Opinion

Major League Baseball says it’s likely—read: a sure thing—that the 2010 World Series will end in November, yet again.

So why is it April 9 and we’re only in the first week of the season?

November baseball makes me wince, every time. You may as well say “cod ice cream.”

Two things, and two things only, can prevent this travesty from becoming an annual occurrence: a) shorten the season, and/or b) start earlier.

Jason Heyward is a monster. He's a stud. He's a beast.

Heck, his first at-bat was a bomb that hit off the back of the Braves' bullpen.

But last night in a 2-0 loss to the Cubs, it didn't look too good.

Heyward went 0-for-4, and he looked pretty bad to me, especially in his last at-bat, when he faced Carlos Marmol in the bottom of the ninth.

The sequence was pretty simple.

Slider down and in. Heyward swings at a ball. Strike one.

Slider down and in. Heyward swings at a ball. Strike two.

Here’s a look at some unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well on Thursday.

Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds

Arroyo threw a gem but earned a no-decision. He gave up one run on four hits in eight innings while striking out six.

This is a difficult storyline to write about unless you are fine with blowing things way out of proportion.

The fact that a major league rookie hammered a three-run home run on the first swing of his career is, in and of itself, an impressive feat.

Now add a stiff mixture of the following: an incredible amount of hype that has surrounded said rookie since the beginning of spring training, followed by unbelievable expectations from peers, fans, the media, etc., and finally throw in some comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays to taste.

To a respectable, married, man, the Detroit Tigers are like a provocatively dressed woman.

You don’t want to look, it’s almost painful in a way, because when you do, you get reprimanded and regret it. But that opportunity to see something amazing is just so great that you can’t help but watch.

And besides, if there were no consequences to face, what would the point of looking be?

When the San Francisco Giants break home ground on the 2010 season, there will be several compelling reasons to scale the walls at 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

The home opener is always a momentous occasion for any franchise, and Friday at AT&T Park will be no different. Granted, the bigger parties will be over the weekend when two Bay Area favorites get the spotlight.

On Saturday, the baby face of the franchise, Tim Lincecum, gets his hardware for a second consecutive National League Cy Young Award. Ho-hum, show me something new Timmy...

In the movie Castaway , Tom Hanks is on a desolate island, alone, with nothing but a psychologically challenged volleyball named Wilson.

Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners must feel the same way. He stands on a mound of dirt, an island, dominating hitters as he attempts to keep the Mariners in the running for the American League West Division crown.

The Seattle Mariners opened the season as expected, with a win as Hernandez took the rock and kept the M's in the game until the offense could produce enough runs to seal the outcome.

In the first three games of the Chicago Cubs' 2010 season, both Sean Marshall and John Grabow have appeared in each game. Each man is a left-handed pitcher in manager Lou Piniella's bullpen. That is where all similarities end.

Marshall has logged 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven batters and allowing no base-runners.

Grabow, meanwhile, has thrown 1 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Chicago White Sox left-handed pitcher Matt Thornton's pitching line for Thursday night's game against the Cleveland Indians looks messy:

1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 3 K

Thornton pitched the eighth inning, surrendering Chicago's slim 3-2 lead and setting up the eventual 11-inning loss the White Sox would suffer. He earned a blown save for his efforts.

But the numbers could not more starkly misrepresent the game Thornton had.

The Cleveland Indians took the rubber match of their three-game series with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, winning 5-3 in 11 innings.

In the game, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sent Andruw Jones out for his first start in a Chicago uniform, penciling him in as the center fielder and moving regular center fielder Alex Rios to left.

But while that move worked out fine (Jones reached base twice and stole second base off Jamey Wright in the sixth inning), others of Guillen's decisions should draw vigorous criticism.