Yankee Stadiums new and old from the 4 Train platform.

Inside the new Stadium looking toward home plate from right field.

Looking south along the tracks toward center field.

Exiting the 4 Train at 161 Street behind the center field frieze.

Looking down from the platform as the crowd starts to gather. Note the congestion top center (behind the tree) at the deep left field entrance to the Stadium.

Heading north on River Ave.

Underneath the bleachers. The guy in the Dan Pasqua jersey is my companion for the game and occasional Banter commenter Chris Murphy (I had no idea he was there until I uploaded this shot. I met him a few minutes later at our seats).

A welcoming site: the entrance to Section 37, the furthest right field section of the Yankee Stadium bleachers.

Row JJ.

Freddy was in the house and came to the edge of the loge level to bang his pan for the bleacher creatures. His sign sez: "Hi Baseball Fans It’s Yankees ~ Opening Day!"

The cranes used to build the new Stadium loom beyond left field, and some of the construction can be seen at the bottom of the gap in left center (behind the tree).

The Yankees are usually done with batting practice before the gates open. Here the Devil Rays are wrapping up BP. I think that’s Delmon Young taking his swings.

Yes, that really is Carl Pavano long tossing in the outfield, with the West Point color guard awaiting their cue in the background. There they are again behind second base below.

Bob Sheppard seemed to rush through the introductions and the crowd was more subdude than your typical Opening Day. Maybe it was the overcast weather. They played with the lights on and the sun didn’t poke through the clouds until the very end of the game. Andy Pettitte got a good hand as expected, as did Melky Cabrera, Mike Mussina, and the usual suspects (Mattingly, Guidry, Rivera, Torre, and most of the starters). Meanwhile, Sheppard, who missed Opening Day last year due to a hip injury, made quick work of "Akinori Iwamura," but yielded to a replacement announcer by mid-game.

Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and the Devil Rays look on as Jason Giambi and Cory Lidle’s widow Melanie assist Lidle’s son Christopher prior to the ceremonial first pitch. Melanie threw to Wil Neives; Christopher fired a high, hard one to Melky Cabrera. The Yankees, who also recognized Bowie Kuhn and Hank Bauer, have done right by Lidle. A professional nomad, Lidle was no more a Yankee than a Met, Devil Ray, Athletic, Blue Jay, Red, or Phillie (in fact, he threw more innings in every other uniform he wore) and was likely going to add an eighth team to his resume this spring, but he died as a Yankee and the team put together a genuinely affectionate tribute that played on the diamondvision, featuring recollections by many of the Yankees as well as Ron Guidry and Joe Torre.

This was the big at-bat of the game. With the Yankees down by two in the sixth, Jorge Posada (leading of third) and Robinson Cano (leading off second) singled driving Scott Zazmir from the game. Pinch-hitter Doug Mientkiewicz bunted the runners to second and third and reliever Shawn Camp plunked Melky Cabrera (leading off first) to load the bases. Here, Camp pitches to Derek Jeter with one out and the tying runs in scoring position (note the ball in front of the blue wall half way to home). Jeter would single home those two runs on a subsequent pitch to knot the game at 5-5.

The sun finally came out at the end of the game. Here Mariano Rivera deals to the game’s final batter, B.J. Upton. Rivera struck out Dioner Navarro and Elijah Dukes swinging. Here’s his 2-2 pitch to Upton, a called third strike on the inside corner.

Yankees win, 9-5.

All photographs by Cliff Corcoran