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 "I'm sure it would be something like X,Y,Z at Wrigley Field. It's Wrigley Field and will always be," said Paul Baran, a 38-year old electrician and season ticket-holder from Hammond, Ind.
While the World Series champion Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics started the season by splitting a two-game series last week in Tokyo, and the Washington Nationals opened their new ballpark with a 3-2 victory over Atlanta on Sunday night, Monday was opening day in most places.
Yankee Stadium is slated to be demolished after this season, with the pinstripes moving across the street to a new ballpark in 2009.
"It'll probably be emotional," New York captain Derek Jeter said ahead of Monday's opener against Toronto. "I really don't know what to expect. I'm sure you'll take a look around and try to remember as many things as you can. It's going to be a special year."
Torre will be at Dodger Stadium managing Los Angeles in its opener against San Francisco
-- which is without Barry Bonds on its roster for the first time since 1992. The 67-year-old Torre managed the Yankees to 12 straight postseason appearances including four World Series championships before rejecting an offer to continue on the job last fall.
"I'll be excited. When I stop getting excited, I should be doing something else," Torre said. "It never gets old. I think we're about as ready as we can be, considering everything around us. We're going to be as good as our pitching allows us to be."
In Minneapolis, Hunter planned to wake up early on opening day and head to his favorite pancake place for breakfast, just as he's often done before so many games at the Metrodome.
"I'm going to do all of the other things that I used to do before I go to the stadium, but once I get to that stadium and put on that Angels uniform," Hunter said, "I'm the enemy."
The seven-time Gold Glove center fielder left the Twins to sign a $90
million, five-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
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"Obviously when we see him in that other dugout that's going to be weird," Twins first baseman Justin Morneau said. "As long as he's not robbing home runs from me, we'll be all right."
Santana, who departed the Twins to sign a $137.5 million, six-year deal with the Mets, will be pitching at Florida. The Marlins, you may remember, won at Shea Stadium on the final day of last season, completing New York's collapse from a seven-game NL East lead with 17 to play.
"It's another opening day, but at the same time, I'm very excited," said the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, who received the largest contract ever given a pitcher. "New uniform, a lot of expectations and I'm very happy for it. Hopefully everything will go the way everybody wants."
In St. Louis, the NL's past two World Series teams play on opening day in a matchup that features two of the league's best hitters: the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Rockies' Matt Holliday.
"We need to win four more games," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said, thinking back to last October, when Colorado was swept in the World Series by the Red Sox.
[Associated Press; By RONALD BLUM]
AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell, R.B. Fallstrom, Rick Gano, David Ginsburg, Howard Fendrich, John Nadel, Tim Reynolds, Arnie Stapleton and Joseph White, and Associated Press Writer Ben Feller contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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