Yankee Stadium

Jerome Williams completed his final tuneup before rejoining the Angels rotation Tuesday night, allowing two earned runs and six hits, striking out four and walking none in six innings for Class-A Inland Empire against Lake Elsinore. Williams, who missed more than three weeks of spring training because of a left hamstring strain, was told by team officials he will start Sunday night against the New York Yankees in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN. The 30-year-old right-hander, who threw 90 pitches Tuesday night, was competing with top pitching prospect Garrett Richards for the fifth rotation spot, but Williams figured to get first crack at the job based on his strong 2011 finish and the fact he is out of minor-league options.

MINNEAPOLIS — There have been far more ground balls to the left side than line drives to the gaps, but Angels first baseman Albert Pujols , who is batting .217 after Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Minnesota Twins, is not overly concerned about his slow start. "Not to be cocky, but I know I can hit. I showed that in spring, I've shown that for 11 years, and it's not going to go away like that," Pujols said, snapping his fingers. "I'm trying to stay inside the ball and not think too much.

Now it's the Angels' turn to enter the apparent twilight zone in Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium, that is, where the Angels tonight open the New York Yankees' second homestand of the season and experience firsthand the weirdness in the Bronx. There were 26 home runs hit in the six games of the Yankees' initial homestand this month, the most ever in that span at a new park, with most hit to right field. That has spawned various theories about whether the new $1.

MINNEAPOLIS — This is not, as ballplayers like to say, Jerome Williams' first rodeo. The 30-year-old right-hander is in his 15th professional season, has spent nearly four years in the big leagues, started a playoff game and has pitched in Mexico, Venezuela and Taiwan. But even Williams had to admit that it will be a considerable jump going from a rehabilitation start for Class-A Inland Empire on Tuesday night to pitching Sunday night against the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium in a game that will be nationally televised.

For 25 years, Bob Padgett and a group of friends have traveled to Major League Baseball's annual All-Star Game. This year, the Manhattan Beach resident snapped this shot at the game in Yankee Stadium, which will be demolished at season's end. Padgett, a Los Angeles native, first went to Yankee Stadium in 1981, when the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series. For this shot, he used a Canon 630.

It wasn't until Johnny Oates' playing career was winding down that he had a full appreciation of playing in Yankee Stadium. His 10 years in the majors only included three seasons in the American League, his rookie year with the Baltimore Orioles and his final two years with the Yankees. His only other playing experience at Yankee Stadium came as a Dodger in World Series appearances in 1977 and 1978.

A night after taking a five-run lead in the first inning at Boston and going on to lose, the Seattle Mariners fell behind by five in the first and beat the New York Yankees. Go figure. "It was one of those nights. Some new phase of the moon," Seattle Manager Mike Hargrove said after the Mariners teed off in a 15-11 victory Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a tiebreaking two-run double during an eight-run fifth inning.

Wandering through the halls that twist and turn in the catacombs of Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra could have used a road map. "I had to find my way back," Berra said after ending a 14-year exile and returning to throw out the first pitch on opening day Friday. "I got lost. I've got to get my bearings. It's a lot different. They fixed it up so much."

The list of the greatest events at Yankee Stadium, which is being torn down after this season, is a lot longer than the 10 the Sporting News chose, and readers have their own suggestions for what needs to be included. The seventh game of the 1955 World Series, when Johnny Podres pitched the Dodgers over the Yankees, wrote Ron Tom of Pasadena.

How much of the patriotism and piety in sports is sincere, how much public relations? It's a question I've often wondered while standing for 5,843 variations of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (some Francis Scott Key wouldn't recognize), listening to 967 recitals of "God Bless America," (the late great Kate Smith still belting it out), and seeing 231 military fly-bys (hoping they don't crash into the stadium).

Jerome Williams completed his final tuneup before rejoining the Angels rotation Tuesday night, allowing two earned runs and six hits, striking out four and walking none in six innings for Class-A Inland Empire against Lake Elsinore. Williams, who missed more than three weeks of spring training because of a left hamstring strain, was told by team officials he will start Sunday night against the New York Yankees in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN. The 30-year-old right-hander, who threw 90 pitches Tuesday night, was competing with top pitching prospect Garrett Richards for the fifth rotation spot, but Williams figured to get first crack at the job based on his strong 2011 finish and the fact he is out of minor-league options.

It turns out that the New York Yankees have a common problem of this economy. Return on investment. Is this a great country or what? We may be pretty much bankrupt, coast to coast, but we still can find incredible riches in America's pastime. We also can find great hope for the little guy, the underdog with the bald spot and the blue-collar paycheck. The scene: Thursday night, Yankees versus Detroit Tigers. The deciding Game 5 of the American League Division Series, or ALDS for you real fans.

Russell Branyan has an easy assignment this weekend. All the veteran will have to do, if called upon, is deliver a huge pinch-hit late in the game against one of the New York Yankees' top relievers, probably Mariano Rivera , the best closer in baseball history. Piece of cake, right? After all, that's exactly what Branyan did Aug. 11 at Yankee Stadium, when he crushed a first pitch from Rivera for a three-run homer in the ninth inning, putting a scare into the home crowd during a 6-5 Angels loss.

He has plied his trade a continent away, and maybe that distance has dimmed our appreciation. But now that Derek Jeter has 3,000 hits, it gives us reason to say what needs to be said about this magnificent Yankee. Wow. Well done. Impressive beyond words. Also, thanks for being what you are and who you are. In that magic early afternoon of July 9, with the memory and remains of old Yankee Stadium looming across the street, the seats filled in new Yankee Stadium, All-Star David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays on the mound and the count 3 and 2, Jeter went from legendary to mystical.

He is Mr. November, and every other month in which major league baseball is played. He has more hits than Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, a higher career batting average than Mickey Mantle and a higher postseason average than Joe DiMaggio. And it won't be long before Derek Jeter is a new lord of New York Yankees lore. With six more hits, the shortstop will become the first player to collect 3,000 hits while playing exclusively with the most storied franchise in baseball. He could resume his pursuit as soon as Monday against the Cleveland Indians after spending the last three weeks on the disabled list because of a strained right calf.

Ichiro Suzuki was not in the starting lineup for the Seattle Mariners for Friday night's game against the Detroit Tigers. Manager Eric Wedge said he wanted to give his slumping outfielder the night off, although he did not rule out the possibility that Suzuki would pinch-hit or pinch-run. Suzuki has played in 255 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in team history. Suzuki, who is hitting .252 this season, didn't speak to reporters before the game. He's hitting .149 since May 19. Etc. Atlanta left fielder Martin Prado has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a staph infection in his right calf.

Yankee Stadium will be the site of a prayer service Sunday, New York city officials said. Admission will be by ticket only, with preference given to the families of attack victims. The city had canceled plans for a memorial service in Central Park because police were stretched too thin to provide adequate security. In other developments, French President Jacques Chirac visited New York and praised Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's conduct in the aftermath of the attack.

A wave of ballpark construction that began in 1991 with Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field has resulted in 21 big league stadiums being built in the last two decades. Yet it's unlikely any of them will match the charm or history of Boston's ageless Fenway Park. BEST 1. PNC PARK (Pittsburgh, opened in 2001): Breathtaking view of the Pittsburgh skyline and Allegheny River help fans overlook the poor team. 2. AT&T PARK (San Francisco, 2000): Few things are better than watching a homer land in McCovey Cove while you eat garlic fries.

"Road trip!" The phrase tugs at the heartstrings of all dedicated baseball fans. It ignites a desire to see the home nine do battle on rival turf or, at the very least, a chance to check out other stadiums and confirm what they already know ("It was OK ... but our ballpark is better"). As major league baseball gears up for season openers — on Thursday the Dodgers host their eternal rivals the San Francisco Giants, while the Angels are in Kansas City against the Royals — the lure of the road beckons anew.