Opinion

Barry Zito’s six scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over the Houston Astros fit the profile the once-brilliant left-hander has slowly established in rebuilding himself after two horrendous seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

Oh, it would be nice to believe that the Zito, who gave up three hits while striking out five with just a single walk, was the result of his latest change in attitude and approach.

Listed below, are the points and counterpoints about whether Drew Stubbs needs to hit well to stay with the Reds:

Point: Yes, Drew Stubbs' performance in the minors was not good enough to tolerate a weak bat.

Counterpoint: No, Stubbs' glove is so good that he stays unless he is failing miserably at the dish.

P: Stubbs had a .715 OPS in AAA in 2009.

CP: His OPS was .762 when he came up to the Reds. His minor league OPS was .765. What is your point?

The first thing that comes to mind when reflecting back upon this week's opening day debacle in Kansas City is that there may not be a time more apropos than now to cite one of my favorite movie quotes.

Someday soon a man wearing a suit should appear in the Houston Astros clubhouse. After confirming the players are indeed the 0-2 Astros, the man should then give them a stack of documents and say three ominous words:

"Consider yourselves served!"

The documents would then state that Roy Edward Oswalt and Wandy E. Rodriguez are suing Astros hitters for an unspecified amount of money for one simple reason:

Lack of run support.

So much was made of the fact that while, yes, Carlos Zambrano pitched terribly on Monday, at least he didn't act like a maniac on the mound.

Oh yeah, that has been the source of much of the criticism levied against Big Z over the years.

That is, he has acted immature at times, and that his behavior on the mound is part of the reason why he has failed to live up to his status as the ace of the Cubs.

So a slimmer, calmer Zambrano showed up in camp this spring and most everyone said that he was headed for a monster season.

Meanwhile, what happened?

Ordinarily, I'd be writing that opening the 2010 Major League Baseball season with two dominant wins over the Houston Astros is no reason for fellow San Francisco Giant fans to get excited.

By all accounts, including a very limited eye test, Houston is going to be awful.

The offense is frail and still should be questionable even when Lance Berkman returns from the disabled list. The pitching looks shaky even if Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez pitch to expectation.

So, have you heard about this Heyward kid?

I think he's really going to be special someday.

Obviously, you have heard a little about the J-Hey Kid by now, unless you've been in a coma for the last 24 hours—or two years.

Describing my reaction to the moment is not that difficult.

The Sox had a wildly entertaining season opener filled with great pitching, excellent defensive plays, and a few long balls. The Sox won the game the way they are supposed to win this year: with great pitching and just enough offense.

However, I couldn't help being annoyed by what happened after Paul Konerko reached base.

On two separate occasions, Mark Kotsay stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. There was one out the first at-bat and no outs the second one. On both occasions, Mark beat a ball into the ground for a relatively easy double play attempt.

Update

The Rockies got some good news in regards to their bullpen on Tuesday—sort of.

Closer Huston Street visited Dr. James Andrews yesterday, and an MRI revealed no structural damage.

Usually when a player visits Andrews, the term Tommy John or rotator cuff surgery follows. The fact that this didn’t happen with Street is very good news for Rockies fans.

I've had a while to simmer down. 

Please congratulate me if I can somehow manage my way through this piece without jumping into one of Rahm Emanuel's profanity-laced tirades.

Dusty Baker is the sole reason why our Reds are losers.

The talent is there, perhaps not enough to make the playoffs this season—but enough to look respectable while trying.

This is what needs to be done: