FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I'm not easily influenced...but Opening Day, and teams' performances on the first couple of days of the season, leave quite an impression on me. I've been thinking about this all day, and why, even though I know the season is a long one and that these games can't be very indicative of the entire season, I draw impressions of teams from their first couple of days.

This is what I've come up with: I think it's because these are the only games in the standings, and the only stats to go by right now, that they take up some sort of permanence in my brain. So here's where my mind is at right now:


-The Tigers are a huge bust.

-The Royals are awesome!! (The same thought I had the year they beat the Red Sox pretty bad on Opening Day...was that last year?)

-The Pirates have also turned the corner. Good for them.

-I love it - the Braves are going to have a rough year! I'm so glad I was wrong about thinking they were going to be good this year - they can't even beat Washington and Pittsburgh!

-Now I guess, though, we'll have to watch out for the Nationals - they're shaping up to be quite a threat.

So you see what I'm dealing with. I need the next couple of weeks to go by quickly, so my mind can return to a somewhat normal state.

FROM DAY-TO-DAY TO WEEK-TO-WEEK: That's the current status of Pedro Martinez*. He's out 4-to-6 weeks with the strained hamstring. Forget everything I've said about Oliver Perez and John Maine matching up against everyone else's third and fourth starters...they're back to being a 2 and a 3. But I still like the Mets' chances this year.

ONE LESS THING TO WORRY ABOUT: Ryan Church just hit a homer. Off a lefty. I think he'll be just fine.