The Yankees will open their 2011 home spring training schedule with a salute to late owner George M. Steinbrenner, who died last July at the age of 80.

The team will honor their principal owner with the unveiling of a statute of the man erected outside the home-plate entrance. A video tribute to him will be shown on the left-field scoreboard and the marching band from George M. Steinbrenner High School from Lutz, FL, will perform.

Steinbrenner’s daughters will escort their mother Jean to home plate for the placement of rose to honor their father and the national anthem will be performed by Steinbrenner’s granddaughter Haley Swindal.

There also will be flyover by two F-16 Hornets from the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA.

It is unclear whether Steinbrenner’s son will pay homage to those Yankee players who built “mansions” over the course of the 2010 season.

The Phillies have selected left-hander Cole Hamels to pitch their spring opener. Hamels was 12-11 with a 3.06 ERA last season. He will pitch two innings and will be followed by Vance Worley, Ryan Feieraband, Brian Schlitter and Mike Zagurski.

Manager Charlie Manuel also posted the lineup for the game:

1) Jimmy Rollins SS

2) Ross Gload DH

3) Raul Ibanez LF

4) Ryan Howard 1B

5) Ben Francisco CF

6) Domonic Brown RF

7) Jeff Larish 3B

8) Brian Schneider C

9) Wilson Valdez 2B

Second baseman Chase Utley will not play in the opener because of soreness in his legs and knees. Manuel said the problem is not serious and that Utley will be fine.

The Yankees will counter by pitching non-roster right-hander Bartolo Colon. Colon has not pitched in the major leagues since 2009 and is competing for a back-end rotation spot with the Yankees.

Manager Joe Girardi selected Colon, 37, to pitch the opener because he is coming off pitching in winter ball and is a bit further along than any of the other pitchers. He will pitch two innings up to a limit of 35 pitches.

Colon will followed to the mound by Joba Chamberlain, David Roberstson, David Phelps, Hector Noesi and Eric Wordekemper.

The Yankees also plan to open the spring home schedule with their regular starting lineup to face Hamels.

However, newly signed catcher Russell Martin will be held out of the contest as he continues to recover from surgery on his right knee. Francisco Cervelli will catch instead.

The game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network and in the tri-state area by the YES Network.

Those Yankee fans hoping to let left-hander Cliff Lee how they feel about him will be out of luck, He will remain at the team’s complex at Bright House Network Field in Clearwater, FL. It is unclear if Lee will pitch Sunday at Bright House Network Field when the Phillies return the favor and host the Yankees.

Girardi has indicated that CC Sabathia will start Sunday’s game in Philadelphia and Sergio Mitre will follow on Monday at Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers. But plans for Tuesday and Wednesday have been switched.

Phil Hughes will start Tuesday’s game in Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates and A.J. Burnett has been switched to pitch Wednesday at home Houston Astros. That would seem to indicate that Hughes is, for now, considered the No. 2 starter.

The Yankees will honor two minor leaguers before the March 19 game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Infielder Eduardo Nunez and right-hander David Phelps will be presented with the 2010 Kevin Lawn awards, dedicated to Kevin O’Brien Lawn , the son of longtime vice president and chief of operations Jack Lawn, who passed away in 1999.

Nunez, 23, batted .289 with 55 runs, 25 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 50 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 118 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2010. he also was a midseason and postseason International League All-Star.

Phelps, 24, cobined to go 10-2 with a 2.50 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 26 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton in 2010.

Former No. 1 pick Andrew Brackman will be sidelined until next week with tightness in his groin.

The 6-foot-10 right-hander is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Tuesday. But he will be unavailable to pitch in any of the early spring training games.

Brackman, 25, who the Yankees drafted in 2007 knowing he would be sidelined for a season to recover from Tommy John surgery, has been impressive with his command and velocity in early bullpen sessions at camp.