLAD the NY Yankees superstar finally called it quits this season.

And that's when Ben got mushy -- "I like Derek Jeter a lot. I have a lot of respect for Derek Jeter."

He added, "It's nice that we're not playing against him."

Derek Jeter fans can literally buy the DIRT he walked on -- because a sports memorabilia company is selling a collage of "dirt capsules" obtained from the 30 ballparks where #2 racked up his 3,465 hits.

We spoke to Brandon Steiner from Steiner Sports, who tells us ... his people went from stadium to stadium collecting the dirt -- which was all authenticated by Major League Baseball.

And the price ... $359.99 per collage.

Artie Lange cares about one thing more than NY sports -- keeping it real when NY sports teams blow ... and the diehard Big Apple fan tells TMZ Sports his beloved Yankees are SCREWED ... especially with Alex Rodriguez coming back.

Lange was out in NY when we asked him the question on every Yankees fan's mind ... now that "Number 2" is out to pasture -- and he's showing the Bombers ZERO fanboy love.

Watch the clip -- Artie blasts everyone ... from A-Rod to Eli Manning. Yeah, he's that down on the state of Empire State sports.

Derek Jeter ain't getting married at Oheka Castle in NY today ... despite serious buzz.

We know various high end vendors had been contacted to work a "Derek Jeter event" at the historic location this weekend ... but it turns out, it's just not true.

There IS a wedding going down at the Castle tonight -- but the groom is not a future Hall of Famer ... he's the owner of a Crunch gym franchise in Florida ... which is still pretty baller ... but it's not Jeter.

Derek Jeter will be front and center at a MASSIVE secret party at a historic castle on Long Island this weekend, TMZ Sports has learned ... and now we're hearing buzz it could be a wedding.

Here's what we know ... the party is set to go down at the famous Oheka Castle -- which was used for the exterior shots of Charles Kane's mansion in the 1941 Hollywood flick "Citizen Kane."

Multiple sources tell us ... several high-end party vendors have been called in for a very important "Derek Jeter event."

Now here's where things get tricky -- we've spoken with multiple sources who tell us the event in question is a retirement party for #2 ... and other sources who SWEAR it's a wedding.

Of course, 40-year-old Derek has been dating 24-year-old supermodel Hannah Davis for the past couple of years ... but if they got engaged, they've done a helluva job keeping it a secret.

We reached out to Derek's people for comment -- so far, no word back.

Hannah Davis has a heart of gold -- she gave some out-of-work guy the time of day and a cup of joe today in NYC.

The S.I. swimsuit hottie walked out of a coffee shop in the West Village with the guy ... who was dressed in ratty jeans and a t-shirt. She even allowed the idle dude to chat her up for a while.

Clearly, he has nothing to do with his time.

Hannah was also flaunting a ring on her left hand. It doesn't appear to be an engagement ring, but she probably just wants the guy to think she's taken.

It might be the most special of all the Derek Jeter tributes -- TMZ Sports has learned the legendary Carnegie Deli in NYC will now offer a $28 sandwich to honor the Yankees captain.

So, what does one get for $28?

A rep for the deli tells us ... the "Derek Jeter Triple Club Sandwich" comes piled high with 2 classic meats (because he's #2) -- turkey and bacon.

Plus, several slices of American cheese -- with tomato and lettuce ... served on toasted white bread.

Mmmmmmmm.

The deli rep adds, "We chose American Cheese because nothing is more American than baseball."

Apparently Derek Jeter CAN do wrong in the eyes of Yankees fans ... so says Jerry Seinfeld who tells TMZ Sports ... #2 should NOT have played his final game in Boston!!!

It's a pretty big issue in the Yanks community -- a lot of New Yorkers believe Jeter should've hung up his cleats after his last game at Yankees Stadium last week ... and NOT played out the final games of the season at Fenway against the Red Sox.

Clearly, Seinfeld thinks Jeter chose poorly ... saying, "He should NOT have played in Boston. You don't owe anybody ANYTHING!"

Of course, Jeter got a standing ovation in Beantown ... with the crowd chanting his name ... but according to Jerry, the storybook ending went on a few pages too long.

The very first contract Babe Ruth negotiated with the NY Yankees is about to hit the auction block -- which specifically outlines the MLB legend was BANNED FROM BOOZE and had a 1 AM bedtime.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the contract -- hand-signed by George Herman Ruth on March 10, 1922 -- is being auctioned off by Goldin Auctions ... and the sellers tell us they're expecting to fetch over $1 mil.

The terms of the 3-year deal are pretty interesting ... Babe agreed to league-high $52k-per-season ... but there were a couple of catches.

For instance, Babe had to fork over a $30 deposit for his uniform and was not allowed to play any other sport while under contract.

But the big one ... a clause that was added which spelled out that Babe was to "refrain entirely from the use of intoxicating liquors and that he shall not during the training and playing season in each year stay up later than 1 o'clock A.M. on any day without the permission and consent of the club's manager."

At the time Babe signed the deal, he had already been with the Yanks for 3 years ... but was playing under the contract he signed with his previous team, the Boston Red Sox.

CC Sabathia took the celebrity chef craze to a new level for his 33rd bday party -- because the whole thing was catered by Three 6 Mafia member (and Oscar winner) DJ Paul ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The party for the Yankees pitcher was insane -- it all went down at Phil Maloof's mansion in L.A. back in the Summer ... and we're told it was packed with superstars like Joba Chamberlain, Derek Jeter, Carl Crawford and Chris Brown.

But according to multiple sources, the best part was the food -- and the man responsible was DJ Paul ... who moonlights as a private chef for a TON of famous people when he's not in the studio.

"I'm good friends with the Maloofs," Paul tells TMZ Sports ... "A lot of times they'll pay me to come cook for their celebrity parties ... which, with them, is often."

Paul says he's rocked the kitchen for stars like Michael Phelps, the New England Patriots, the Yankees, Dodgers and more.

So, what was on the menu for CC's bash?

"I made spaghetti with a vodka marinara, barbeque chicken, sausage, ribs, carne asada," Paul said ... "Chris Brown went crazy over the spaghetti with the vodka sauce."

Paul says his celebrity friends are usually shocked when they notice him in the kitchen at the A-list parties he caters -- "The first thing people say is, 'Oh s**t, this is good! Did you really make this?'"

He adds, "I love cooking. I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. All we do is eat ... eat and get diabetes."

If steroid-abusing Alex Rodriguez wants to be in Cooperstown, he's gonna have to buy a ticket like everyone else ... 'cause Frank Thomas says the guy will NEVER be enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame.

The Big Hurt -- who's getting ready to be inducted with the 2014 HOF class -- couldn't have been more clear about A-Rod's chances ... telling TMZ Sports there are only TWO guys from the PED era who deserve to be in the Hall.

As for Thomas, Frank says he's working on his own Hall of Fame speech ... and can't wait to be inducted by his 21-year-old son (who has the greatest nickname ever) ... The Little Hurt.

Check out the clip -- gotta love Frank's honesty.

Derek Jeter has had a legendary career ... and not just on the field.

During his 19-year run with the Yankees, #2 took down more 10s than anyone else in pro sports ... chicks like Jessica Alba, Adriana Lima, Minka Kelly ... and the list goes on ... and on ... and on.

So even though he's retiring from baseball, it's clear Jeter will keep knockin' it out the park for years to come.

Derek Jeter just announced ... he's retiring after one final season with the New York Yankees.

Jeter just posted his explanation on Facebook ... saying, "I could not be more sure. I know it in my heart. The 2014 Season will be my last year playing professional baseball."

He continues, "For the last 20 years I've been completely focused on two goals: playing my best and helping the Yankees win. That means that for 365 days a year my every thought and action were geared toward that goal. It's now time for something new."

The 39-year-old continues, "I want to soak in every moment of every day this year, so I can remember it for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I want to help the Yankees reach our goal of winning another championship."

Back in November, Jeter agreed to take a pay cut ... and signed a 1-year deal for 2014 that will pay him $12 million.

9:05 AM PT -- MLB is lashing out against Alex's lawsuit -- calling it "nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement."

MLB adds, "While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation.”

A-Rod has come out swinging by filing a lawsuit against Bud Selig and MLB, claiming they paid off the star witness against the Yankee slugger ... paid him millions of dollars to help force A-Rod out of baseball.

The suit claims Selig and MLB paid $5 million to Anthony Bosch, head of the Biogenesis Clinic -- the place A-Rod allegedly went to in order to obtain undetectable steroids.

The upshot -- A-Rod believes the testimony is tainted by the hefty price tag.

The suit claims A-Rod has been unfairly targeted for a 211-game suspension -- which A-Rod's lawyer claims is a witch hunt.

The suit claims Selig and MLB interfered with A-Rod's contracts and business relationships.

Sources connected with A-Rod tell TMZ he's been tested for performance enhancing drugs 11 times since 2011 and they've come up clean every time.

Christopher McDonald earned his Yankees fan pinstripes last night by being the coolest guy ever when an obnoxious fan interrupted his night at the Stadium.

It went down during the late innings of future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera's final game at Yankee Stadium ... so an important game for a native New Yorker like Christopher to enjoy without being disturbed.

But you gotta see how he handled a young lady -- who may or may not have been over-served ... and wanted nothing more in life than to have a photo with Shooter McGavin. Total class act.

As the beer lady put it during the clip ... "Last call, last call!!"

Hey Chris, at least the fan left before Mariano took the mound.

Alex Rodriguez -- who signed a $275 million contract with the Yankees in 2007 -- is now pinching pennies by downsizing in a spectacular way.

A-Rod -- who dumped his $30 million oceanfront Miami palace -- just bought a nearby condo for $2.1 million -- around 15 times cheaper than his previous digs.

And when we say it's modest, we mean it. The "luxury" condo, purchased last month, is 1,725 sq. ft with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms -- a broom closet in ARod's world.

The Miami mansion was a comfortable 19,861 sq. ft., with 9 bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms (plus 2 half bathrooms), a 4-car garage, a state of the art security system with 16 cameras, and a Zen garden.

A-Rod appears to be gearing up for a long winter in an uncertain future.