Around the Yankee Universe, Opening Day edition

It's Opening Day, the most glorious day of the baseball season (aside, of course, from World Series clinching day). Let's take a tour of the New York Yankee Universe and see what is being written and said as the Yanks prepare for an all-out assault on their 27th World Championship.

• We have talked about it before, and I hate to start here, but Newsday reminds us that Joe Girardi's job is on the line this season. And he knows it. Peter Abraham says Girardi feels better prepared this year. Speaking of those expectations, George Willis of the New York Post says there are no excuses for the Yankees not to win this season.
  
• I am not usually a big Mike Lupica fan, but he has a great look at Derek Jeter and what he means to the Yankee franchise in his Sunday column. If you haven't read it, you need to.
• The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East last season, and the New York Times looks at why the great season the Rays had was not a fluke.
• Cody Ransom is excited about being the Opening Day third baseman. Meanwhile, there is word that the player he is replacing might return sooner than expected.
• CC Sabathia knows what is expected of him as the Yankees' ace, and he says he is ready.
• The New York Times says the new Yankee Stadium is beautiful, but it has a lot to live up to. Speaking of the old Stadium, Sliding Into Home has some photos of the ongoing destruction of the great Stadium.