Memories Await The New Yankee Stadium—Pettitte To Open It Up?

With just a little over a week before pitchers and catchers report to Tampa and just three weeks away from the beginning of Spring Training, the season is nearing.

The Chicago Cubs will ride into town on April 3rd and 4th to open up the stadium in two exhibition games against the New York Yankees.

After that, fans will have to control their patience for yet two more weeks because not until Thursday, April 16 will there be a regular season game against, oddly enough, newly acquired CC Sabathia's former team, the Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees will take their 2009 opening campaign on the road to open three stadiums for the year as the season begins on April 6th, first, against the Baltimore Orioles to open Camden Yards. 

They then move to Kansas City for the season opener at Koufmann Stadium against the Royals, and then they fly south to Tampa for the season opener at Tropicana Field, against the defending AL East Champion Rays.

Then, finally, the wait will be over, as the stadium will be open.

The Yankees haven't officially decided their rotation as of yet, but it looks like it will be CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chein-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain/Phillip Hughes. 

The rotation will run its course almost a full two times, nine games to be exact, which leaves me to wonder, if CC Sabathia pitches on Sunday, the 12th against Kansas City, then he will most likely not pitch on four days rest to open up Yankee Stadium.

It looks like if Andy Pettitte is the number four starter, he would be skipped and could open up the stadium.  If Pettitte is the number five starter, he would automatically be in line to open up Yankee Stadium without the Yankees having to adjust anything.

Andy Pettitte finally agreed on a one-year deal with the Yankees after a long offseason of a turned-down offer, testing the market and a waiting game between both sides.

Pettitte closed down the old Yankee Stadium, so it would only make sense to open up the new stadium with a player who most fans have a lot of respect for.  I speak for myself when I was a little upset after Pettitte refused his first offer, but since things were worked out, I don't have any issues with him.

I know many Yankee fans, like myself, are excited to forget about the past nine years and start fresh.  I most likely won't make a trip up to New York from Atlanta this year, choosing to spend my extra cash on the Yankees' visit to Turner Field in June to face the Atlanta Braves.

I do look forward to making a trip up in 2010 to see it in all its glory.  Until then, I hope 2009 is packed full of great plays, big wins and amazing memories.