The Yankees have announced that they will in fact be opening the new Yankee Stadium with two exhibition games against the Cubs, as had been speculated. The games will be played on April 3 and 4, and the team will be off on April 5 before heading to Baltimore to open the season the following day.

From the official press release:

"The Yankees organization is excited and honored to host the Chicago Cubs in two exhibition games to be played at the new Yankee Stadium," said Yankees co-Chairperson Hal Steinbrenner. "As we welcome our fans into the ballpark for the first time, it is fitting to showcase two of Baseball's greatest and most historic franchises."

"We are thrilled to have such a great organization in the Chicago Cubs agree to play the first-ever exhibition games as we unveil Yankee Stadium," said Yankees President Randy Levine. "It will be a symbolic event for the fans of two iconic teams while we celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in this proud franchise's history."

I'm still not sure how I feel about the idea, but apparently this has become pretty standard for teams opening new stadiums. When you look back at your first memory of the new Yankee Stadium, are you going to think about the game on April 3, or the the first game that actually counts, on April 16?