This Should Hold Me Over 'Til the NBA Playoffs

awe⋅some [aw - suhm] - adjective: See above.

The first couple of weeks of baseball season are fucking great. I don't care much for spring training, you saw how much we loved the WBC, but there's something about the start of the actual MLB season that just feels different.

Maybe it's the fact that these games are glorified exhibitions that actually count. The Pirates could start off 5-1, Edwin Encarnacion could have 9 homers by tax day, CC Sabathia could be placed on the DL after one start, and I really wouldn't be surprised, nor would it matter.

Along those lines, anything that happens in the early part of the season can't be trusted as sustainable for the long haul. Sure there are outliers like Albert Pujols rookie year or Cliff Lee's 2008 season, but it's best just to appreciate these first handful of games for what they are: the first baseball that counts in awhile. When you're bored to death watching the 90th showing of Baseball Tonight on a weeknight in June and all the highlights begin to run together, remember how refreshing it was to watch Opening Night, at least if you were a Braves fan.

And while we are here, five thoughts on the Braves.

1. You can't really start of a season much better than beating the World Series champs 4-0 and 4-1 in their park, and as I write this, they lead the Phillies 9-3 in the 6th inning. (UPDATE: Yeah, well let's just say were not breaking any new ground by saying the Braves middle relievers will be a question mark....also, why weren't Soriano and Gonzo used? If you're going to use them when you have a four run lead, why not use them when you're protecting a 1-2 run lead and your bullpen is throwing beachballs? A rare regular season brain fart from Bobby Cox.)

2. The starting pitching thus far has been outstanding, and it looked like Jair Jurrjens has gleaned something from Lowe, as he was inducing ground balls at a rate that I don't remember happening last season. The biggest question mark of the rotation, even bigger than Tom Glavine, hasn't pitched yet; so I will withhold judgment on just how good this rotation can be until I see our lil Mitsubishi-loving friend from the far east perform.

3. I didn't watch a lick of spring training, but I am vastly enjoying this new not-swinging-for-the-fences Jeff Francoeur. He's got enough natural power that his numbers in that category should be far from anemic if he's consistently making contact with the ball.

4. He's already hit his 2nd homerun and is getting on base at an insane clip, but here's hoping Cox resists the urge to put a rookie with half a season of AA experience in the leadoff hole. Here's also hoping that Schafer avoids a Francoeur-like downward spiral after a movie-script-start to his big league career.

5. In our annual over/under baseball preview (see below), we forgot to set an O/U on when Chipper would miss his first game due to injury. Safe bet that whoever took the under would have won.

6. Not sure who the "worn down by July" bullpen arm will bet just yet, but my early guess is this Eric O'Flaherty cat. Manny Acosta and Ken Ray would be proud.

And now, the gambling.

$50 per bet, these are O/Us set while briefly under the influence at Locos on Sunday night:

AJ Burnett: 45 Days on the DL
Over: Friday
Under: OBJ

Ken Griffey Jr.: .248 Batting Average
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

Burnett/Sabathia: 28 wins
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

(I don't understand how anyone can buy into this Burnett bidness. His stats last year weren't even that great.)

Dontrelle Willis: 1 win
N/A: Let's just say we both wanted the under.

Braves: 85 wins
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

Derek Jeter: .285 Batting Average
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

Andruw Jones: 12 Homeruns
Over: Friday
Under: OBJ

Casey Kotchman: 12 Homeruns
Over: Friday
Under: OBJ

(This is insane. Imagine two years ago that an O/U for Andruw Jones and Casey Kotchman homeruns would be the exact same. Sad for Andruw, sad this makes me feel old.)

Derek Lowe: 15 wins
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

The Hatable Adam LaRoche: 25 Homeruns
Over: Friday
Under: OBJ

(Why hatable? Well, ignoring the fact that his .230 batting averages and perfect-timing K's polluted strong Braves lineups for a few too many years, his bringing up ADD upon making a crucial error and his occasional degradation of Braves fans ['If you booed me while I was struggling, don't cheer for me when I'm hitting well.' Really? Take your paycheck and go buy some Vagasil.] makes him no friend of Sue's.)

Manny Ramirez: 40 Homeruns
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

Doc Halladay: 18 wins
Over: Friday
Under: OBJ

Casey Kotchman: 14 homeruns
Over: OBJ
Under: Friday

(Clearly, when you're making your second O/U bet on Kotchman's homerun total, and your BETS COMPLETELY DIFFER FROM YOUR PICKS AN HOUR PRIOR, it's time to call it a night. And the bartender agreed.)

Feel free to add any additional O/Us in the comment section. We'll be happy to put a Ulyesses on them as well.