Selig earned more than all but 14 players in 2006. Which might explain why it's always been the province of someone in Selig's cabinet -- not him -- to complain about players salaries.

Here's my All-Star team of players who made less than Selig's $14.5 million last season: Pujols $14 million, Chipper Jones $13.7 million, Carlos Beltran $13.6 million, Andruw Jones $13.5 million, Carlos Delgado $13.5 million, Roy Halladay $12.7 million, Ichiro $12.5 million, Miguel Tejada $11.8 million, John Smoltz $11 million, Roy Oswalt $11 million, Ivan Rodriguez $10.6 million, Mariano Rivera $10.5 million, Alfonso Soriano $10 million, Ken Griffey $9 million, Greg Maddux $9 million, Johan Santana $8.75 million and Barry Zito $7.9 million.

A-Rod's guardian Angel?

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Speaking of money, Angels owner Arte Moreno did a surprising amount of talking on Opening Day about Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. It isn't often that an owner gushes so much over a player on another team, and there's a reason for it. When they do, there's always that possibility that the other team will cry, "Tampering!" (though no one ever seems to).

Not that Rodriguez didn't enjoy hearing the kind words, especially after enduring some early booing in his own Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, when he ignored the boos (at least at the time) and helped the Yankees win.

"Alex Rodriguez is a special player," Moreno said. "He happens to be one of my favorite players."

While he was at it, Moreno did give a little lip service to fiscal conservatism, saying there is a "ceiling economically" to the Angels' payroll. However, he didn't say what that ceiling was. The guess here is it's going to be quite high.

Moreno's Angels were one of eight teams to inquire about A-Rod last year, and are the early favorite to win his services when, I mean if, A-Rod opts out of his Yankees/Rangers contract, which has three years and $81 million remaining on it.

The big question will then become: Does the stadium sometimes called "The Big A" come to be known as "The Big A-Rod?"

Around the Majors

• Curt Schilling didn't help his quest to get the two-year deal he now seeks (after first saying he would retire) by being bombed by the Royals in Boston's opener. Schilling, a rare superstar who's known to do a lot of public blogging about baseball (and himself) under his own handles, was said to have pitched like a man "with carpal tunnel syndrome," according to Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy.

• The Phillies, who have a bullpen problem, would be wise to sign Ron Villone.

• The Mariners matched their season win total over the A's from a year ago on Day Two. They are 2-0 vs. Oakland so far, compared to 2-17 last season.

• White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who I love, may have stuck in his foot in his mouth for one of the last times when he opined, "We have high expectations this season. If we come up short, I deserve to be fired." Maybe he should wait until the Sox win a game before coming out with that.

• Xavier Nady has homered in each of the Pirates' first two games, enhancing his rep as a great April player. Fifteen of his 44 career home runs have been hit in March/April.

• Pete Rose got a loud ovation while attending the Reds opener and sitting in the stands. Which probably means there were several of his former bookies in the crowd.