Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter took the first step in his return to the New York Yankees from a calf strain, going one for two with a walk and cleanly fielding five balls at shortstop in five innings Saturday for double-A Trenton (N.J.). Jeter is scheduled to play one more rehabilitation game with the Thunder on Sunday night and could rejoin the Yankees as early as Monday in Cleveland, where he will continue his pursuit of 3,000 hits. Etc. The Pittsburgh Pirates put shortstop Ronny Cedeno on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

NEW YORK — Jerome Williams did a great job Sunday night of blocking out all the distractions he knew would come with making his Yankee Stadium debut on Jackie Robinson Day in a prime-time game televised nationally by ESPN. Then the second inning started. The Angels right-hander breezed through the first inning, needing 15 pitches to retire Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, but he took a nose-dive over the next 12/3 innings, giving up five runs, five hits and three walks.

He has plied his trade a continent away, and maybe that distance has dimmed our appreciation. But now that Derek Jeter has 3,000 hits, it gives us reason to say what needs to be said about this magnificent Yankee. Wow. Well done. Impressive beyond words. Also, thanks for being what you are and who you are. In that magic early afternoon of July 9, with the memory and remains of old Yankee Stadium looming across the street, the seats filled in new Yankee Stadium, All-Star David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays on the mound and the count 3 and 2, Jeter went from legendary to mystical.

San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum asked for $21.5 million in salary arbitration Tuesday and was offered $17 million by the club. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner's request neared the record amount sought in arbitration. Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens asked for $22 million in 2005. San Francisco's offer was the highest in arbitration history, topping the $14.25 million the New York Yankees proposed for shortstop Derek Jeter in 2001. === The Detroit Tigers announced that designated hitter Victor Martinez tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during off-season conditioning last week and probably will sit out the 2012 season.

at New York 7, Oakland 5: Derek Jeter hit a go-ahead single, Robinson Cano had a three-run double and Mariano Rivera earned a four-out save. Baltimore 6, at Boston 2: Nick Markakis hit a home run and drove in three runs. The Orioles had lost 11 games in a row at Boston. at Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 1: Scott Rolen hit a three-run home run to back up rookie Brett Cecil (4-1). It was the first loss in the last six decisions for rookie Jeff Niemann (9-5).

THE CAPTAIN The Journey of Derek Jeter Ian O'Connor Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 400 pp., $26 BULLPEN DIARIES Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees Charley Rosen Harper: 370 pp., $25.99 For the New York Yankees, the 2010 offseason was a tale of two superstars, both of whom they wanted to re-sign. On the one hand, there was Derek Jeter, iconic shortstop and face of the franchise, on the verge of becoming the first Yankee to record 3,000 hits in a career.

All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez was in Boston on Saturday to take a physical exam needed to complete a trade from the San Diego Padres to the Red Sox, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. Gonzalez had surgery to clean up the labrum in his non-throwing right shoulder Oct. 20. The Padres said then that the three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award-winning first baseman was expected to be ready for spring training. Besides passing the physical, Gonzalez and the Red Sox will have to agree to a renegotiated contract because of the caliber of prospects Boston is giving up, one of the people familiar with the deal said.

Puddles soaked the warning track and ponchos dotted the stands when Derek Jeter stepped to the plate in the third inning, hoping to give the soggy Yankee Stadium crowd a reason for showing up in all that rain. With one of his classic, inside-out swings, Jeter sent a sharp grounder skimming through the infield. And there it was, the record-setting hit that pushed him past Lou Gehrig. Jeter broke the New York Yankees' hit record held by Gehrig for more than seven decades on Friday night with an opposite-field single in a 10-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

NEW YORK — Jerome Williams did a great job Sunday night of blocking out all the distractions he knew would come with making his Yankee Stadium debut on Jackie Robinson Day in a prime-time game televised nationally by ESPN. Then the second inning started. The Angels right-hander breezed through the first inning, needing 15 pitches to retire Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, but he took a nose-dive over the next 12/3 innings, giving up five runs, five hits and three walks.

They first took the field together in Columbus, Ohio, playing for a minor league team that finished a distant third in the standings. Tonight, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada will take the field together again in New York, this time playing for the New York Yankees, the most storied franchise in U.S. professional sports. And Mariano Rivera will be waiting in the bullpen, hoping to win a fifth World Series ring alongside Jeter, Pettitte and Posada. They've been together for much of the last 15 years, and if they win one more game this week they will have won more titles together than any four teammates in more than half a century.

It turns out that the New York Yankees have a common problem of this economy. Return on investment. Is this a great country or what? We may be pretty much bankrupt, coast to coast, but we still can find incredible riches in America's pastime. We also can find great hope for the little guy, the underdog with the bald spot and the blue-collar paycheck. The scene: Thursday night, Yankees versus Detroit Tigers. The deciding Game 5 of the American League Division Series, or ALDS for you real fans.

Reporting from New York -- When Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter were newcomers to the major leagues, the New York Yankees were the kings of late-inning comebacks, especially when everyone was watching. But no matter how hard the two warhorses tore down the base line Thursday night, no matter how closely Jeter flirted with the right-field wall, they could not deliver another helping of the old October magic. With their postseason hopes on the line, the Yankees could not get the hit they needed to give them a chance to play for their 41st American League pennant.

At just 20 years old, Angels star rookie Mike Trout isn't that far removed from his childhood. The outfielder was especially close to it Saturday when he got to meet his boyhood idol, Derek Jeter . "I was a big Jeter fan growing up," Trout said Sunday before the Angels' 6-5 loss to the New York Yankees. Both hail from New Jersey and Trout grew up playing shortstop, as Jeter does for the Yankees. So when Trout doubled to left field in the sixth inning Saturday, he was met with a nice surprise when Jeter walked over to second base, slapped him on his rear and started chatting him up. Trout said Jeter said hello, asked how old Trout was, and Trout then mentioned he was from New Jersey, which Jeter was glad to hear.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Friday. Minka Kelly and Derek Jeter have split. ( MTV ) Melissa Gilbert has filed for divorce from Bruce Boxleitner. Doesn't she realize he's Tron? ( Los Angeles Times ) Stephen King is getting into the political talk radio game. Behind the scenes, anyway. And he made a rare appearance in Bangor, Maine, to talk about it. ( Bangor Daily News ) Pandora revenue has jumped 117%, but the company is still losing money.

Would Derek Jeter appreciate the Angels' saluting his 3,000 career hits in front of the Anaheim fans? "If they cheered," Jeter said Wednesday, with a smile. The New York Yankees visit Angel Stadium next month, their first trip since Jeter got his milestone hit. Angels Vice President Tim Mead told The Times last week that the team wants "to honor the man, the player and the person in some form. " Mead said the Angels subsequently received about 100 calls and emails from fans concerned that the team would go out of its way to fete an opposing player, perhaps with a pregame ceremony.

He has plied his trade a continent away, and maybe that distance has dimmed our appreciation. But now that Derek Jeter has 3,000 hits, it gives us reason to say what needs to be said about this magnificent Yankee. Wow. Well done. Impressive beyond words. Also, thanks for being what you are and who you are. In that magic early afternoon of July 9, with the memory and remains of old Yankee Stadium looming across the street, the seats filled in new Yankee Stadium, All-Star David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays on the mound and the count 3 and 2, Jeter went from legendary to mystical.

"If you told every hitter each pitch would be a fastball down the middle, you wouldn't get a score like that." Derek Jeter, New York shortstop, on the Yankees' 22-0 loss to Cleveland

As Derek Jeter inches ever-closer to 3,000 hits, sports commenters are heaping praise on the Yankee shortstop who has, over the years, earned the nickname Captain Clutch for his ability to hit that winning run when the bases are loaded and it's all on the line. But is there really such a thing as a clutch hitter? One student at the University of Pennsylvania said the statistics did indeed bear the theory out, if a clutch hitter was defined as a batter who hits better at more significant points in the game and if sacrifice flys were included in the analysis.

Derek Jeter's well-chronicled bid to join the far less exclusive 3,000-hit club has all but eclipsed Jim Thome's lonely quest to crash baseball's 600-homer club.… Maybe it would be different if Thome played in New York.… Ty Cobb's .366 batting average is the highest among players with 3,000 hits, Cal Ripken Jr.'s .276 the lowest.… The Dodgers and Angels seem to have found their level, which is good news for ...