Yanks rock Hard Rock at new Stadium

NEW YORK -- The first pitch in the new Yankee Stadium won't be thrown until Friday night, but that didn't stop the place from rocking Thursday morning.

Prior to the Yankees' first workout in their new cathedral, the team officially opened the Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium, with the grandiose style that both name brands are famous for.

Sports and music icons strolled down the blue carpet in the Great Hall, with Yankees legend Bernie Williams joined by rock legends Ace Frehley of Kiss, Scott Ian and Frank Bello of Anthrax, Anton Fig of The Late Show Band and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run DMC.

In lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, the rock stars, Seminole tribe members and Yankees representatives, including Hal Steinbrenner, smashed 27 guitars, each one representing a championship the franchise has won, and an extra one for the title they seek this season.

"It's amazing. It's beautiful. I'm just thrilled that they invited me," the Bronx-bred Frehley said of the stadium. "To help them open the Hard Rock Cafe, especially with the team I grew up with, is just great."

Jim Allen, president and CEO of Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, said, "We are thrilled to partner with the New York Yankees and to be part of Yankee Stadium. Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium will bring two iconic brands, in sports and music, together at this world-class venue."

Following the controlled mayhem, Williams took the stage with children from the Bronx-based Renaissance EMS, which received Hard Rock guitars at the Cafe ground-breaking last spring. The Hard Rock Cafe also donated $5,000 to Renaissance EMS on Thursday.

Williams, who is releasing his second CD, "Moving Forward," led a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," playing his custom-made blue and white Fender Telecaster guitar, imprinted with a large Yankees logo and his legendary No. 51, which he then donated to the restaurant to hang on the walls.

"What a day," Williams said. "It feels great. They did a great job with the stadium. It looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to watching a couple games here. I think it's going bring the Bronx even to a higher level, as far as a tourist attraction. A lot of people are going come here. It's certainly going mean a lot to the community."

For an apropos encore, Frehley, Ian, Bello and Fig played the classic song "Back in the New York Groove."

"I've been a Yankees fan forever," Ian said. "I couldn't wait to tell people I was playing Yankee Stadium with Ace Frehley."

The 7,000-square-foot restaurant will be open year-round and is located near right field, on the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue. It holds 210 guests, serving both ticket and non-ticketholders on game days and has a full bar and patio seating.

In addition to the musical souvenirs lining the restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium also has several pictures of New York-area musicians, such as Jay-Z and Jennifer Lopez, sporting Yankees gear. The Yankee Stadium cafe's Rock Shop will offer both music items, as well as collectible Hard Rock Cafe merchandise that will only be available at this location.

"Adding popular and premier dining options such as the Hard Rock Cafe was done with our fans in mind," said Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost. "By creating year-round restaurants that provide substantial full- and part-time employment for those in the local community, we are able to make Yankee Stadium a source of pride for Bronx residents."

Before the event, Ian walked through the Great Hall and stood near the foul pole in right field, having pictures taken of him with center field in the background. Clad in a leather jacket, he seemed indifferent to the morning chill and fog that obscured the sky.

As he turned around and arched his neck to see the rest of the stadium, the hardcore guitarist's face resembled that of a 5-year-old child. With a reaction sure to be matched by millions in the coming season, Ian shook his head in amazement, eyes wide and mouth agape, left uttering a single word to himself -- "Wow."

Royals sign Wright to Minors deal

Jamey Wright, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who once had a brief fling with the Royals, is back in the organization after six years.

Kansas City signed Wright, 34, on Tuesday to a Minor League contract and invited him to its Major League camp, which opens Saturday in Surprise, Ariz.

In 2003, Wright started four late-season games for the Royals after spending most of the summer in the Minors. He completed the first two of his four starts, losing at Anaheim, 3-1, and then winning at Detroit, 7-0. He was roughed up in his last two starts, however, and was 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA.

Last season, Wright, after being a starter through most of his career, turned strictly to relieving and worked in 75 games for the Texas Rangers. He finished 8-7 with a 5.12 ERA.

In 13 years with six clubs -- Colorado, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Francisco and Texas -- his career record is 79-110 with a 5.06 ERA.

Wright becomes the 12th non-roster pitcher invited to Spring Training, taking a spot vacated by Luke Hudson, who instead will be doing rehabilitation work on his shoulder. The Royals expect a total of 31 pitchers in camp.

Rock icons to play Citizens Bank Park

Citizens Bank Park will play host to Billy Joel and Elton John for a concert on July 30.

Joel and John launched their first tour together in Philadelphia in 1994.

"We are delighted that Billy Joel and Elton John will reunite at Citizens Bank Park," Phillies president David Montgomery said in a statement. "Both Billy and Elton have a special history in Philadelphia and we know this is going to be a memorable night for everyone at what has become a very popular concert venue under the stars at Citizens Bank Park."

Joel and John will play together and individually with their own bands. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, exclusively through ComcastTIX at 1-800-298-4200, online at ComcastTIX.com, in person at the Wachovia Center box office or at select Acme Markets.

Burns to take 'Baseball' to extra innings

Sixteen years after its memorable ninth inning came to a close, "Baseball" will add its first extra frame.

The Emmy Award-winning nine-"inning" documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns, which debuted on PBS in 1994 and became the most-watched series in the history of public television with more than 48 million viewers, has been updated with another segment entitled "The Tenth Inning" that will be broadcast in the spring of 2010, PBS announced.

"So much has transpired in baseball since we last examined the game and all of its many nuances," said Burns, who co-directed "The Tenth Inning" with his longtime collaborator, Lynn Novick, and co-wrote it with Novick and David McMahon.

"Above all, this new installment furthers a sense of celebration and introspection around one of our nation's greatest institutions, the seemingly simple stick-and-ball game whose infinite variations and possibilities have entranced our ever-changing nation for nearly 200 years."

"The Tenth Inning," a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Major League Baseball Productions, will pick up where "Baseball" left off.

The film will show the game from 1993 to 2008 and showcase the great moments on the field, plus some of the hardships baseball has endured during those years, including the '94 strike and the controversies surrounding the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

It will feature interviews with managers Joe Torre and Felipe Alou, players Omar Vizquel and Ichiro Suzuki, fans from across the country and overseas, and a host of the memorable contributors to the original documentary, including broadcaster Bob Costas and writers Roger Angell, Daniel Okrent, Gerald Early and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

"Ken and I are passionate baseball fans ourselves, so it's a project that resonates with us on many levels," Novick added. "We were extremely fortunate to capture a cross section of compelling perspectives on the game and to gain a deeper understanding of what it means in our ever-changing world."

"The Tenth Inning" will coincide with a rebroadcast of the "Baseball" series, which is currently being shown Tuesday nights on the new MLB Network.

"We're thrilled to revisit 'Baseball' with Ken, Lynn and all of the talented folks at Florentine Films," said John Boland, chief content officer of PBS. "For all of the loyal viewers who have clamored over the years for a new chapter of 'Baseball,' we can now officially say it's time to 'play ball' once again."