A Historic Day in the Big Apple as the Yankees open their new home

Babe Ruth was in the lineup the last time the Yankees opened a new ballpark. Here we are 86 years later and names like Jeter and Posada will be in the lineup for the opening of the new, $1.5 billion, Yankee Stadium.

This stadium figures to be like no other in baseball. Among the different amenites you will find...

• The Hard Rock Cafe and new steakhouse in the right-field corner
• The 67 suites ringing the field, and the three clubs and lounges for the spectators in the first nine rows around the infield.
• Players can drive their cars directly into the granite-and-limestone stadium, relax in the swimming pools or sauna when they arrive, then take batting practice in the spacious indoor cages off the dugout steps. Or they can e-mail from the laptops installed in each of their lockers.
• 'The Great Hall is an impressive open-air concourse between Gates 4 and 6. The 31,000-square-foot space features concessions and huge double-sided banners of 20 Yankee greats. A 24-foot-high-by-36-foot-wide HD video board greets fans who enter through the Great Hall.

As far as concessions are concerned, there are major upgrades there as well...

• Fans will be able to get steak sandwiches from a premium butcher, even in the bleachers.
• In the high-priced sections, fans will have a chance occasionally to watch marquee chefs like Masaharu Morimoto and April Bloomfield, as well as Food Network personalities, serving their specialties at more than 15 cooking stations in several dining rooms.
• After a nine-year drought, fans in Yankee Stadium’s bleachers will be able to buy beer, as well as wine. This should make for some really interesting games when the Red Sox are in town.
• The NYY Steak House above the Hard Rock Cafe, with a street entrance open all year.

In the old Yankee Stadium, only 14 percent of the food carts and concessions could cook. But now about 70 percent of the food stands will be grilling, frying and baking, including places like Brother Jimmy’s barbecue, Johnny Rockets burgers and shakes, Latin Corner with pressed Cuban sandwiches, and Soy Kitchen, a Bronx purveyor of Asian food.

Kinsler perfect in rout of Orioles

Ian Kinsler became the 4th player in Texas Rangers history to hit for the cycle in Wednesday's thrashing of the Baltimore Orioles, 19-6. Kinsler was 6-6 on the day with 2 singles, 2 doubles, a triple and a HR.

"I knew I had an opportunity to hit for the cycle walking up for my at-bat in the sixth," said Kinsler, who is hitting .474. "When I hit that ball, I was hoping for it to go over his [Jones] head. And when it got over his head, I was hoping for it to rattle around.

"I wasn’t going to stop at second base regardless if he came up with it clean or not. I was going to give it a shot."

Kinsler was the 2nd player in the majors in 3 days to hit for the cycle. The Dodgers Orlando Hudson also did it on Monday.

Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych Killed in Accident

Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych, who became a national phenomenon in the mid-70's with the Detroit Tigers, was killed in an accident while working on a truck at his home in Massachsetts. He was 54.

Fidrych, who won 19 games as a rookie in 1976 but had his career abbreviated by injuries, was found by his friend Joseph Amorello beneath his 10 wheel truck.

Fidrych’s baseball legacy is as one of its more memorable and enjoyable shooting stars in the sport’s history. In 1976 -- less than two full years after the Tigers selected the lanky righthander in the 10th round of the 1974 amateur draft out of Worcester Academy -- Fidrych made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster out of spring training as a non-roster invitee.

With his out-of-nowhere success, affable grin and unkempt curls -- he was nicknamed ‘‘The Bird,’’ after the Sesame Street character to whom he bore a resemblance -- it wasn’t long before the 21-year-old had an enormous following.

Fidrych’s starts soon became must-see events -- he appeared on the covers of ‘‘Sports Illustrated’’ (once with Big Bird) and ‘‘Rolling Stone,’’ among others. But his newfound celebrity did not hinder him on the mound.

He went 19-7 as a rookie, leading the league in earned-run average (2.34) and complete games (24). He was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star Game, won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and finished second to the Orioles’ Jim Palmer in the AL Cy Young voting.

Fidrych’s star-making moment came June 28 against the New York Yankees. In a nationally televised game on ABC’s ‘‘Monday Night Baseball’’ and in front of a crowd of 47,855 at Tiger Stadium, Fidrych pitched a complete-game seven-hitter, allowing just one run in the Tigers’ 5-1 victory. Strutting around the mound, talking to the baseball, and always engaging the crowd, he received a prolonged ovation after the final out, eventually returning to the field to acknowledge the raucous cheers.

But his success in the majors was fleeting. He tore knee cartilage while chasing fly balls in the outfield during spring training in 1977 and was placed on the disabled list. While compensating for the knee problem, he sustained a serious shoulder injury in July that season and never fully recovered. He won just 10 big league games after his rookie year.

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1983 with the Red Sox, pitching for Triple A Pawtucket. He retired at age 29 following the season with a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA in parts of five major league seasons.

He settled in Northborough, MA, marrying his wife, Ann, in 1986. He lived on a 107-acre farm, and owned his own trucking company for a time. Friends say he remained as beloved in his hometown as he was in Detroit during the heady summer of ’76.

---from The Boston Globe

Panic in the Bronx? Sabathia Rocked in NY Debut

When CC Sabathia signed a seven year $161 million dollar contract with the Yankees during the winter, this wasn't exactly what they had in mind.

Sabathia allowed 8 hits, and 6 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in Monday's season opener against Baltimore. He also walked 5. The alarming stat is that he had zero strikeouts. It was the first time in 4 years that he did not strike out anyone in a game. The Yankees lost the game 10-5.

Sabathia said, "I was terrible. I battled from the first inning on. At some point I'm usually able to find it. Today was just one of those days where I didn't. When I have one of those days, this is the result you get."

There really shouldn't be a reason to panic, Sabathia was 0-3 with an ERA of 13.50 after 4 starts a year ago. So a bad start to the season is nothing new. However things tend to become more magnified when they happen to the team from the Bronx.

Not helping matters was the fact that the Yankees other big offseason signing, Mark Teixeira, also struggled big time. Teixeira went 0-for-4 and stranded five runners, including two in the eighth after New York had cut a five-run deficit to 6-5.

On the plus side for the Bombers, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui homered, and Derek Jeter had 3 hits. But it just wasn't going to be NY's day. After trailing 6-1, the Yankees cut the lead to 6-5. But the O's continued to hammer Yankee pitching, pounding out 14 hits and 10 runs.

The two teams will go at it again tomorrow at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Chen Ming Wang will go for the Yankees, Koji Uehara will be on the mound for the O's.

Around the Majors

• The Mets have signed Gary Sheffield to a one year contract
• The Mariners placed Ichiro Suzuki on the 15 day DL with bleeding ulcers
• The Red Sox sent Clay Buchholz to the AAA to start the season.