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Derek Jeter is maintaining the torrid pace he set during second half of last season, when he batted .327 after entering the All-Star break at .270. The Captain went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Monday in Baltimore to lead the Yankees to their first win of 2012. Jeter had seven hits through the Yankees’ first four games (7-for-17, .412 batting average), his highest total in that span since stroking seven to open the 2005 campaign.

Other milestones added to the Jeter Meter:

• 41^st career game with at least four hits, tying Alex Rodriguez for second-most among active players behind Ichiro Suzuki (47).

• Third game with at least four hits against the Orioles.

• Jeter collected two more hits Tuesday night against the Orioles, the first a leadoff home

Live baseball is here, finally. Though it's not the official start of the Grapefruit season, the Yankees will experience some game action in an exhibition contest against the University of South Florida.

LINEUPS
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Raul Ibanez DH
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF
Eduardo Nunez 2B
Gustavo Molina C

Pitching: Adam Warren

NOTES
• Robinson Cano will rest to help him re-acclimate to Spring Training after returning on Thursday following the passing of his great grandmother.

• Warren, who if is pitches well will end up as a valuable reserve while playing in Triple-A, to reporters Friday morning: “It’s my first outing against batters in a game situation, so I’m just trying to get comfortable. Just try to throw strikes

Eli Manning and Derek Jeter are different in obvious ways. One plays football and the other baseball. Manning is settled into married life. Jeter continues to enjoy the bachelorhood life of a New York City superstar, having dated supermodels and A-list actresses.

In more ways, the two are wholly similar. Both have reached the pinnacle of success in their respective professions. Both lead and inspire with quiet confidence in lieu of bluster or blistering braggadocio. Both have been a world champion; the only difference is Jeter’s five rings compared to Manning’s one – which will increase if the Giants defeat the Patriots (again) at Super Bowl XLVI. Both are comfortable in their own skin, adeptly handling the intense media glare of the Big Apple with aplomb. In a society

All that talk from earlier in the season about Derek Jeter being in a decline is far removed from sight in the rear view mirror. Jeter takes a season-high 11-game hitting streak into Safeco Field to face the Mariners (YES, 10 p.m.), the 43rd such streak of at least 10 games in his career. It's not only a Yankees record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau only four Major Leaguers have more double-digit hitting streaks -- Ty Cobb (66), Hank Aaron (48), Tris Speaker (47) and Al Simmons (44) -- since the Yankees were established in 1903.

The tale of the two halves of Jeter's season can be summed up like this: The Captain batted .270 before the break and his current .332 in the second half. Since coming off the disabled list July 4, Jeter is batting .336, 3.52 since July 22 and .379 with five

Derek Jeter was batting .260 in mid-June when a strained calf landed him on the disabled list.

Entering tonight’s game against the Twins (YES, 8 p.m.), the Captain is hitting .290. And the 30-point surge has been remarkable.

Since returning on July 4, Jeter is batting .342 with 10 doubles, two triples, two homers and 26 RBIs in 36 games -- including 21 RBIs in his last 23. He’s also making a case for August’s AL Player of the Month by riding a six-game hitting streak (.556) and hitting .417 overall. His 4-for-5 effort Wednesday in Kansas City gives him five four-hit games on the season, matching his total from the previous two years combined in addition to his career-high set in 1998 and 2000.

What’s been the secret? It depends who you ask. Jeter said it comes

Derek Jeter is out of tonight’s starting lineup in Chicago, where the Yankees begin the first of a four-game series against the White Sox (YES, 8 p.m.). The Captain suffered a bruised middle finger after he was hit by Jake Arrieta’s pitch in the third inning Sunday afternoon against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth and is listed as day-to-day.

Brett Gardner is leading off against right-hander Jake Peavy. Eduardo Nunez, who replaced Jeter while the Captain was on the disabled list with a strained right calf, is at shortstop.

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

When Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit came on a home run, the folks at HBO and MLB Productions could not believe their good fortune. A real-life script with a Hollywood ending will be presented as a documentary to premiere July 28 on HBO. Here's the release:

“DEREK JETER 3K,” the hour-long documentary special from HBO and Major League Baseball Productions, will premiere Thursday, July 28th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. The special chronicles New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter’s dramatic quest for his 3,000th career hit, which he accomplished versus the Tampa Bay Rays with a remarkable five-for-five performance on July 9th at Yankee Stadium. “DEREK JETER 3K” will take viewers behind the scenes as Jeter made his run at the 3,000-hit milestone, becoming the first player

Derek Jeter’s decision to skip the 2011 All-Star game has been a polarizing topic around baseball and through social media. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Phoenix, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig fully endorsed Jeter’s choice to rest a 37-year-old body that recently required nearly three weeks on the disabled list thanks to a strained right calf.

"There isn't a player I'm more proud of in the last 15 years than Derek Jeter," Selig said. "He has played the game the way it should be played, and he's been a better human being off the field. I know why Derek Jeter is not here. I respect that and I must tell you that I think I would have made the same decision.

"Any suggestion that I or anybody else around is unhappy with him not being here is just false."

Jeter returned to the Yankees

Old legends truly refuse to fade. Even at the sunset of their careers there comes a time where only those born to live the moment seize the day. Cynics and critics enjoy the vindictive thrill of knocking them down. The rare breed that get back up, they stand tall and scream, “NOT DEAD YET!” That is part of the purity of sport.

I was once told Derek Jeter was born to play baseball. It’s simple yet powerful statement -- and wholly accurate. Day in and day out, Derek Sanderson Jeter, since the days growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, learned the value of maximizing his gifts from God and putting in an honest effort on the field and in life. In a world where too many have – and still do – take shortcuts and go as far as taking the chicken-hearted way out, Jeter