YANKS' BIG-MONEY MEN MAKE POOR IMPRESSIONS  —  BALTIMORE — It was a full count and maybe with a pitch here CC Sabathia could still salvage a debut, still make Opening Day as a Yankee more than a humiliating entrance.  —  He had zoomed ahead of Luke Scott, a lefty hitter, 0-2.  The bases were loaded.

Saunders baffles A's to hand Halos victory  —  Kendrick backs up southpaw's scoreless effort with homer  —  ANAHEIM — The Opening Night sellout crowd, 43,220 strong, was on its feet, its ovation gaining momentum as Joe Saunders crossed the third-base line and lifted his cap.

The Grandstand: Make no mistake, we're expecting big things  —  Note: We're proud to announce that Curtis Granderson will be blogging for Yahoo! Sports on Big League Stew throughout the MLB season.  This is his first post.  —  Spring training is finally over.

A-Rod tells Girardi he's right on track  —  Slugger contacts skipper before Monday's opener  —  BALTIMORE — Alex Rodriguez has swapped text messages with Yankees manager Joe Girardi and reports that his rehab is right on schedule.  —  Girardi said on Monday that he and Rodriguez exchanged messages within the past 24 hours.

Baseball Writers Brace for the End  —  As Newspapers Cut Back, Press Boxes Grow Lonelier; How a Venerable Institution Lost Its Way  —  Baseball's independent press corps, once the most powerful in American sports, is fading.  As newspapers cut budgets and payrolls, the press boxes …

Josh Beckett waits another day  —  Rain no sweat for ace  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  The barometric pressure over New England fell yesterday as rain moved in and washed away Opening Day.  —  As long as the human barometer for the Red Sox [team stats] …

Answering Baseball's What-Ifs  —  You can learn a lot during a major league baseball game.  Like Ukrainian, if it is a particularly slow nine innings.  —  As for the science of baseball strategy, one game teaches precious little.  A well-timed sacrifice bunt can backfire and lose the game; a foolish steal can appear brilliant.

Dodgers give up on left-hander Miller  —  Former phenom released after injury-filled time with LA  —  SAN DIEGO — The release of Greg Miller on Monday was another unfortunate chapter in a phenom story gone awry.  —  The move was made as much to clear a 40-man roster spot as to pull the plug on Miller …

Nice Start for the Fish  —  Over dinner in Fort Myers back in early March, a number of us were kicking around who the surprise teams were.  Minnesota was mine; I liked their 1-through-5 starting pitching depth and thought that any offense anchored by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau would be good enough.

Griffey ties mark for Opening Day homers  —  No. 612 also his eighth in openers, equaling F. Robinson  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The last time Ken Griffey Jr. played an Opening Day game with the Mariners, he hit a home run and moved within one of tying a Major League record held by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

Francoeur puts tough '08 behind him  —  With new approach, Braves slugger homers in first at-bat  —  PHILADELPHIA — As he sat in the visitors' dugout at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 24, Jeff Francoeur said, “Nobody is looking more forward to getting this season over than me.”

Mets pen a happy opening script for Johan  —  CINCINNATI - Johan Santana pitched like an ace.  And this time he didn't have to worry when Jerry Manuel snatched the ball from his glove.  —  Amid a steady drizzle and temperatures hovering in the 30s, Omar Minaya's bullpen blueprint worked as scripted …