Yankees to honor Mr. Steinbrenner at Spring opener

• 2/25/11, "Yankees to honor Steinbrenner at Spring opener," AP

"There will be a major absence at the ballpark when the New York Yankees play their 2011 spring training opener.

Saturday’s game between New York and the Philadelphia Phillies will be the Yankees’ first spring game since team

• owner George Steinbrenner died in July at the age of 80.

Steinbrenner will be honored during a pregame ceremony at George Steinbrenner Field that will include his wife Joan being escorted by the couple’s two daughters — Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal and Jessica Steinbrenner — to place a rose on home plate. Haley Swindal, Steinbrenner’s granddaughter, will perform the national anthem.

“The ceremony for him, I think, that will be very special,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said on Friday. “It was awkward in New York, they had a tremendous ceremony for him. I mean, he passed away in July and it’s still awkward to know he’s not here. It seems like it’s hard to believe. That hasn’t changed.”

• Former Yankees, including Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, David Wells and Rich “Goose” Gossage will be introduced before the game....

Steinbrenner attended most of the Yankees’ home spring training games last year.

New York will start Bartolo Colon, who along with Freddy Garcia, Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre, is competing for the final one of the two rotation spots. Philadelphia will counter with Cole Hamels."...

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