Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK - The New York Yankees have scheduled a news conference for today to announce that Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180 million contract has been finalized. The deal was agreed to Dec. 23, but the sides had to complete contract language, and the switch-hitting first baseman and Maryland native had to pass a physical. Teixeira (Mount St. Joseph) grew up in Severna Park as an Orioles fans, and the Orioles were among a handful of teams, including the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals, to go after the free agent this offseason, initially offering a seven-year deal between $140 million and $150 million.

On the field: Braves general manager John Schuerholz said he expects baseball officials will address the problem of fans running onto the field and disrupting play. Seven fans were arrested for that reason in the final innings of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. "And hopefully [the security forces] will continue to make good open-field tackles," Schuerholz said wryly.In the dugout: Before the game last night, Braves manager Bobby Cox held a team meeting to pick up his players. After Game 4, Cox explained later, the feeling around the clubhouse was that the series had been blown.

At Yankee Stadium, New York Day....Time....TV....Starters Today....1:05....CSN....Jason Johnson (4-12, 4.88) (1st game) vs. Andy Pettitte (9-5, 3.46) Today....7:05....CSN....Sidney Ponson (7-5, 4.14) (2nd game) vs. Jeff Weaver (8-11, 3.84) Tomorrow....7:05....CSN....John Stephens (1-4, 6.15) vs. Orlando Hernandez (8-4, 3.52) Thursday....7:05....CSN....Sean Douglass (0-2, 5.40) vs. David Wells (16-7, 4.00) Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) Yankees update Bernie Williams is competing for the American League batting title, Alfonso Soriano is a candidate for Most Valuable Player and the New York Yankees are preparing their usual October itinerary.

What Brooks Robinson remembers most about the experience was the intimidating conversation on the flight there. Jim Palmer won't ever forget the searing heat or his uncharacteristically rough performance. As for George Sherrill, the Orioles closer who tomorrow will be part of his first All-Star Game, which just happens to be the final one in venerable Yankee Stadium, he has no idea what to expect. "The first one is nice, but it being there and being the last one at Yankee Stadium, it gives a little extra to it," Sherrill said.

NEW YORK -- At last! A New York sports hero who likes the press, loves the fans and would do anything to see his team make the World Series.Meet Tim McKenzie, a 16-year-old superstar -- from the right-field seats of Yankee Stadium.McKenzie "helped" Don Mattingly hit the game-winning home run Sunday. He snatched the ball before a Orioles outfielder could get his outstretched glove on it, helping the New York Yankees stay tied for first place in the AL East.Mattingly returned the favor yesterday.

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees manager Joe Torre again has been forced to let Mother Nature make his pitching plans, which appears to put his club at a disadvantage in the rain-delayed 92nd World Series.The storm that washed out Game 1 last night will make both teams play through tomorrow's travel day, leaving Torre no alternative but to use struggling left-hander Kenny Rogers to pitch Game 4 at Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium. The delay appears to work in favor of the Atlanta Braves, since manager Bobby Cox already planned to go with four starting pitchers.

The New York Times said in an editorial last week:So here we are again, edging toward Election Day with no firm idea of what the ballots in New York City will look like. In particular, the referendum section, often tucked down at the lumbago level of the ballot, is still very much in doubt. The cause for this confusion is a highly vocal and political battle between Council Speaker Peter Vallone and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.Vallone, who is running for governor, wants an item on the ballot that asks voters whether public funds can be used to move Yankee Stadium from the Bronx to Manhattan.

NEW YORK - When Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez takes the mound for Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday, , it will be the rookie's third start at Yankee Stadium. The 28-year-old Gonzalez, who signed as a minor-league free agent in February, has assembled impressive numbers in the Bronx, so getting the call from Orioles manager Buck Showalter to start the first game in New York had to be by design. In two starts, Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA, allowing four earned runs and 10 hits over 13 2/3 innings.

July 13, 1993Oriole Park at Camden YardsIn the 1939 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, American League manager Joe McCarthy of New York named six Yankees to his starting lineup. Of the 12 American Leaguers to play in the game, half were Yankees. The AL went on to win, 3-1.Although the Yankees qualified six players for the 1943 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, McCarthy, again the AL manager, didn't play a single member of his club. The move stemmed from his resentment of accusations that he had favored his players in early games and a decision to prove he could win without a Yankee.