Here are the links to The Trentonian's coverage of JeterMania tonight:

First, my story recapping The Captain's evening

Second, the game story from my intern, Spencer Israel

Last, my column on why, despite his accolades, Jeter will not be a unanimous Hall of Famer

Below are videos of all of Jeter's at-bats, plus some BP video, Tony Franklin's pregame presser, and Jeter and Cashman's postgame pressers:




















The other big news of the day was Shaeffer Hall's promotion to Triple-A, and Kei Igawa's umpteenth return to the Thunder. Hall will start tomorrow for the SWB Yankees, just 14 months after he started against Lakewood in Low-A. Crazy.

It's the final day of Derek Jeter's two-game stint with the Thunder, and everything but the weather has been optimal. The tarp is on the field now, and it's been raining on and off all day long, with thunder and lightning in the mix as well.

Jeter is scheduled to play all nine innings tentatively, as well continue leading off and playing shortstop. That, however, could be affected by the rain, obviously. He won't speak until after the game, as per rehab tradition. Only Lance Berkman, that I can remember, went against that rule.

Manny Banuelos is on the bump for the Thunder, giving this final game of their last homestand before the All-Star break just a little more juice -- as if it needed it.

The lineup for the Thunder looks like this:

Derek Jeter - SS
Ray Kruml - RF
Corban Joseph - DH
Brad Suttle - 3B
Melky Mesa - CF
Rob Lyerly - 1B
Jose Pirela - 2B
Damon Sublett - LF
Jose Gil - C
Manny Banuelos - LHP

Here are some videos of Jeter taking batting practice, and most of Tony Franklin's pregame press conference:









Here's Captain America's first at-bat -- er, plate appearance

TRENTON – When the black SUV rolled through the back gates at Waterfront Park yesterday afternoon, it was clear that the star of the show had arrived.

The car was carrying Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who, after a successful workout yesterday in Trenton, will play the next two games in a Thunder uniform before being sent back to New York to continue his quest for 3,000 hits.











Because it rained at the Yankees complex in Tampa yesterday, Jeter came up a day early to proceed with his scheduled activities.

With Thunder shortstop Jose Pirela as his training partner for the day, Jeter took batting practice, played catch, fielded grounders and ran from home to first and home to second before calling it quits.

As far as in-game action goes, Jeter will hit leadoff and play shortstop, just like he does with the Yankees. For his part, Pirela had a little fun with his manager when he found out Jeter would be displacing him for the weekend.

“(Thunder manager) Tony Franklin asked me ‘Where are you going to play now,” he explained. “I said, ‘I don’t know. Jeter’s going to have to play second base. I’m the shortstop here.’”

Jokes aside, Pirela did realize the gravitas his time on the field with Jeter carried. Other than Brad Suttle, who played first base for the infield drills, Pirela was the only other player who helped the Yankees legend prepare for his rehab games.

“It was kind of like an unbelievable feeling,” he said through Dellin Betances, who interpreted. “It was pretty much surreal, I didn’t believe it was real. It was great to be hitting with The Captain.

Corban Joseph, who will more than likely be Jeter’s double play partner in at least one of the games, had to give up his traditional number 2 for the weekend. Unlike in the big leagues, when the only way to swap numbers comes via a trade or outright purchase from another player, Joseph didn’t have much of a say.

“I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” he said. “They just came in and took it.” He’ll wear number 3 while Jeter is here.

Jeter has been on the disabled list since June 14 with a strained right calf, which has kept him six hits away from becoming the first Yankee to reach the 3,000-hit plateau. He was eligible to come off the shelf on June 29, but was still experiencing soreness.

This marks the second time Jeter has come to the capital city to work his way back from an injury. The first time was in 2003, when he played five games while recovering from a bum shoulder.

He went 8-for-18 during that stretch, including a double, a triple, two runs scored and five RBIs against the Binghamton Mets and the New Haven Ravens, the latter of which no longer exists.

During that series, the Thunder drew 41,093 fans to Waterfront Park, including 8,729 for the second game.

When I got here and saw the clubhouse was closed for pregame, I knew something was up. Then I went over to the gate and saw a black Escalade (I assume) pull through the stadium's back entrance. That sealed it.

Derek Jeter, the Yankees shortstop who is just six hits from 3,000, had arrived at Waterfront Park to work out on the eve of his two-game stint with the Trenton Thunder.

He's supposed to take BP today, and perhaps some infield, in lieu of his rained out workout in Tampa this morning. If everything goes according to plan, he'll be active tomorrow for the game.

Derek Jeter is coming to Trenton, and he could be ready to resume his chase for 3,000 hits by early next week, according to the Associated Press.

The injured Yankees shortstop went through his latest round of rehab work Thursday in Tampa, Fla., and barring a setback on Friday, will make the second rehab appearance with the Thunder of his career.

Thus time around, he'll play two games for the Thunder, Saturday and Sunday, when the team faces the Altoona Curve at Waterfront Park. He went 8-for-18 in five games for Trenton in 2003, when he was recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered sliding into third base in the season's first game.

Jeter's tour of Trenton will come on the heels of Yankee teammate Phil Hughes, who pitched 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Fellow "core four" member Andy Pettitte - now retired - made two rehab starts with the Thunder last September, also against the Fisher Cats and Curve, during the Eastern League Playoffs.

Other notable rehabs with the Thunder have included former Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui, 300-game winner Roger Clemens, Lance Berkman, Jose Molina, Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown.

Sidelined by a strained right calf, Jeter is six hits shy of 3,000. A return next week could put him on track to reach the milestone at Yankee Stadium during a four-game series against Tampa Bay from July 7-10.

This is what I learned on about the sixth hole of my post-Hughes outing this afternoon. It was at this point that I decided I had gone far too long (about an hour) without checking my Twitter. What did I find when I got there and scrolled through my timeline? Oh, just a bombshell. That's all.

Quoth the Twitter: "@Ledger_Yankees: If Jeter is ready by Saturday, he'll rehab in Trenton, Cashman says."

When Jeter last rehabbed in Trenton, I was about a month from graduating high school in Beaverton, Ore. That was eight years ago. He played five games during that stint, but will probably play just two this time around.

Here are some things that have changed since Jeter last set foot in Waterfront Park:

The price of gas was $1.43 per gallon

The top ten songs on the Billboard charts were as follows:

1. In Da Club - 50 Cent -- ninth straight week at the top spot
2. Get Busy - Sean Paul
3. Ignition - R. Kelly
4. God Bless the U.S.A. -- American Idol Finalists
5. 21 Questions - 50 Cent
6. When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down
7. I Know What You Want - Busta Rhymes f. Mariah Carey and Flipmode Squad
8. Can't Let You Go - Fabolous f. Mike Shorey and Lil' Mo
9. Picture - Kid Rock f. Sheryl Crow
10. Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake

- The reigning Academy Award winner for Best Picture was "Chicago"

- Twitter was three years away from existence

- Facebook was a year away from inception

- Manny Banuelos was 12 years old

Clockwise from top right are: Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes; Luis Sojo, Jesus Montero and D.J. Mitchell; Derek Jeter; Frank Menechino and Tino Martinez, Jeter again, and Montero again