The season begins on U.S. soil tonight with the Red Sox playing the Orioles in Camden Yards.

Are the Red Sox a lock for the playoffs as Peter Gammons hopes?

Will the wild card come from the American League East?

Are the Dodgers becoming a small market operation under the direction of Paul DePodesta?

All this and more below!The Dodgers have added a number of minor players to the organization over the past two weeks. They even traded super utility player Jolbert Cabrera to the Mariners for two minor league pitchers.

GM Paul DePodesta picked up one of his favorite finds Jason Grabowski from the A’s for cash considerations.

Here’s the point. LA is big time, So. Cal, big television and media market. 50,000 fans come to Dodger Stadium.

Is he kidding, building around the edges of the organization instead of making a move that might put this team in contention for 2004.

LA pitching isn’t what it used to be. Hideo Nomo is coming off surgery, Jeff Weaver can’t do much after his NY experience, Kas Ishii doesn’t throw enough strikes, Odalis Perez is OK, and the best pitcher they have Edwin Jackson just got sent to AAA to find his mechanics.

Paul Shuey is on the DL once again, Eric Gagne is under the steroid cloud, Guillermo Mota has elbow miseries, and Paul Quantrill is in Yankee Stadium.

The Dodgers need help offensively on the major league level, both pitching and hitting. Jose Lima and Wilson Alvarez may be in the rotation before too long.

Time for DePodesta to grow into the job and pick up some major leaguers instead of dancing around the fringes with players who may be something someday, the undervalued players he loved to find in Oakland. That strategy won’t play in LA.

The Red Sox are without Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon for the first month at least.

Keith Foulke may have something wrong with his arm or back if he can’t throw more than 90 MPH, which apparently is the case right now.

Pedro Martinez is angry at the world. Mark Bellhorn is at second base and Pokey Reese is at short, not what the doctor ordered for post season success.

The Red Sox might have a tough time beating the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Devil Rays consistently until they are firing on all cylinders.

Oh yeah, they play the Yankees too in April.

Seattle will miss Scott Spiezio this week with back spasms knocking him out. Willie Bloomquist will play third. Eddie Guardado doesn’t seem up to speed either.

Getting Cabrera from LA helps the Seattle bench, I think it is a good move.

Where will Milton Bradley end up?

If the A’s can get him, they can move him to LA or the Mets.

Orber Moreno, the Mets, and Duaner Sanchez, of LA, both had great springs and made the opening day rosters of their clubs.

Scott Schoenwiess now pitches opening day in NY Thursday, White Sox versus Yankees.

Angels are putting Aaron Sele in the bullpen with Scott Shields, they still don’t have a lefty. They might need one at some point.

The only positive side of the spring for Texas is the power they generate from the bullpen. As I said last year you don’t necessarily want to get into a late inning contest with them.

Chan Ho park pitches Tuesday night. The A’s will drive him nuts by taking pitches because Park will be afraid to throw the ball over the plate since he has very little in the way of stuff these days.

Marco Scutaro will open the season for Oakland at second base. Thus the team is showing no confidence in long time farmhand and Bobby Crosby’s doubleplay partner from last season, Esteban German who fizzled at the end of spring training in Arizona.

Arthur Rhodes never threw harder than 92 MPH Saturday as he got smoked by the Giants. Also, he threw very few sliders, his bread and butter pitch.

He says things will be different in 48 hours.

Everyone always says the prime time players turn it on once the red light comes on opening day.

After watching many of the vets play over the last month, it will be interesting to see if the adage holds true in 2004.

Pedro versus Ponson, let’s get it on!