41.   Eight different winners in a row to start the season would be a modern-era record.

42.   Fans may not have heard of many of the players who will start the season.

43.   Florida was the right place to start the season.

44.   First baseman Eddie Williams is a long shot and will likely start the season in Albuquerque.

45.   For those who just came in from the Alberta ice fields, Van Impe started this season with the Ducks and came to Boston via the waiver wire.

46.   Ford and Chevy teams laugh at the notion of Dodge teams sharing knowledge after the green flag is waved to start the season.

47.   Gwynn started the season in the minor leagues and was promoted by San Diego in mid-July.

48.   Gone is the national ranking and all the confidence built from three straight victories to start the season.

49.   Gregg Olson, who started the season as the closer, seems to have lost all remnants of any confidence he once possessed.

50.   Groin injuries are something with which Johnson has plenty of experience -- he started this season, for instance, with several injuries that included a groin strain.