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.

Joba Goes Nine (Steps)!  —  Yankee pitcher completes field sobriety test in video from DUI arrest  —  While devoid of Plaxicoesque bombast and vulgarity, the police video of Joba Chamberlain's DUI arrest is not without its amusing moments.  After a Nebraska State Patrol officer pulled …

Kennedy throws out first pitch  —  BOSTON — Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Boston Red Sox season opener on Tuesday.  —  With fans cheering, Kennedy, diagnosed last May with a malignant brain tumor, walked across the first-base line and toward …

Hamels, Lincecum headline young pitchers at risk of Year After Effect … Mike Pelfrey was ready for me in the Mets spring training clubhouse, as if he knew I was coming.  —  “Look at me,” the Mets right-hander said one day last month.  “I'm a pretty big guy.”  Yes, sir.  Pelfrey is 6-foot-7.

Dye not thinking about contract situation  —  Outfielder could be gone from White Sox after 2009  —  CHICAGO — Jermaine Dye fully understands how Tuesday afternoon could mark his last Opening Day as a part of the White Sox.  —  But that's not the viewpoint taken by the right fielder …

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 …

Giants' Sabean, Bochy on hot seat as season begins  —  For the Giants' 25-man roster, the proving ground of spring training has passed.  For Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy, it's just beginning.  —  The Giants open the season today against the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park …

Stan Kasten Sings a Hymn to Philly Fans  —  I'll probably always be something of an outsider in D.C., because I'm not from here.  I didn't live through Gibbs I or the Bandwagon, the Penguins in the '90s or Wes Unseld-as-GM.  Still, I think I'm getting to understand the mindset of that rarest of creatures: the all-D.C.-sports die-hard.

Note: No Game on TV from 6-7 pm on Saturday  —  FOX has an exclusive window for all Saturday games taking place prior to 7 pm, meaning only FOX and the local channel can broadcast during that window.  —  Meanwhile, the Marlins scheduled this Saturday's game against the Mets for 6 pm …

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.

Saying Goodbye  —  I know this post is supposed to be about opening day, but there was one more thing I wanted to do before turning my attention to the current season.  Peter Jensen's amazing series on using the Gameday data to build a fielding metric prompted me to get that data and play around with it.

Minor-league teams set for season  —  The Yankees today sent out this release with their minor-league rosters.  Scranton gets started on Thursday, Trenton on Wednesday, Tampa on Thursday and Charleston on Thursday.  —  Minor League Baseball.com has stories, stats, rosters and schedules for ever team.

Yankees Have Official Paint, Mets Have Pudding Sponsor  —  While many have called attention to the fact that the economy has seriously hurt sports marketing in recent months, anyone looking at the signage at the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field certainly wouldn't know that.

Will Unit be the last to reach 300 wins?  —  With five to go, Johnson far ahead of currently active pitchers  —  Every time someone is stalking or reaching 300 wins, the question is raised as to whether he will be the last of the breed — a contradictory exercise to say the least.

There's no need to worry about Doc  —  It was funny to hear the first two callers on JaysTalk last night complaining and worrying about the team's fortunes after they'd just finished cleaning the turf with the Tigers in a 12-5 win.  As Wilner quite rightly pointed out, people should probably tone …

Video: Santana's Pre-Game Handshake Parade  —  Prior to yesterday's game, SNY captured video of Johan Santana, before his Opening Day start, walking up and down the dugout greeting his teammates, each of whom he had a unique, personalized handshake for. … To watch Santana's 90-second Handshake Parade, click play below: