YANKEES Derek Jeter returns tonight

The New York shortstop has been out for six weeks with a shoulder injury.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
NEW YORK -- Joe Torre calls it the "can't-do-without syndrome" and it's something the Yankees have tried hard to avoid during Derek Jeter's six-week absence from a dislocated left shoulder. As Torre put it, "You never really want to rely on one person."
But there's no mistaking that Jeter's return tonight is coming at the right time for the Yankees, who rushed to a 20-4 start but have lost seven of their last 13 games.
It's not that the Yankees have been playing poorly, but they have encountered better competition in the form of Western contenders Oakland and Seattle. The A's beat the Yankees 4-of-6 in the last week.
Tonight, the world champion Angels are in Yankee Stadium. Jeter's return is well-timed because several players and Torre said in different interviews over the weekend that Jeter gives the Yankees something extra, besides his superlative hitting and fielding.
"Getting Jeter back will be a big lift," said Jason Giambi, himself absent from the last two games because of eye infections. "You don't ever replace a guy like Derek Jeter. You hope to get through it 'til he gets back.
"He adds a dimension that not many people in this game have -- he's always around the ball, he's always making the big play."
Lot of emotion
Added Alfonso Soriano: "It's very important. When he's on the team, we all want to play better. He's a good player, a good personality. He brings a lot of emotion because he's a happy guy. He makes everyone go to the field happy, because that's him."
In the 36 games that Jeter has missed, the Yankees went 25-11. Thanks to the starting pitching and a potent lineup, the Yanks mostly absorbed the fielding mistakes made by Erick Almonte, Jeter's replacement at short. They went 7-2 in games in which he made errors. His nine errors accounted for four unearned runs, one in a loss to Oakland and three in a loss to Seattle.
"If we didn't pitch the way we did, we probably would've put more blame on the fact that we didn't have Jeter than it deserved," Torre said. "I thought when it happened that if we could not give anything away at short, we had enough firepower to carry the offense."
But, Torre said, "we missed Jeter in more ways than just hitting and shortstop. He adds to our quality. We've really weathered the storm without him. Some players are leaders, not because they want to be, but because of what they do."
It's hard to say the Yankees missed Jeter, considering their record, Robin Ventura said. But, he added, "you realize it could be even better." Especially, Ventura noted, because as an opponent, Jeter is "annoying. He's always on base.
"Obviously, since he's been here, they've have a pretty good run. He's a big part of it. A shortstop the whole time in the run, played in a lot of big games, there's a certain amount of leadership and confidence that the team has when he's in there."