For Yanks and Fans, One More Day to Wait  —  Yankee Stadium has never played host to a regular-season baseball game in March, and now it never will.  Judging by the raw and soggy conditions in the Bronx on Monday, it may be just as well.  —  The final opening day at Yankee Stadium was rained …

Roberts provides spark at top of lineup  —  O's leadoff hitter reaches gets on four times and steals a base  —  Brian Roberts lost his best friend on the team when the Orioles released Jay Gibbons over the weekend.  He's been subjected to constant speculation about his future …

Back from D.C. ...  is it opening day?  —  Now that the Braves have done a whirlwind trip to D.C., helped open a new park and provided almost no offensive support for Tim Hudson (sound familiar?), time to open the season for real tonight against the Pirates at Turner Field.  —  What's that?

Opening Third Day is Here  —  Our long winter wait has finally come to an end.  After a couple of “for real” games in Japan as well as the stateside opening night unveiling Washington's new ballpark yesterday, we get treated to a full slate of games for the first time in six months.

Saga of No. 21 begins with respect  —  Ensberg defers to O'Neill; Hawkins wears number for Clemente  —  NEW YORK — Twenty-one is one of those numbers that carries a little extra meaning in the eye of the beholder.  It can be blackjack, it's the legal age to buy a beer at Yankee Stadium, and — for many fans — it's Paul O'Neill.

Spiezio, cut after offseason troubles, signs minor league deal with Braves  —  ATLANTA (AP)—Scott Spiezio will try to return to the majors with a team that rarely takes a chance on troubled players.  —  Spiezio agreed Monday to a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves …

Cubs' Zambrano leaves with forearm cramp  —  CHICAGO (AP)—Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano left Monday's opener against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning with a cramp in his right forearm, right after making a pickoff throw to second base.  —  Milwaukee's Bill Hall hit a one-out double …

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 …

Professor Puts a Face on the Performance of Baseball Managers  —  The baseball season began in earnest this week, with 750 major league players and 2,430 games ready to collide and create countless millions of data — which the game's devotees (who have included Nobel laureates) …

Marlins' $21 million payroll is insulting  —  Ah, Opening Day.  The crack of the bat.  The smack of the glove.  The Marlins fan looking over the new roster and asking, full of optimism, “Will any team be more profitable?”  —  Because let's not lie.  Let's not ignore the 800-pound gorilla …

Happy New Year! (ignore the outcome, concentrate on the fact that there's baseball)  —  Is this the tradition now?  The Tigers enjoy the concept of Opening Day so much that they can't stand the thought of only having 9 innings of it?  Remember last year, which went, what, 10 innings? before Fernando Rodney blew it.

Nats score 5 in 9th, beat Phillies 11-6  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP)—The Washington Nationals took their late-inning act on the road.  —  Nick Johnson's tiebreaking RBI double off Tom Gordon highlighted a five-run ninth inning and the Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-6 Monday.

FUK U DOME!  Clap Clap ClapClapClap!!!  —  So how about this for an American debut.  3-3, Double, BB, 3 RBIs oh and this....  “A star is born in the teeth of the Lake Michigan wind.”  - Brent Musburger  —  Kerry Wood had tried to blow the game for the Cubs followed in turn by Eric Gagne doing the same for the Brewers.