Pettitte excited to start probable Stadium finale

Andy Pettitte has pitched some of the most important games at Yankee Stadium over the past 14 years, so it's fitting that he'll start for New York in what shapes up as the ballpark's grand finale.

How will this assignment stack up with all those playoff and World Series appearances in pinstripes?

"It's going to be right there, it really is," Pettitte said Saturday. "The Yankees wanting me to pitch that last game, that means an awful lot to me. I'm just extremely excited to be able to do it and it's just going to be a special night for me."

After helping the Yankees to four World Series titles and six AL pennants from 1996-2003, Pettitte will get the ball Sunday night against Baltimore in a game dripping with nostalgia.

Barring an incredible charge to the postseason, New York will be playing its final game at the 85-year-old ballpark before a sellout crowd and a national television audience. The Yankees are on target to move next season into a $1.3 billion palace rising across the street.

"It's amazing how fast it goes," manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm interested to see all the emotions of the players tomorrow."

Fans will be permitted to walk on the field hours before a pregame ceremony honoring the stadium's rich history. Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage and Bernie Williams are among the former stars scheduled to participate in the festivities.

This weekend, several Yankees started collecting souvenirs and soaking up their final moments at the old place.

Girardi filled a few bags with dirt from behind home plate Saturday and plans to give keepsake containers to his kids and nephews.

He said he'd take his family to Monument Park after the game, then stroll Sunday toward the third base stands and find the approximate spot in foul territory where Charlie Hayes caught the final out of the 1996 World Series. Girardi, of course, was a Yankees catcher from 1996-99, winning three World Series rings.

In the clubhouse, rookie pitcher Phil Coke snapped a photo of his own cubicle.

"I've got proof," he said. "I actually have a locker."

Babe Ruth's granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tosetti, hung a wreath of blue carnations on the Hall of Famer's plaque in Monument Park. She also presented Derek Jeter with a sterling silver plate to commemorate him passing Ruth on the Yankees' career hits list.

Pettitte sat behind a microphone in the bowels of Yankee Stadium with his two oldest sons alongside. He secured 13 tickets for friends and family members Sunday night - no easy task.

"It's been weird just sitting there the last couple of nights, just thinking about it. It's going to be sad, there's no doubt," Pettitte said. "Anything special to you in your life and it's going to be gone - you're going to drive by here and see this place and it's not going to be here anymore, it's like driving by your first house that you lived in when you first got married or something like that. Just remember the memories."

Pettitte said he'd like to keep the pitching rubber, or at least some game balls and dirt from the mound.

With the Yankees likely to miss a postseason for the first time since 1993, this year has been difficult for Pettitte, who is 13-14 with a 4.57 ERA. He's never had a losing season and his 14 losses are a career high.

Pettitte is 1-7 in 10 outings since July 26 and has lost five straight starts for the first time in his career. But he'll try to relish Sunday night for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Why be miserable?" Pettitte said. "Definitely, I want to try to enjoy it. But if you don't pitch well, no matter what's going on, it's extremely tough to enjoy."

Pettitte said Girardi has told him he'd like to have him back next season, but the 36-year-old lefty hasn't decided whether he plans to pitch in 2009 and hasn't spoken to general manager Brian Cashman about a new contract. Pettitte's deal expires after this year.

"It's a big decision for me because I don't want to come back and just go through the motions," Pettitte said. "I feel like I didn't get the job done this year. That hurts an awful lot."

Girardi moved Pettitte back a day so he could start Sunday. The honor completes a turnaround for Pettitte, who was named in the Mitchell Report last winter.

He made a heartfelt apology during spring training for using human growth hormone and fans have recognized him throughout the season for his accomplishments as a core member of the group that won four World Series championships from 1996-2000.

"You'll see that look in his eyes and I think you'll see that fierce competitor," Girardi said.