1. Mike Piazza retires and that unleashes an expected question: Will he go into the Hall of Fame as a Dodger or Met. I always finds this conversation rather silly. Who cares? Baseball fans understand what his career meant in both places. Regardless of how he goes into Cooperstown, I would argue he was one of the most important New York athletes over the last quarter century. His appearance turned the Mets into factors and, ultimately, into NL champions. He was the key player on a team without much overwhelming offense. I am not easily moved to goosebumps after all of these years of covering games and athletes. But Piazza’s homer off Steve Karsay in the first game back in New York after the horror of Sept. 11, 2001, was as chilling a moment as I have had in a ballpark.

2. Through 44 games last year, Alex Rodriguez had 18 homers and 43 RBIs and yet the Yankees were still 20-24. In 2008, no Yankee had more than eight homers or 25 RBIs through 44 games, and the team was 20-24. It is just a reminder that one man cannot save a team, though the Yanks are sure happy to have that one man back.

3. Just thought this was interesting: No player has more at-bats (169) without a homer this year than Minnesota’s Delmon Young. Who of course was obtained to add a righty power bat to the Twin lineup to diversify a middle of the lineup that included lefty Joe Mauer, who has no homers in 141 at-bats. The most interesting name still on the Zero List is that of Cleveland’s Victor Martinez, who has 130 at-bats and hit 25 homers last year.