‘Dugout’ gets a new meaning

Construction workers building the new Yankee Stadium jackhammered through two feet of concrete Sunday and extracted a Boston Red Sox No. 34 David Ortiz jersey planted there by a former member of the crew.

The former worker, identified as Gino Castignoli, is a Red Sox fan who was attempting to jinx the new stadium.

The Yankees found out about the jersey through a report in the New York Post and considered leaving it, but when witnesses came forward with the approximate location of the jersey, the team decided to dig it out.

“We decided, why reward somebody who had really bad motives and was trying to do a really bad thing?” team President Andy Levine said.

Castignoli told the Boston Herald he initially refused to work on the Yankee Stadium crew but relented after hatching his plan.

“I would not go near Yankee Stadium, not for all the hot dogs in the world,” he told the Herald, but added the one day of work “was worth it.”

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Trivia time

Where did the Yankees play home games before moving to Yankee Stadium in 1923?

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Not a Cardinals fan?

Cardinal Edward Egan has a confession: He’s a Yankees convert.

“I was a Cubs fan all my life until I came to New York and was converted,” said Egan, who as leader of the Archdiocese of New York will play host to Pope Benedict XVI when he visits the city this week and celebrates Mass at Yankee Stadium.

“And don’t forget, converts are more committed than non-converts.”

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List-full champion

Masters champion Trevor Immelman followed in the footsteps of last year’s champion Zach Johnson by appearing on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and reading a top-10 list about himself.

The topic was “Ways Trevor Immelman’s Life Has Changed Since Winning the Masters” and the list included:

“I’ve been elevated from ‘unknown’ to ‘obscure.’ ”

“President Bush called to congratulate me on winning Wimbledon.”

“Get to put my arm around Tiger Woods and say, ‘Maybe next year.’ ”

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A major bore

Associated Press columnist Tim Dahlberg was less than impressed with the final round of the Masters, which produced a scoring average of 74.7 and only four players who broke par.

“A senior bowling tournament would have been more interesting than this snoozefest,” Dahlberg wrote. “This wasn’t so much a major championship as a NASCAR race, complete with wrecks scattered everywhere. Immelman emerged the three-stroke winner with a fat final round of 75 only because he was in the final group where it was easier to take a caution lap.”

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Student groans

University of Tennessee students are up in arms after learning that 14,000 formerly free student tickets for Volunteers football games will now cost $15 each or $90 for a season ticket.

Administrators are hoping the added $1.2 million will help offset rising costs in the athletic department, which has an annual budget of about $83 million.

“For a one-year increase, I think that is insanely high,” said John Radar, student body president. “I think it is unreasonable and we are deeply concerned as to why students are bearing the burden of an athletic department that is hurting for money.”

Of course, Coach Phillip Fulmer and his $2.2-million annual salary will probably be on the hot seat soon, so that might help.

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Trivia answer

The Polo Grounds. The Yankees and New York Giants shared the field from 1912-1922.

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And finally

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle was miffed that Mike Montgomery, who received a reported $5-million buyout when he was fired by the Golden State Warriors in 2006, returned to coaching last week when he was hired at California.

“Mike Montgomery’s parting gift from the Warriors was a zillion dollars, yet he goes right back to coaching?” Ostler wrote. “Somebody please help Monty Google ‘Hawaii’ and ‘Tahiti.’ ”

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peter.yoon@latimes.com