Army, Notre Dame and the Yankees yesterday officially announced that the two schools will play on November 20, 2010, in the "first college football game at the new Yankee Stadium," according to Sal Interdonato of the Middletown TIMES HERALD-RECORD. The home game for Notre Dame will be "televised in prime time" by NBC. The Yankees "built their new ballpark with the idea of hosting college football games," and Army-Notre Dame "seemed like the perfect matchup." Yankees Managing General Partner & co-Chair Hal Steinbrenner said that he "received an education on the rivalry" when the "idea was floated past" Yankees Chair George Steinbrenner. Hal Steinbrenner: "He reminded me several times over the past couple months of many things. One was how great and rich this rivalry has been over the years between Army and Notre Dame. He also reminded me of the fact that 22 of their close to 50 games took place across the street at the old Stadium." Army tomorrow at 10:00am ET at Yankee Stadium is scheduled to announce "future games in the Bronx" ( Middletown TIMES HERALD-RECORD, 7/21 ). FIELD OF DREAMS : In N.Y., Ken Belson reports the end zones of the football field will be "near home plate and center field," and the infield dirt will "most likely be covered with grass." The stadium "will seat 47,000 fans, about 5,000 fewer than for baseball." Not only will the games "bring in extra money to help pay" for the ballpark, but George Steinbrenner is a "big football fan who played and coached the sport." Meanwhile, Yankees COO Lonn Trost said that the team also is "holding discussions with the NHL about hosting a game at the stadium." Yankees President Randy Levine said that it is "too early to say whether the Yankees would hold concerts and other nonbaseball events during the season" ( N.Y. TIMES, 7/21 ). In Newark, Matt Gelb reports portions of the outfield wall "in front of the bullpens will have to be removed and the dugouts will be covered and raised with turf for safety concerns" ( Newark STAR-LEDGER, 7/21 ). Trost said that Yankees season-ticket holders "would not have the option of purchasing their seats for the game, but that suite holders would" ( N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/21 ). WHO'S GOT NEXT? In N.Y., Lenn Robbins reports Army tomorrow will announce an agreement to play Rutgers at Yankee Stadium in '11 ( N.Y. POST, 7/21 ). ESPN.com's Brian Bennett reported Syracuse also is "in the mix for a future game" at Yankee Stadium. Bennett: "Having Rutgers and Syracuse involved would give the game strong regional appeal. Of course, it also means one side will lose a home game. ... Still, it's New York City and one of the most famous addresses in the world" ( ESPN.com, 7/20 ).
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