I don't care if it came against the Giants, Clayton Kershaw's performance last week was special. A one-hitter with a 13:1 K:BB ratio over seven innings? He just turned 21 less than a month ago! He's had about as easy of a schedule as possible through two starts, but this is an invaluable keeper league property. Kershaw might not be much of a help in WHIP this season as he continues to battle control problems, but he'll be extremely tough to hit regardless, and his K/9 rate should rank among the best in all of baseball already.  That curveball is simply unfair.

Plenty of my preseason touts have been misses so far, but Chris Duncan certainly isn't one of them. Finally healthy, the pitching coach's son has posted a 1.185 OPS and is now a fixture in the Cards' outfield, especially with an improved stroke against southpaws. Duncan's defense is brutal, but this power is for real. As for the rest of the St. Louis OF, don't expect to see Ryan Ludwick on the bench as much as he has been so far, as he's quickly proving last year was no fluke. Rick Ankiel, who I still like and should not be sold low right now, looks to be the short-term loser in playing time, as he and Colby Rasmus form a semi-platoon. Just realize Tony La Russa changes his mind quite frequently.

Rumors of Tim Lincecum's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

You can do all the studies in the world and match previous dimensions, but predicting how a new baseball stadium will play is impossible. Just ask the Yankees, who appear to have an absolute bandbox on their hands when their intentions were otherwise. Obviously, it would be foolish to develop a conclusion in such a tiny sample size, but the ball appears to just fly out of right field. I honestly think all Yankees need to be adjusted accordingly. This is good news for my man Robinson Cano. Last season, he hit .151 in April and didn't hit his first homer until the 14th game of the year. In 2009, he's batting .388 and already has three long balls with a 5:6 K:BB ratio. A career-year should be in store. As for Chien-Ming Wang, I don't remember ever seeing a worse start. Ever. He'd have to pitch 46 consecutive scoreless innings just to get his ERA under 4.00.

Entering Sunday, Manny Ramirez was on pace to finish the season with 189 walks. His career-high in that department is 100.

Dan Haren has a 17:3 K:BB ratio over 19 innings with a 1.89 ERA and 0.79 WHIP so far this season. And zero wins to show for it. Again, why are "wins" ever even mentioned when evaluating pitching performance? Haren is getting frustrated and showed up everyone by slamming his helmet in the dugout after he was pinch-hit for during Friday's loss to the Giants, and frankly, I can't blame him.

All this "are the Redskins risking their relationship with Jason Campbell" rhetoric really drives me crazy. Who cares if they are? They need to find a better quarterback.
After Brad Lidge blew his first save since 2007 on Saturday, surprisingly, Philly fans gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the field. Lidge hasn't looked right all year, but it's been mostly a location problem, as the K rate remains strong. Expect him to get it turned around shortly.

Stephen Strasburg update: During his last start, he struck out 14, walked one and tossed a complete game shutout. He also threw more than 120 pitches, which seems unnecessary. It's been a long time since there's been such an obvious No. 1 overall pick.

Finally got around to watching "Zack & Miri Make a Porno" and thought it was terrible. It's safe to say Kevin Smith's fastball isn't ever coming back.

During Rich Harden's three-inning start Wednesday, he recorded zero outs on balls in play – this hasn't happened ever in the last 50 years.

Derrick Rose is easily a top-10 commodity in the NBA – hands down…As someone who lives close to Sacramento, I pray the Kings get the No. 2 pick in the draft and take Ricky Rubio. This kid could literally save the franchise…Do you realize Jose Calderon shot 98.1 percent from the free throw line this season?!

Freddy Sanchez eventually flied out during a whopping 17-pitch at-bat against Chris Sampson on Thursday.

I think using "percentage owned" as a tool for writers suggesting whom to pick up is fairly ridiculous and pointless. The numbers are simply non-reflective of any league I've ever participated in.

Remember when those who argued against Joba Chamberlain being a starter suggested an eighth inning setup man would be harder to find than a starter? And how "bridging the gap to Marion Rivera" was key? Yeah, that guy was so hard to find, he was already on the team! Brian Bruney, whom I urged Chris Liss to buy for his AL LABR team yet he foolishly ignored me, has a 2.57 ERA and a 0.428 WHIP with a dominant 12:2 K:BB ratio over 7 innings. And this hardly came out of nowhere, as he posted a 1.83 ERA and 0.99 WHIP last season. Bruney has the stuff to last as a legitimate setup guy, even on a World Series contender. The argument of whether Chamberlain belongs in the rotation should have nothing to do with which role is more important (anyone with a brain should realize 180 innings is more valuable than 70) but whether if Chamberlain is capable of holding up as a starter or not. And finding out if he is has always been the smart strategy.

During August last season, Paul Konerko posted a 1.074 OPS with a 10:19 K:BB ratio. In September, he clobbered nine homers with a .649 slugging percentage. He then hit .364 with four homers during an impressive spring training. Konerko has followed that up by batting .341 with three homers, 11 RBI and a 4:4 K:BB ratio so far this season. It's safe to say the 33-year-old isn't quite washed up just yet, and last year's brutal first half had more to do with injuries than anything else.

Matt Holliday owners sure are hoping his sluggish start is just that and not a bigger sign of life after Coors. There are plenty of stars struggling at the plate (read: Braun, Ryan), but Holliday entered the year with more questions than any other typical second round pick. It could be adjusting to the new league, as his strikeouts are way up. But obviously the ballpark switch is the biggest concern, and zero home runs so far isn't too comforting. In fact, the A's as a team have hit a total of just three long balls over their first 12 games. Even the Giants have twice as many, for crying out loud.