Harper: Scouts down on Yanks' young arms  —  So the wheel officially begins to spin now on Brian Cashman's grand gamble to ride the Yankees' young pitching in 2008 and beyond.  And premature as it may be, there is no avoiding the question that will be asked countless times this season …

Zim blast christens Nat Park  —  WASHINGTON - Ryan Zimmerman raised a fist when he rounded first, then tossed away his helmet as he approached the plate and the mass of teammates waiting to celebrate his game-ending homer.  —  The kid sure knows how to throw a housewarming party.

Ethier wins left-field job  —  Pierre forced to bench after hitting just .169 this spring  —  LOS ANGELES — Andre Ethier won the Dodgers' starting left-field job from veteran Juan Pierre and will start Opening Day vs. the Giants on Monday, Los Angeles manager Joe Torre announced Sunday.

Ziegel: Remember to forget  —  MIAMI - Remember the Alamo, if that's your idea of a good time, but forget about the Mets' final 17 games last season.  The five-game losing streak, the next five-game losing streak, the seven-game lead that disappeared in a hurry, the 11 different Mets pitchers who lost games in September.

Jack Cust eats fastballs for lunch  —  Getting a major league job  —  Early last year, the Oakland Athletics watched as nearly their entire contingent of major league outfielders went down with one injury after another.  —  The bad news started in spring training, as center fielder Mark Kotsay underwent back surgery on Mar. 8.

Marlins pump up volume, not payroll  —  It's opening day and here's the Marlins' best pitch:  —  Come for the party.  Stay for the baseball.  —  For a franchise caught in limbo, that's about the best it can do to get fans in the stands.  —  The Marlins, always a tough draw in fickle South Florida …

Bondy: Fear is factor for Creatures of habit  —  So this is it, the beginning of the end below the Utz potato chip sign.  If there is such a thing as life after Section 39, then the Bleacher Creatures don't really want to know about it, not yet.  —  There are at least 81 games left in the old cathedral, Yankee Stadium.

Kielty mulling trip to Minors  —  Outfielder might jump at big league job if one is available  —  LOS ANGELES — When the Red Sox depart for Oakland following Sunday's game with the Dodgers, right fielder Bobby Kielty will relocate to his Southern California home for the next couple of days …

What Happened to Jason Bay?  —  One of the big mysteries of the 2007 season was the decline of Pirates' OF Jason Bay.  The question everybody has is how it happened.  —  Was it injuries?  Bay did battle knee discomfort for much of the 2007 season and was coming off arthroscopic knee surgery from the previous offseason.

Report: BALCO founder working on tell-all book  —  Victor Conte will amp up the sports world once again — in a much different way, however.  —  According to the New York Daily News, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative is working on a tell-all book that he claims will spill the dirt on athletes and federal agents.

Orioles release Gibbons  —  Team responsible for paying $11.9 million left on outfielder's contract  —  The Orioles finalized their roster today, releasing veteran outfielder Jay Gibbons, who had been the second longest tenured member of the club.  —  With the move, the Orioles …