Clockwise from left, Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press, Suzy Allman for the New York Times, Bob Levey/Getty Images and Patrick Semansky/Associated PressYankees old and new: clockwise from left, jacoby Ellsbury, Hiroki Kuroda and Derek Jeter. Updated 9:41 a.m.
Good Monday morning to you.
It’s opening day at Yankee Stadium.
And for the Yankees, the new season is a story of beginnings and endings.
The beginnings are all the new faces: about half the starting lineup was not with the team last year.
The main ending is Derek Jeter’s. The Yankee legend retires after this season.
He’d like to go out on a high note, or at least avoid a rerun of last year, when the Yankees missed the playoffs for just the second time since 1994.
We asked David Waldstein, who covers the team for The Times, what it will take for the Yankees to get back into contention.
“Health is going to be a huge issue with their older players,†he said.
The team may be largely new, but it’s not young. And Jeter is not the only one who lost much of last year to injuries.
The Yankees are also coping with the loss of some big names: Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera. (Alex Rodriguez, too, as he finally serves his steroid suspension, though his absence is a relief from distraction.)
The new arrivals, though, may keep things fresh.
“Keep an eye on Jacoby Ellsbury,†who defected from the Red Sox, Mr. Waldstein said. “He’s going to dominate the game from the leadoff spot and in center field.â€
The Yankees, who’ve won three and lost three so far, take on the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. (YES Network), with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.
Here’s what else you need to know.
WEATHER
The smoky haze you see and smell in the city is from a brush fire nearly 100 miles away in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
It’s trapped by an atmospheric inversion but should clear off once it starts raining in late afternoon.
If you head to the game, bring an umbrella in case it goes to extra innings. Today’s high: 55.
Rain gets heavy tonight, and thunder may roll in. Clearing again tomorrow, and near 70.
COMMUTE
Subways: O.K. Check latest status.
Rails: Scattered delays on L.I.R.R. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or N.J. Transit status.
Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.
Alternate-side parking is in effect all week.
COMING UP TODAY
- A two-day conference on Bitcoins begins at the Javits Center. [$20 in nonvirtual currency]
- Cecily McMillan, a prominent Occupy Wall Street activist, goes on trial on charges of assaulting an officer at Zuccotti Park.
- Mayor de Blasio attends a groundbreaking at an affordable-housing complex in East New York, Brooklyn, then appoints the head of the Queens Museum to be the city’s cultural affairs commissioner.
- Senator Charles Schumer lifts his voice in favor of federal tax incentives for live theater, at Sardi’s at 11 a.m.
- Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, releases a report showing that public schools in low-income neighborhoods get shortchanged on arts education.
- A public seminar on “Love, Protest, and Exile: Brazilian Music in the 20th Century†at Queens College, with a live performance. 1:30 p.m. [Free]
- There’s still ice skating in Central Park, but only for one more night, and only for the “Skating With the Stars†charity gala. 5:30 p.m. [$350 and up]
- Kiss Army, deploy: Paul Stanley signs his memoir at Barnes & Noble in TriBeCa. 6 p.m. [Free]
- Watch an episode of the popular Israeli TV comedy “Arab Labor,†with its author, Sayed Kashua, at Congregation Mount Sinai in Brooklyn Heights. 7 p.m. [$15 -- not free as we mistakenly reported earlier]
- Junot DÃaz reads and talks at Columbia. 7:15 p.m. [Free]
- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.
IN THE NEWS
- A 16-year-old is in custody for the arson in a Coney Island high-rise that critically injured two police officers. [WABC Eyewitness News]
- Ever heard of Allerton in the Bronx? Some of the 60,000 people who live there are fighting to get the neighborhood’s name on maps. [New York Times]
- A major brawl broke out during a charity hockey game between city police officers and firefighters. [New York Post]
- amNewYork went clothes shopping with Chiara de Blasio, the mayor’s 19-year-old daughter.
- Clayton Patterson, longtime chronicler and symbol of the Bohemian Lower East Side, is giving up and moving to Austria. [New York Times]
- A worker at the casino at Aqueduct Racetrack was knocked unconscious by a falling roulette machine, she charges in a lawsuit. [DNAinfo]
- Mickey Rooney, born Joseph Yule in Brooklyn, died at 93. Here is an awesome clip of him at age 14 as Shakespeare’s Puck.
- Scoreboard: Yankees outmuscle Blue Jays, 6-4. Reds overthrow Mets, 2-1. Heat top Knicks, 102-91. Blue Jackets smother Islanders, 4-0.
AND FINALLY …
Two weeks ago, The Times asked readers to write a haiku about New York City.
Nearly 3,000 came pouring in.
On Saturday, submissions were closed.
The reader favorite, so far:
Old man in the park
Teaching Chess to young players
Game reduced to life
Sandra E. Garcia contributed reporting.
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