On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine made some comments about Derek Jeter’s play on Jeremy Giambi in the 2001 AL Division Series between the Yankees and Athletics. Largely irrelevant to today, Valentine’s remarks appeared intended to fire up the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry.

Wednesday, Jeter and his teammate Alex Rodriguez (who wasn’t a Yankee in 2001) responded. Or, more correctly, didn’t.

Jeter:

“What do I think?” he said. “I don’t think anything. I really don’t. I have no thoughts whatsoever. I mean, who cares? Why are we talking about this? They must be bored over there. I don’t understand.”

A-Rod:

“I’m not going to win many battles when it comes to words,” Rodriguez said. “Especially against Bobby.”

In case you think Jeter wasn’t kidding about not caring, he added:

“I’m indifferent,” Jeter said. “I mean, really. Think about it. We don’t practice it? We do. You guys see it, so I mean, what else can I say? I was out of position? I was where I was supposed to be.

There hasn’t been a single spring training game yet played by either of these teams, and yet we have a war of non-words going on. Fascinating. Here are two more, the words Jeter says he might say to Valentine when the two teams meet next month:

“Hi, Bobby."