NEW YORK - -When Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis arrived in front of the new Yankee Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, they both acknowledged that they were struck by a "weird" feeling.
"It hasn't really hit me, I think," said Roberts, the Orioles' veteran second baseman. "It kind of did when we were pulling up, but it was kind of weird. We were both like: 'I don't know. I liked going to the old one.' It will be cool, I'm sure, once you get out and play. It just feels different. You can never duplicate the old one. I guess you just give it some time and see how it goes over."
Playing at the new version for the first time after years of being across the street at the old Yankee Stadium, the Orioles said they were mostly impressed, even if some of the players, like Roberts and Markakis, got a little nostalgic.
Catcher Gregg Zaun, who said he circled the team's first game at new Yankee Stadium on the calendar before the season began, called it "majestic" and "absolutely first-class."
"It looks like a ballpark, not an amusement park," Zaun said. "It's beautiful. It looks like a building that was erected to pay homage to the game and its players. It's exactly what I expected it to be."
Closer George Sherrill, who got to the stadium early so he could check out the field and its surroundings, described it as nice and complimented the visiting clubhouse and dugout. However, the veteran left-hander said he wished it weren't as hitter-friendly.
"They did it real nice," Sherrill said. "I went out and saw what the field looked like and how shallow it is everywhere. The dugout is bigger, and there's no smell. That's good. I'm glad they got rid of that smell. Hopefully, balls stop flying out of there, but I don't think that's going to happen."
Training room
The Orioles got Adam Jones, their center fielder and No. 2 hitter, back for Tuesday's series opener, but they were without the services of their sure-handed shortstop. Cesar Izturis, who strained his groin in Sunday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals, was unavailable Tuesday and could miss a couple of games.
However, at this point, Izturis and Orioles manager Dave Trembley are confident the shortstop will avoid the disabled list.
"[On Tuesday], I'll get treatment and see how it is [Wednesday]," said Izturis, who was replaced in the lineup by Robert Andino, with Ty Wigginton serving as the emergency shortstop. "The pain's gone away, so it's a good sign. Just a couple days, it will be fine. It's not getting any worse."
