Marlinshome.com | Florida Marlins News, marlins Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Sure it is just a coincidence, but look at how the schedule worked out. On the 11th day of their season, the Yankees get to play their home opener on Thursday, which means in christening their latest statement of opulence in a time of economic turmoil (the New Yankee Stadium) they get to show off their latest offseason excess (pitcher CC Sabathia, who started the season opener and thanks to the schedule gets to start in the home opener without any rotation juggling).</div><p></p>What better storyline than to have Sabathia, whose seven-year, $161 million deal is the fifth richest in history and most ever for a pitcher, taking the mound against Cleveland, the team that originally signed him and for which he had pitched his entire career until the July trade last year to Milwaukee? <p><div class="storyPoll"></div><p>Why is it easy to be a Yankee hater? Just read the description of a yet-to-be-opened Yankee Stadium as being "already rich in history." Merriam-Webster defines history as "a chronological record of significant events." They haven't even thrown the first official pitch in the place.<p>Another reminder: The new Yankee Stadium is built across the street from where the original Yankee Stadium stood, but that concrete structure the Yankees had most recently called home wasn't the original no matter how much the romantics wanted to drool over it in the closing days last September. That was a remodeled version that opened in 1976 — not 1923 — and included a reconfiguration, along with some major cosmetic changes. The strongest tie it had to the original Yankee Stadium was the subway-like smell of urine in the basement hallways.<p><li> So when does Washington officially declare it's playing for next year? Six games into the season, the Nationals already had their first six-game losing streak of the season and were preparing to host the defending champion Phillies in their home opener. It's not like the Nationals are in uncharted territory. They had four losing streaks of six or more games in 2008, topped off by a 12-gamer. Sunday marked the 162nd consecutive game below .500 for Washington.<p><li> Keep an eye on Colorado center fielder Dexter Fowler, the switch-hitting phenom who had the option of playing basketball at Harvard, but opted to accept a baseball scholarship at Miami, Fla. before signing with the Rockies days before he was supposed to leave for school. He's a tribute to Larry Walker, who was traded to St;. Louis in August 2004, prompting Rockies ownership to tell scouting director Bill Schmidt he could have a chunk of the $2 million of salary saved in the deal to get Fowler signed.<p><li> Florida consistently has the lowest payroll in baseball and one of the youngest rosters, which makes it surprising that the Marlins had only one home-grown player in its Opening Day lineup — outfielder Jeremy Hermida. That's the fewest in baseball. Not far removed from Florida were three teams that like to claim they are rebuilding but only had two homegrown players in the Opening Day lineup — Washington (Ryan Zimmerman and John Lannan), Baltimore (Brian Roberts and Nick Makakis) and San Diego (Jake Peavy and Chase Headley).<p><div class="in_info_box"><h3>Fantasy Baseball</h3><div class="in_info_box_content"><h4 class="gray_dots">FOX Fantasy Baseball game:</h4> <ul><li>Play now!</li></ul><h4 class="gray_dots">Advice:</h4><ul><li>Draft guide: Find out rankings, positional previews, sleepers, flops and more! </ul></div><div class="in_info_box_btm"></div></div> <p><li> Colorado featured nine home-growns on Opening Day, joining the 1998 Pirates, and the 2001-'02-'03 Twins as the only teams to enjoy that distinction since 1980. The Rockies featured right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook (second round, 1997), catcher Chris Iannetta (third round, 2004), first baseman Todd Helton (first round, 1995), second baseman Ian Stewart (first round, 2003), third baseman Garrett Atkins (fifth round, 2000), shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (first round, 2005), left fielder Seth Smith (second round, 2004), center fielder Ryan Spilborghs (seventh round, 2002), and right fielder Brad Hawpe (11th round, 2000).<p><li> It was just five years earlier that the Rockies trotted out an Opening Day lineup with one home-grown — Todd Helton. He was joined by the journeyman likes of second baseman Luis Gonzalez, shortstop Royce Clayton, center fielder Preston Wilson, third baseman Vinny Castilla, left fielder Kit Pellow, right fielder Jeromy Burnitz, catcher Charles Johnson and left-handed pitcher Shawn Estes. Wilson (29) and Gonzalez (25) were only members of the nine not on the backside of 30. Milwaukee and Cleveland both had seven home-grown players in the lineup.<p><li> Reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee (0-2, 9.90) won't have his struggles in his first two starts as the focal point in his next start — it's against the Yankees in the opener at the new Yankee Stadium. His NL counterpart, Tim Lincecum, has to wait until Saturday in Arizona for his next shot at his first win. He's 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA.<p><li> At least Lee and Lincecum are pitching. Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb is now on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation he has protested isn't that serious ever since reports first surfaced after he was knocked around on Opening Day. Could Webb be feeling the wear and tear of five consecutive seasons of at least 208 innings of work? Word is it is "muscular'" not "structural" and so it supposedly isn't serious. <p><li> Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge has been perfect for the Phillies, running his streak of converted saves to 53 in a row — the final three opportunities for Houston in 2007, 41 during the regular season with the Phillies last year, seven in the postseason and the first three of this year. The all-time record for consecutive saves converted is 84 by former Dodger right-hander Eric Gagne, who started his streak on Aug. 29, 2002, and saw it ended at Arizona on July 5, 2004. Second longest was 54 games by Tom Gordon.<p></p>

Sure it is just a coincidence, but look at how the schedule worked out. On the 11th day of their season, the Yankees get to play their home opener on Thursday, which means in christening their latest statement of opulence in a time of economic turmoil (the New Yankee Stadium) they get to show off their latest offseason excess (pitcher CC Sabathia, who started the season opener and thanks to the schedule gets to start in the home opener without any rotation juggling).

What better storyline than to have Sabathia, whose seven-year, $161 million deal is the fifth richest in history and most ever for a pitcher, taking the mound against Cleveland, the team that originally signed him and for which he had pitched his entire career until the July trade last year to Milwaukee?

Why is it easy to be a Yankee hater? Just read the description of a yet-to-be-opened Yankee Stadium as being "already rich in history." Merriam-Webster defines history as "a chronological record of significant events." They haven't even thrown the first official pitch in the place.

Another reminder: The new Yankee Stadium is built across the street from where the original Yankee Stadium stood, but that concrete structure the Yankees had most recently called home wasn't the original no matter how much the romantics wanted to drool over it in the closing days last September. That was a remodeled version that opened in 1976 — not 1923 — and included a reconfiguration, along with some major cosmetic changes. The strongest tie it had to the original Yankee Stadium was the subway-like smell of urine in the basement hallways.

So when does Washington officially declare it's playing for next year? Six games into the season, the Nationals already had their first six-game losing streak of the season and were preparing to host the defending champion Phillies in their home opener. It's not like the Nationals are in uncharted territory. They had four losing streaks of six or more games in 2008, topped off by a 12-gamer. Sunday marked the 162nd consecutive game below .500 for Washington.

Keep an eye on Colorado center fielder Dexter Fowler, the switch-hitting phenom who had the option of playing basketball at Harvard, but opted to accept a baseball scholarship at Miami, Fla. before signing with the Rockies days before he was supposed to leave for school. He's a tribute to Larry Walker, who was traded to St;. Louis in August 2004, prompting Rockies ownership to tell scouting director Bill Schmidt he could have a chunk of the $2 million of salary saved in the deal to get Fowler signed.

Florida consistently has the lowest payroll in baseball and one of the youngest rosters, which makes it surprising that the Marlins had only one home-grown player in its Opening Day lineup — outfielder Jeremy Hermida. That's the fewest in baseball. Not far removed from Florida were three teams that like to claim they are rebuilding but only had two homegrown players in the Opening Day lineup — Washington (Ryan Zimmerman and John Lannan), Baltimore (Brian Roberts and Nick Makakis) and San Diego (Jake Peavy and Chase Headley).

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Colorado featured nine home-growns on Opening Day, joining the 1998 Pirates, and the 2001-'02-'03 Twins as the only teams to enjoy that distinction since 1980. The Rockies featured right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook (second round, 1997), catcher Chris Iannetta (third round, 2004), first baseman Todd Helton (first round, 1995), second baseman Ian Stewart (first round, 2003), third baseman Garrett Atkins (fifth round, 2000), shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (first round, 2005), left fielder Seth Smith (second round, 2004), center fielder Ryan Spilborghs (seventh round, 2002), and right fielder Brad Hawpe (11th round, 2000).

It was just five years earlier that the Rockies trotted out an Opening Day lineup with one home-grown — Todd Helton. He was joined by the journeyman likes of second baseman Luis Gonzalez, shortstop Royce Clayton, center fielder Preston Wilson, third baseman Vinny Castilla, left fielder Kit Pellow, right fielder Jeromy Burnitz, catcher Charles Johnson and left-handed pitcher Shawn Estes. Wilson (29) and Gonzalez (25) were only members of the nine not on the backside of 30. Milwaukee and Cleveland both had seven home-grown players in the lineup.

Reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee (0-2, 9.90) won't have his struggles in his first two starts as the focal point in his next start — it's against the Yankees in the opener at the new Yankee Stadium. His NL counterpart, Tim Lincecum, has to wait until Saturday in Arizona for his next shot at his first win. He's 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA.

At least Lee and Lincecum are pitching. Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb is now on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation he has protested isn't that serious ever since reports first surfaced after he was knocked around on Opening Day. Could Webb be feeling the wear and tear of five consecutive seasons of at least 208 innings of work? Word is it is "muscular'" not "structural" and so it supposedly isn't serious.

Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge has been perfect for the Phillies, running his streak of converted saves to 53 in a row — the final three opportunities for Houston in 2007, 41 during the regular season with the Phillies last year, seven in the postseason and the first three of this year. The all-time record for consecutive saves converted is 84 by former Dodger right-hander Eric Gagne, who started his streak on Aug. 29, 2002, and saw it ended at Arizona on July 5, 2004. Second longest was 54 games by Tom Gordon.