Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Tonight's weather forecast doesn't look too good:
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Breezy, with a west wind between 11 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Even though this is the inauguration of the new stadium, even though there has been a lot of hype, even though the Cubs traveled quite a distance and arrived around midnight last night, the fact remains that this is a game that doesn't count. I'd like to think the teams involved would want to be extra-careful as to not get anyone injured by playing in poor weather conditions. Some heavy rain went through NYC this morning; they're having a break now, but more rain is expected later. The other factor in any rain delay is that there's a day game tomorrow -- they wouldn't want to delay it too long.
However, presuming they can get the game in, at least one Cub, a former Yankee, is very excited about tonight's game:
"Now I want to be the first one to stand at the plate in the new one," said [Alfonso] Soriano, the Cubs' leadoff hitter, who gets that chance tonight -- barring unplayable weather -- when the Cubs help christen the new Yankee Stadium, across the street from the old stadium, in the first of two exhibition games.
If they can't play tonight, tomorrow's forecast is better, though windy:
Saturday: A slight chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Windy, with a west wind between 22 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Paul Sullivan has some news about Lou:
The Yankees could have chosen any team to be their first opponent, but Yankees general partner Hal Steinbrenner wanted [Lou] Piniella to be part of the opening festivities, so the Cubs were his first choice.
Steinbrenner has told close friends he plans on hiring Piniella as a consultant when his managerial contract with the Cubs runs out after the 2010 season.
And also from Sullivan's article:
Incredibly, despite following small details to ensure it looks as much like the old Yankee Stadium as possible, architects drew up the bleachers without anyone noticing some fans in right-center field will have their view of left field obstructed by a mammoth sports bar. They won't be able to see a home run clear the fence, and some won't be able to see third base.
I hope no one here has any of those seats for the game tonight or tomorrow.
Ted Lilly will pitch against the Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang. The game is being carried by the MLB Network, and as we learned yesterday, you can watch free at the MLB.com Mediacenter.
MLB.com Gameday -- if you click on Gameday for the first time since yesterday, you'll find out that MLB.com is offering "Gameday Premium" for $19.95 a year. They really will leave no stone unturned trying to suck money out of us, will they?
Please visit our SBN Yankees site, Pinstripe Alley, for the Yankee fan point of view.
Discuss amongst yourselves.