Beginning today, Baseball Producer Jacob Luft will host a daily, open-ended discussion with SI.com readers. Don't just sit on the bench eating sunflower seeds. Get into the game by submitting your own thoughts. The best replies will be posted throughout the day.

Meet the (new) Mets

	Pedro Martinez struck out 12 Reds after giving up a three-run bomb to Adam Dunn in the first inning. AP
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Luft says: After a shaky start (see below), Pedro Martinez has dominated the Reds in his first start with the Mets. Martinez has struck out 12 batters without giving up a hit since the first-inning home run to Adam Dunn. Meanwhile, blockbuster free-agent signee Carlos Beltran has a two-run home run and a double. It's amazing what signing the best hitter and pitcher on the free-agent market can do for a club. (3:40 p.m.)

Will we even remember Beltran went to the sorry Mets in October when we're making our run for the NL pennant? I guess he can afford a ticket when we're playing the Yankees now can't he!
-- Mike, Houston

Luft says: Good timing on your e-mail, Mike, since Mets closer Braden Looper just gave up two ninth-inning home runs to turn a 6-4 lead into a 7-6 loss. Considering how porous this bullpen is (Manny Aybar?), this game might very well become a microcosm of the Mets season if they don't make any moves. Speaking of which, you think Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski's phone will be ringing tonight concerning a Mr. Ugueth Urbina? (5:00 p.m.)

Gotta love Braden Looper and his ERA of "infinity." I think I just threw up in my own mouth.
-- Don Amlin, Washington, D.C.

Luft says: Don, as a resident of D.C., nobody will think less of you for switching allegiances to your new team, the Natties. (5:10 p.m.)

How funny was that blown save by the Mets? How many wins can Pedro get this year knowing he's a six-inning pitcher?
-- Marty, Houston

Luft says: It looks like Houston fans are happier about this Reds' rally than anybody in Cincinnati. You guys realize the Reds are in your division, right? (6:19 p.m.)

Ask those scrubs from Houston about how their lineup is and their pitching fossils how golf will be in October when their cheap management won't spend any money to improve while Mets GM Omar Minaya will do what it takes to win. -- Dan, New York City

Sledge puts Nats on the board

Fresh off of the Congressional steroid hearing in the nation's capitol, it's fitting that a player who once tested positive for steroids while with the U.S. Olympic squad (Terrmel Sledge) drives in the first run for Washington. It was an RBI groundout that scored Nick Johnson.

Much like Devil Rays outfielder Alex Sanchez has done, Sledge blamed over-the-counter products for his positive test. I'm sure this excuse will become a bona fide trend quite soon. (3:48 p.m.)

How well do you think the whole "I didn't know it was steroids" excuse is going to work in MLB? The NFL spells it out fairly well when it says the athlete is solely responsible for any and all substances found in his body when tested, whether he knew about them or not. I haven't heard if MLB has the same stand-tough policy or if the league will review each case for such an occurrence. Surely the league wouldn't give players that kind of an out, would they?
-- Brad Bourbina, Pittsburg, Kansas

Luft says: Brad, ignorance will not be a valid excuse for any ballplayer who tests positive. There is nothing Sanchez can do now to avoid his 10-game suspension. Critics can rip the new agreement all they want, but on this aspect baseball got it right. By the way, did anybody else notice that Calvin Pickering home run? (4:45 p.m.)

Welcome to the NL, Pedro

Luft says: Opening Day might as well be renamed, "The only day Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Austin Kearns are on the field at the same time." New Mets ace Martinez isn't in a position to argue against the potency of this Reds lineup. He just gave up a titanic two-out, three-run bomb to Dunn in the first inning of his first start with the Mets. Griffey began the rally with a one-out single. (2:38 p.m.)

Sanchez busted

I was looking forward to seeing Alex Sanchez go 0-for-5. Damn.
-- Phil King, Detroit

Luft says: You must not have had Sanchez in your steroids-suspension office pool. Isn't it a little too convenient to have one of the worst players on one of the worst teams be the first victim of the new drug-testing plan? Baseball can hold up Sanchez's suspension as an example that their plan is working and, in the meantime, nobody is actually going to miss watching Sanchez play. He is a subpar outfielder who drew all of seven walks last season and was caught stealing 13 times in 32 attempts. (1:15 p.m.)

Opening Thoughts

What is the most intriguing aspect of Opening Day?

Luft says: It's not Pedro Martinez making his Mets debut against the Reds or Cy Young winner Johan Santana taking on the new-look Mariners. But one of the players I'm most looking forward to seeing is Calvin Pickering. The hulking 6-foot-5, 267-pound slugger earned a starting job as the Royals' DH after hitting a Barry Bonds-like 35 home runs in 299 at-bats in the Pacific Coast League. Have the Royals finally have found a proper heir for Steve "Bye-Bye" Balboni? (10:45 a.m.)

The best part about Opening Day will be watching the two best aces most fans couldn't pick out of a lineup -- Ben Sheets vs. Oliver Perez. 
-- Eli Dukes, Kenosha, Wisc.
What about the Nationals playing their first game? I think baseball returning to D.C. is more interesting than a "rookie" (I first heard about Pickering as a prospect in 1998) who probably won't amount to anything in the majors.
-- Chris, Bangor, Maine
Will Mike Cameron end up patrolling center field at Minute Maid Park this year?
-- Kevin Martinez, Houston

Luft says: Cameron strikes out a lot and his value has been marginalized by the addition of Carlos Beltran in center field. Still, the Mets are better off keeping Cameron if for no other reason than the ample outfield to cover at Shea Stadium. With Cameron in right, Mets pitchers will enjoy the best defense they have had behind them in years. A run saved is as good as a run driven in, and Cameron saves runs every game. (1:00 p.m.)