It's finally here. After months of waiting, Opening Day is just around the corner.* Although honestly, good luck picking which day is officially "Opening Day". Is it Wednesday, when the Cardinals and Marlins play the first non-Japan MLB game? Or is it Thursday, when the vast majority of other teams start? Or maybe Friday, when the Rays actually play their first game? The beginning of the season is so staggered this year, I feel like we're easing into baseball instead of having one grand, spectacular Opening Day.

*Yeah, I'm not counting the Japan series as Opening Day. It didn't feel the same to me.

With the season just around the corner, there's a ton of news happening in the baseball world right now. Michael Pineda has shoulder tendinitis and will start the season on the DL. Andrew Bailey has a thumb injury, and it seems like that he starts the season on the DL. Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront have been named the Red Sox's final two starters. And goodness, that's not to mention all the non-AL East news out there.

The big "news" concerning the Rays right now is that Desmond Jennings had a monster game yesterday. Yeah, it's a spring training game so take it with a grain of salt, but Jennings hit three home runs against the Orioles, including one grand slam. Anyone else excited to see a full season of Jennings?

• April is International Autism Awareness month, and as you can tell by the ribbon on our sidebar, DRB is participating and fully stands behind Maury Brown's awareness campaign. Please drop by his personal page and read the story about how his son's autism has impacted his life; autism flies under the radar so often and people rarely stop to think about it, but it has a huge impact on the lives of those it touches.
• Rays Prospects has the full run-down of the official opening day rosters for every team in the Rays minor league system. And if you're curious about how those roster decisions get made, Rays Digest has a cool piece on the process behind the rosters.
• Baseball Prospectus is hosting another event at Tropicana Field this season, and Jason Collette, Bradley Ackrom, and R.J. Anderson will be there. Yes, that's right -- Reej will actually be making a public appearance (according to the BPro site, at least). The event is scheduled for May 5th, and other details will be released as it gets closer.