Rain postpones final Yankee Stadium opener

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rain postponed opening day at Yankee Stadium on Monday, the last season-starter at the park before the team moves to a new venue next year.

The New York Yankees' game against the Toronto Blue Jays was rescheduled for Tuesday at 7.05 p.m. (2305 GMT), with Wang Chien-ming expected to start for the Yankees against Toronto ace Roy Halladay.

The game launches the last season at Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923 and was known as "The House That Ruth Built" after slugger Babe Ruth.

A new Yankee Stadium is being erected across the street from the original park in the Bronx and is scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2009 season.

Many of the fans in the sellout crowd of about 56,000 that came to the Bronx on Monday expressed mixed feelings about trading in the old ballpark for the new edition.

"I think it's unfortunate they have to move to another stadium considering the history in this place," said Drew Jaglom, who came with his father and friend. "At the same time, the building is getting old and it's probably time to find a new home."

Jaglom's friend, New Yorker Jamie Stecher, offered his earliest Yankee Stadium memory.

"My first game was in 1959, the Yankees and the White Sox on a Saturday and the Yanks lost 4-3," he recalled.

"My mother gave me a dollar to buy lunch and souvenirs. The souvenir guy came around and I was able to buy a Yankees hat for 75 cents and I was able to get cracker jacks. I thought that was a good use of my dollar."

Dan Francis of New York said he has been coming to Yankee games for over 40 years and was looking forward to the new park. "I'm a little bit of a traditionalist, but if they retain some of the traditional values I'll love it," he said.

Curt Gibson said he had been bringing his now grown daughter to the park since she was eight years old. "I'm sorry to see this go but hope the new one is an improvement," he said.

One season ticket holder made no secret of his sorrow about the old stadium's farewell season.

"I don't like the idea of them tearing down Yankee Stadium," said Mike De Florio, insisting the stadium had many more years to give and blaming owner George Steinbrenner.

"I think it was mostly about money, mostly about luxury boxes and mostly about a legacy for George and getting a stadium at the same time as the Mets.

"This is where everybody played -- Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio. There's no ghosts across the street. They're all over here."

(Editing by John Mehaffey)