Power Rankings: Opening day enough to give us pause

Updated April 3

Yeah, one day does not a 162-game season make. That's what we're telling ourselves. As are Ozzie Guillen's White Sox and Manny Acta's Nationals.

Our preseason No. 1 and one of our quartet of Red Sox Cy Young candidates, Curt Schilling, made our Power Rankings look bad on Day 1.

Opening day was nothing for Curt Schilling and the Red Sox to celebrate. (AP)

Now, one of our preseason whipping boys, the Padres, could further our anguish. See, we did pick the Padres to finish dead last in the NL West. We just don't like their offense. But our numerous critics reminded us in the Power Rankings feedback how we are overlooking perhaps the division's best pitching staff.

Touché.

Jake Peavy could really make us look bad picking his team last. As could third-year breakout starter Chris Young and the best starting pitcher you might have never heard of, Clay Hensley. And that doesn't mention a bullpen fronted by future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, free-agent-to-be (and closer) Scott Linebrink and another unheralded arm, Cla Meredith.

Peavy could come out and dazzle us all on opening day. Or just disappoint our critics. Neither of which will matter, because 1/162 of a team's season and 1/35 of a starter's year isn't enough of a gauge.

Ask those who stunk up the joint.

"We're tied for second, with the rest of the league who lost ... It's just one game," said Acta, a rookie manager, about his Nationals, who were embarrassed by the Marlins.

The Nats are bad and it showed. The White Sox shouldn't have been, but were embarrassed even worse on opening day.

"Thank God this only counts as one game," Guillen said.

The complete Power Rankings:

RANK	TEAM		MOVE (LW)