Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Major League Baseball's Opening Day is in the books and we are already dealing with some knee-jerk reactions from the first few days of action.
It's amazing. No other sport offers up these types of reactions after one game the way baseball does. Football kind of does, but you can almost accept it because the NFL only plays 16 games.
But there are 162 games in baseball.
I actually heard a certain football writer from The Sports Network utter on Monday that he had already given up on the New York Yankees and that he couldn't sit through another mediocre season.
After one game!
How about we let the season settle in a bit before we proclaim Kyle Kendrick the National League's Cy Young Award winner or before we make room in Cooperstown for Jake Lamb.
It is a long, long season. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that nothing that happened on Monday, or Sunday for that matter, will have any bearing on who is playing in October.
Actually that might not be the case because there was a monster trade on Sunday that saw the Atlanta Braves trade Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton to the San Diego Padres.
It's a good deal for both teams. Atlanta is clearly in a rebuild mode and would have been wasting Kimbrel. So if that's what it took to rid itself of the nearly $47 million left on Upton's deal, so be it.
Plus they got a few decent prospects back.
As for San Diego, well, Kimbrel is just another piece to the puzzle. The Padres have left themselves no wiggle room. They have to win or this season is a complete bust. There is a buzz around the Padres, though, and it's been a long time since we've said that.
It's good to have a crazy general manager every now and then. And make no mistake, A.J. Preller is crazy. He's going to do whatever it takes to win. You have to admire that, but it could all blow up in his face, too.
Anyway, let's give some thoughts of our own to what has transpired in the first few days. And what better way to do it than in a format that is the ultimate in knee-jerk reactions. Twitter, of course.
So, in 140 characters or less. Give or take, of course. Here we go:
@Angels: There may not be a team more unlikable than the Angels given how they've carried themselves during this whole Josh Hamilton saga.
@Astros: So maybe Dallas Keuchel is the real deal after all.
@Athletics: As far as Billy Beane-type players go, Ben Zobrist has to be near the top of the list.
@BlueJays: Reliever Miguel Castro is going to be the American League's breakout star this season. He is Toronto's Dellin Betances.
@Braves: If anyone thought the Braves weren't rebuilding, well, Sunday's deal certainly sealed it.
@Brewers: Ryan Braun almost went one game without getting hurt.
@Cardinals: My NL MVP pick of Jason Heyward is looking pretty good after one game.
@Cubs: The renovations at Wrigley seem to be going well. PSA: Make sure you go to the bathroom before getting to the ballpark this season.
@Dbacks: Going out on a limb here, but Jake Lamb won't be able to sustain the 567 RBI pace he is on. FYI it would be a record if he does.
@Dodgers: Jimmy Rollins might be the best addition any team in the NL made this offseason. And that's a fact.
@Indians: Is anyone 100 percent sure that Carlos Carrasco is not the best pitcher on the Indians?
@Mariners: Felix Hernandez made my Mariners World Series pick look real good ... for one game anyway.
@Marlins: Mat Latos' Marlins debut probably could have gone a little better, no?
@Mets: Mets catch a break with Jenrry Mejia elbow; Jeurys Familia now gets a shot to shine.
@Nationals: Loss to Mets on Opening Day meant they wouldn't finish 162-0.
@Orioles: Chris Tillman is the most overlooked ace on the most overlooked team in the league.
@Padres: Boom or bust. I guess we will find out.
@Phillies: If the Phillies get beat like that on days Cole Hamels pitches, what will it be like on Jerome Williams days?
@Pirates: There are few players in the league I'd pay to see right now. Andrew McCutchen is one. Ideal dude on and off the field.
@Rangers: Rangers will likely field a lot of calls on Adrian Beltre as season goes on.
@RaysBaseball: Player to watch as a potential breakout star: right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Will be high strikeout guy if he stays healthy.
@Reds: Johnny Cueto is going to help a team make the playoffs this season. It's just not going to be the #Reds
@RedSox: Am I the only one who thinks $80 million for Rick Porcello is a bit much?
@Rockies: If the Rockies average close to eight runs a game the rest of the season they will win a lot of games. That's not going to happen.
@Royals: What was your reaction when you found out Yordano Ventura had a thumb cramp after watching him writhe around in pain on the mound?
@SFGiants: It's not a good sign when you are already dipping into the Triple-A well for a starting pitcher two days into the season.
@Tigers: Fantasy writing-award winner Steve Schwarz is a huge fan of J.D. Martinez. He may not be the only one by the end of the season.
@Twins: If Phil Hughes didn't give up so many home runs, he may have a sub-1.00 ERA
@WhiteSox: A rivalry with the Royals may have been born when Jeff Samardzija hit Lorenzo Cain following the Mike Moustakas blast.
@Yankees: How about we let Masahiro Tanaka make a few more starts before we put him on the operating table?
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.