NEW YORK — Pull into the parking lot at Yankee Stadium and there it is, rising up right next door like some kind of baseball Taj Mahal.

Wow! You can hardly take your eyes off it.

A sparkling new version of the beloved ballpark, with "Yankee Stadium" carved in glistening gold letters on the granite and limestone exterior.

From the outside, it almost looks finished. Hard to believe how far construction has come since last season ended.

But there's still work to be done, and one year left to play at the old place.

"We're hoping to try to rock the house here one more season before we get there — or somebody's going to rock my house," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said with a laugh Sunday.

New York begins its 84th and final season at Yankee Stadium by hosting Toronto on Monday, the beginning of a long kiss goodbye to one of the most famous venues in sports.

Joe Girardi makes his debut as Yankees manager, replacing Joe Torre in the first-base dugout. Chien-Ming Wang will pitch on his 28th birthday against Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. And Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of a season that marks the 30th anniversary of New York's 1978 World Series championship.

"It'll probably be emotional," Derek Jeter said. "I really don't know what to expect. I'm sure you'll take a look around and try to remember as many things as you can. It's going to be a special year.

"People ask about the new stadium, I still can't picture us going over there. I'm sure it'll probably set in towards the end of the year."

But first, one last opener in The House That Ruth Built.

"I wanted to be here for this one," Mariano Rivera said.

In 2009, the Bronx Bombers will move into a $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium, located just across 161st Street. This year, a digital display in center field will count down the number of regular-season home games remaining at old Yankee Stadium. As the teams worked out Sunday, the screen showed 81.

"So many wonderful things have happened in this ballpark," said Cashman, entering the final year of his contract. "At the same time, every day you look across the street at what's going on over there, it limits the sadness about closing this place down because that place is going to be more old-school than this place, but with all the new amenities."

New York has won 10 straight home openers, the best run in franchise history.