O's Cabrera Shines In Home Opener  —  Never before had Daniel Cabrera walked off a mound to an ovation such as the one that greeted him when he exited the Baltimore Orioles' home opener in the eighth inning Monday.  The crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards erupted after Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo took …

Yapping Phillie is looking silly  —  At 1-6, Rollins won't back down  —  Chances are, Jimmy Rollins didn't envision a day like this back in January when he brazenly declared the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East: a day when his team fell to 1-6; when he made a crucial error …

Old days are impossible to explain to newcomers  —  It's hard to explain to the young people that there was life before $312 box seats, bloody socks, $60 parking spaces, and hundreds of photographers on site to shoot two guys from Japan facing one another in a midweek night game in April.

Yankees 8, Twins 2  — After spending much of the offseason criticizing the Twins' decision to fill the starting rotation with washed-up veterans rather than trust their young talent, many of you probably expect me to go off on a long rant about Sidney Ponson's eight-run outing last night.

ANSWERING THE CARL  —  PAVANO NABS FIRST WIN FOR YANKS ROTATION  —  MINNEAPOLIS - If you didn't predict Carl Pavano would be the first member of the Yankees' rotation to pitch effectively and post the initial victory by a starter this season, you weren't alone.

Nolasco goes to disabled list  —  Vanden Hurk summoned to start Tuesday against Brewers  —  MIAMI — Warning signs surfaced on Friday when Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco's fastball was repeatedly clocked between 84-87 mph.  —  The 24-year-old right-hander struggled in his 1 1/3 inning relief stint …

Carpenter shelved  —  PITTSBURGH — Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter probably will remain disabled for the rest of this month after an examination Monday disclosed that he is suffering from what the club called moderate arthritis and a mild impingement of the right elbow.

Season young, but this homegrown-veteran D-Backs mix looks good  —  The big moment of anticipation Monday night at Chase Field came before the first pitch, when the pregame introductions reached Randy Johnson.  —  Would fans cheer?  Boo?  Care?  —  So much for the off-season hand-wringing …

Kevin Millar: They'll Love Him on Broadway  —  By now, you've probably seen Kevin Millar of the Orioles gettin' jiggy with the Ray Lewis dance Monday in Baltimore.  Pretty funny stuff.  What we've got here is Millar back in his younger days, singing vintage Bruce Springsteen.

Pirates Notebook: Castillo would welcome starting duty ... anywhere  —  Pirates manager Jim Tracy smiles as he is introduced before the home opener yesterday at PNC Park.  —  Jose Castillo, despite being clearly dissatisfied with his new role on the bench after three years of starting …

Eight More Prospects to Watch in 2007  —  Bryan Smith identified eight prospects to watch several months ago, and I found his list to be an informative and fun read.  I agree with many of his choices, but I found myself interested in the challenge of finding undervalued players and put together a list of my own.

Mailbag: What is Robertson's secret?  —  Beat reporter Jason Beck answers Tigers fans' questions  —  The stats say that Nate Robertson is unusually effective against left-handed hitters.  Why is that?  I can understand Jamie Walker's effectiveness against lefties, given his goofy delivery …

Build from Within, Trade for Quality  —  Chances are, a small-market team isn't going to make a big splash in the free-agent market.  Sure, they might fill a hole here and there with lower-profile guys (Mark Loretta) or aging veterans (Doug Brocail, Greg Maddux, Rudy Seanez, David Wells) …

Helton miffed about sitting  —  Los Angeles - Todd Helton knows hitting.  Not sitting.  Asked about not starting Monday after batting practice, Helton exclusively blew off The Denver Post.  After the game, the burn had cooled following a 6-3 Rockies victory - propelled, in part, by his replacement, Jeff Baker.

Going on that church thing  —  Him?  —  I'm not saying the Cardinals made the wrong choice.  Randy Keisler is a proven... well, something.  He's empirically proven to have played in the majors, at some point.  For the third time on this blog, he resembles fine character actor Steve Buscemi.