To put it simply: it begins.

Here are my Random Thoughts about Opening Week:

--I'm glad that right before Opening Day came, somebody got busted for steroids. I was shocked to hear who it was and that they'd already caught someone, but at least we got "the first" out of the way. But Alex Sanchez? That's what makes his suspension a head scratcher. Here's a guy who makes a living on his speed, not his muscle. Maybe it was some kind of mistake he made, but that's a guy who doesn't need steroids. It's better that it wasn't someone who had a Brady Anderson-like year and then petered out. I'm expecting a few more positive tests by the end of the season, and a few of them will be shockers like this one.

--Speaking of speed, I think teams are actually expecting the steal more these days. With all the hype surrounding Carl Crawford, Jose Reyes, Ichiro, etc., we could be seeing the return of the speedster. I've missed that part of the game for a very long time, since the stolen base is one of the more exciting moments to watch in a game and it's a lost art form. With the whole steroid scandal, you gotta wonder if teams are going to depend more on the basepaths than the longball. Plus, fantasy-wise, the way people were drafting base swipers like they were gold, owners are really starting to believe that SBs will win them an entire league. Weird.

--I refuse to talk about the New York Mets until they win a game. I'm still in shock over the fact that the friggin' Cinci Reds swept them. Just sickening.

--All this talk about Mariano Rivera losing his stuff and becoming a middle-of-the-road closer is bull pucky. I agree that the BoSox are officially in his head after last year's playoffs, but the man still has the most effective pitch of anybody in the game and the chance to save another 50 again. He's gotten old, I'll admit it, but he still strikes fear into 99.9% of the hitters he faces. That alone is an advantage over guys like Braden FRIGGIN Looper. Ok, I'll stop.

--As for the other closers who blew games in the first week (there are a handful), you know that there are GMs out there who are already staring at their bullpen, trying to find a decent replacement. Here's a lesson, folks: there are only four, maybe five elite closers out there. And most of them are aging (Trevor Hoffman, Rivera) or are injured (I'm curious to see what happens to Eric Gagne after he recovers). The rest of 'em? Bah. They're bound to blow a bunch of games throughout the year. So deal with it. Unless you're Billy Beane, who tosses closers aside almost every year (expect Octavio "Heartbreak" Dotel to be ushered out of town this summer), you shouldn't expect your closer to be the next Mo. It just ain't gonna happen. Though I think this Huston Street kid sounds like a prodigy.

--Guys who have impressed me in three games: Brad Wilkerson (who knew how versatile he is). Jeremy Bonderman (breakout! Breakout!). Tadihito Iguchi (what Kaz Matsui should be). Troy Glaus. And, with gritted teeth, the Yanks. Clint Barmes (uhhhh...who?? Maybe it's the Colorado air).

And, yes, I'm aware that I'm commenting on a whole three games. I'll have some more thoughts as the season starts to take shape, but it's been surreal to have baseball back and actually have something real to talk about. So how 'bout some questions for me? Requests? Complaints? I wanna hear some feedback, people!