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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Early ticket sales 'encouraging' for Angels-Indians series  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Get ready for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim against the Cleveland Indians of Milwaukee.  —  Hours after officials at Miller Park agreed to let the snowed-out Indians host the Angels at the Milwaukee Brewers' home stadium …

Young set to sign long-term deal  —  On April 1, the eve of Opening Day, the Padres signed first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to a four-year, $9.5 million contract.  Tuesday, they will announce a long-term deal with right-hander Chris Young, the other principal player they acquired from the Rangers in Dec. 2005.

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.

Torn elbow tendon shelves Hampton for season  —  Torn flexor tendon sidelines lefty for 6-9 months  —  Mike Hampton's season is over before it started.  —  The injury-plagued Braves pitcher is headed for surgery this morning after learning he has a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow.

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.

BAPR Plus: April 10  —  Today's look around the minors includes Yovani Gallardo's Triple-A debut, Adam Miller's long awaited first start of 2007 and an impressive start by Nationals prospect Emiliano Fruto.  —  Triple-A  —  Yovani Gallardo may have been a little too excited for his first Triple-A start.

MLB unlikely to alter scheduling  —  Move to open season in only warm weather sites won't fly  —  PHOENIX — American League baseball is returning to Milwaukee this week, for no reason other than the blizzard conditions that have stifled the playing of games in Cleveland for the last four days.

Mays leads balloting for Gold Glove anniversary team  —  ST. LOUIS — Willie Mays led a nostalgia wave — and all vote-getters — Monday in balloting to determine a 50th anniversary Gold Glove team.  —  One week into the season, more than 50,000 votes had been cast for what sponsor Rawlings is calling a "summer of glove."