It would have been unrealistic to expect newly acquired starter Edinson Volquez to match the performance turned in by fellow youngster Johnny Cueto on Thursday, but Volquez came pretty close.  The right-hander threw consistently in the mid-to-upper 90's and had steady control of the strike zone as he scattered five hits, struck out eight batters, walk two and allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings.  The Reds won 8-2, taking both Cueto and Volquez to 1-0 marks on the season.

The biggest difference in the two debuts, aside from the weather, is that Cueto was facing a Diamondbacks' team that had never seen him before (they play in Cactus League) to whereas Volquez went against a Phillies' squad that he faced twice in the closing weeks of spring training.

Perhaps with another start or two like that from Volquez, the shrinking percentage of Reds' fans that can't let go of Josh Hamilton will be silenced altogether.

If both young arms continue to develop and come anywhere near to living up to their hype, the Reds are going to be a force in the N.L. Central. Add in Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and a bullpen that has yielded 7 runs in 19 2/3 innings and the team's pitching is suddenly looking like a strength.

Volquez left to a roaring standing ovation from the nearly 27,000 in attendance at Great American Ballpark. I have a feeling there are going to be plenty more ovations ahead for the 24-year old hurler.

In the next few months the UFC will feature several great matchups on their PPV events. The main events over the next several PPVs will be worth ordering the event alone. The last few months have been somewhat lackluster for the UFC and their PPV events. While the main events have been worth watching, the rest of the event for that month have been somewhat disappointing.

Its somewhat disheartening when UFC Fight Night, a free event that was shown on Spike TV this past Wednesday night, had a better fight card assembled for it than some of the past PPVs. Granted the Fight Night event was the lead in for the new season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, but there's no reason that a free event should be more of a draw than an event that the viewer would have to pay for. That all will change with the next several events coming up for the UFC. Again, the card as a whole for a particular event may not excite the above average fan such as myself, but the main event for that card will be worth the price of admission all by itself, something that can only be said for one of the past few PPV events when Matt Hughes lost to Georges St-Pierre. Speaking of GSP, that's where we'll start our tour of the upcoming UFC events.

UFC 83: Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra 2 - April 19th, 10:00PM
Main Event - GSP vs. Serra: GSP looks to avenge his upset loss to Serra where he lost the welterweight title several months ago. The win put Serra on the UFC map. Since that fight Serra has been a coach on TUF and was set to defend his title against Matt Hughes at the conclusion of the show. Due to an injury, Serra had to step out and in stepped GSP. He dominated Hughes in their fight and won the interim welterweight title, something GSP could care less about. Now he gets his chance to get his title back and avenge his last loss to Serra. Oh, and I forgot to mention, this fight will take place in GSP's backyard of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Good luck Serra.

Also on the card
Travis Lutter vs. Rich Franklin: This could turn into a show stealer depending on how the GSP/Serra fight goes. Franklin is coming off another loss to Anderson Silva where he tried to get back the Middleweight title he lost to Silva back in October of 2006. Lutter hasn't fought in over a year. His last fight was also a loss to Silva back in February of last year. Both look to get back in the win column and start their road back to the Middleweight title.

UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24th, 10:00PM
Main Event - BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk: This is a fight for the Lightweight title, a title that Sherk never lost in a fight. Instead Sherk lost his title due to testing positive for performance enhancers. He was stripped of his title last year. Penn ended up winning the vacant title by defeating Joe Stevenson back in January. One of, if not the most technical fighters in the sport, Penn will look to defend his title against a guy that will look to bounce back from what could be a career threatening decision that cost him his title.

Also on the card
Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine: This should be an interesting matchup. The winner of this fight could move up into the No. 1 contender spot for the Light-Heavyweight title currently held by Quinton Jackson. Silva is coming off a loss to Chuck Liddell while Jardine is actually coming off a win over the "Iceman." A win by Jardine should assure him a spot in line for the LHW title in the near future. A win by Silva could muddle things up a little.

Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida: This is most likely going to be Ortiz's last fight in the UFC. He's already stated that he wasn't going to sign a new contract with the UFC and this is the last fight on his current contract. Instead he plans to leave and go help another MMA organization called DREAM. Machida, on the other hand, is making a huge name for himself in the UFC. He comes into this fight with an undefeated record of 12-0. A win over Ortiz could catapult him into contention for the Light-Heavyweight title for sure.

UFC 85: Title TBD - June 7th, 3:00PM
Main Event - Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans: This could end up going down as the fight of the year if both guys bring their "A game." Liddell is coming off a win over Wanderlei Silva back in December of last year after having lost two fights in a row for the first time in his career. He showed in his fight with Silva that the old Liddell is back and that he will go toe-to-toe with anyone willing to stand with him. Evans, on the other hand, is undefeated in his MMA career with a record of 16-0-1, the draw coming in a fight against Tito Ortiz back in July of last year. A win by either of these guys could leap frog them into contention for the Light-Heavyweight title with a handful of other fighters in that weight class.

Also on the card
Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera: A good matchup here in the heavyweight division. Werdum is coming off an impressive, and surprising, victory over one-time title contender, Gabriel Gonzaga, back in January. Vera, on the other hand, is coming off the first loss of his UFC career. A unanimous decision loss to Tim Sylvia back in October of last year derailed Vera's run at the HW title, currently held by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The pool of heavyweights in line for a title shot is somewhat shallow right now, so a win here could bounce one of these guys into contention.

UFC 86: Title TBD - July 5th, 10:00PM
Main Event - Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin: A fight that will be 13 weeks in the making as both of these guys are the coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter" this season. "Rampage" will defend his Light-Heavyweight title against Griffin in a matchup that fans have been hoping to see for months now. Jackson hasn't fought since September when he defeated Dan Henderson to unify the UFC and PRIDE LHW titles. Before that Jackson defeated fan favorite Chuck Liddell. So to say he's been on a role lately might be an understatement. Like Jackson, Griffin will come into this fight in July not having fought since September of last year. It was at that time he soundly defeated Mauricio Rua, a fighter most considered to be one of, if not the best in the world at the time. The win over Rua pushed Griffin into the No. 1 contender position for the LHW title. Its fitting that this fight will take place the day after the Fourth of July because there are sure to be fireworks going off during this fight. Of all the fights taking place over the next few months, this is the one I'm most looking forward to.

The next several months for the UFC are going to be big. They are starting to see some contention to their "monopoly" on the sport from other organizations, especially EliteXC. In order to keep themselves as the organization to watch, President Dana White is going to have to continue to put together fight cards worth paying $40 or $50 to watch on PPV. Time will tell how they fare against competition to their throne. All I know is that I will enjoy what the UFC has to offer to us as fans for the next several months.

Saturday's Final Four match-ups were supposed to have been epic battles in a historic, never-before-seen showdown of four No. 1 seeds.  However, the two games from San Antonio were far from classics and more shocking that capativating.

Memphis continued to be lost in the spotlight and "disrespected" in a way as all the national media focused their attention and affection for UCLA super frosh Kevin Love. The Tigers thrive best in their Rodney Dangerfield role of "we don't get any respect".  It was Memphis' top freshman Derrick Rose that continued to shine as he scored 25 points, grabbed 9 boards, and added four assist to lead the onslaught as Memphis rolled to

I keep waiting for Memphis to fall or be exposed, but after beating Michigan State by 18 points, Texas by 18 points, and UCLA by 15 points I am ready to give up on my arguement that C-USA was simply a cake walk and begin to give this team their due respect.

The real shocker on the night came in Kansas' dismantling on North Carolina. I picked Kansas to win it all and will win my bracket pool if they do, but if given the opportunity to switch it prior to last night's game to UNC I would not have hesistated. The Jayhawks used their balanced attack on both sides of the court to stymie the Tar Heels' attack.

It was the defense that was frightening as Kansas held North Carolina to just 12 points in the game's first 15 minutes. Kansas was up 28 points at one point in the first half, but the Tar Heels would storm back to cut the lead to five midway through the second half.  However, it would be too little, too late as Kansas  would open it back up and pull away to a 84-66 win.

Xavier fans have seen it time and time again, a great run by the team leads to the school losing its head coach. Over the years Xavier has developed into a "cradle of coaches" in its own right. After an Elite Eight appearence this season and with much regard, Sean Miller is another hot name on many schools' short list of candidates.

First there was speculation that Miller could be headed to Bloomington, but after Tom Crean was named the new coach at Indiana the focus turn to Marquette, Crean's former post.

Miller himself though appears to be committed to staying.

"I'll be back at Xavier," Miller told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm looking forward to coaching at Xavier and continuing on with what we've done for years behind me and what we've done this year."

Miller has posted a 93-39 mark,  at Xavier since taking over for Thad Matta in 2004, including a school record 30 wins this season.

The first week of the season is wrapping up. Let's recap some of the top news and look ahead to Stat Period 2:

STUDS OF THE WEEK
Phillies' 2B Chase Utley hasn't wasted anytime to get things going in the season's opening week. He has 7 hits, including 3 HR's, in his first 17 at bats of the season, further indicating his elite status as the best fantasy player at his position. Utley has crossed the plate seven times and drawn five walks.  There were several pitchers that had productive first stat periods. However, none were better than the Padres' Jake Peavy.  The right-hander picked up two quick wins and has already logged 16 innings while only allowing five hits and walking four. The 0.56 ERA and 0.56 WHIP and 12 K's provide stellar contributions across the board.

DUDS OF THE WEEK
Many drafted Roy Oswalt, expecting him to be their ace this season. However, if a bad spring and a drop in velocity wasn't already a reason for concern his first two starts should be. The Astros' ace is already 0-2 this season and failed to log a quality start in either outing. He takes a 6.00 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in to Stat Period 2. Andruw Jones is picking up right where he left in '07 by playing bad baseball. Despite getting paid big money to come to the Dodgers, Jones continues to be a fantasy disappointment. He's mustered only three hits in his first 18 AB's and just one RBI.

KEY INJURIES
SP Josh Beckett (BOS): Expected to make debut on Sunday
SP Erik Bedard (SEA): Hip injury forced team to scratch him from Sunday's start
SP Pedro Martinez (NYM): Placed on 15-day DL w/hamstring out until mid-May
RP J.J. Putz (SEA): Ribcage injury has forced to 15-day DL out until mid-April
SP John Lackey (LAA): Won't return until early may as he comes back from triceps injury
RP B.J. Ryan (TOR): On rehab assignment could return April 11-13 from elbow injury
RP Chad Cordero (WAS): Tendonitis in shoulder forced Nats to place him on 15-day DL
RP Randy Johnson (ARI): On 15-day DL due to back injury; slated for rehab start (4/8)
OF Michael Cuddyer (MIN): Out unitl at least late April w/finger injury
OF Jeremy Hermida (FLA): Disabled for 2-3 weeks w/hamstring problems
SP Mike Hampton (ATL): Out until late April due to pectoral muscle

TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
Fausto Carmona - @LAA (Joe Saunders), vs. OAK (Rich Harden)
Daisuke Matsuzaka - vs. DET (Kenny Rogers), vs. NY (Phil Hughes)

Sleeper Picks:
Joe Saunders - vs. CLE (Fausto Carmona), @SEA (Carlos Silva)
Nick Blackburn - @CHW (Javier Vazquez), @KC (Brian Bannister)
Matt Garza - @NYY (Mike Mussina), vs. BAL (Daniel Cabrera)

NL
Must-Starts:
Dan Haren - vs. LAD (Derek Lowe), vs. COL (Ubaldo Jimenez)
Ted Lilly - @PIT (Tom Gorzelanny), @PHI (Jamie Moyer)
Tim Lincecum - vs. SD (Randy Wolf), vs. STL (Brad Thompson)

Sleeper Picks:
Johnny Cueto - @MIL (Jeff Suppan), @PIT(Tom Gorzelanny)
Jair Jurrjens - @COL (Aaron Cook), @WAS(Odalis Perez)
Wandy Rodriguez - vs. STL (Todd Wellemeyer), vs. FLA (Ricky Nolasco)

WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
SP Joe Saunders - ANA (+30% roster change)
RP Mark Lowe - SEA (+28%)
CF Nate McLouth - PIT (+27%)
RF Xavier Nady - PIT (+26%)
SP Carlos Silva - SEA (+24%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
CF Juan Pierre - LAD (-16%)
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia - TEX (-13%)
3B Josh Fields - CHW (-10%)
RP Tom Gordon - PHI (-10%)
SP Jeremy Guthrie - BAL (-9%)

GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

AL
7: BAL, NYY, SEA, TB
6: BOS, CHW, CLE, DET, KC, LAA, MIN, OAK, TEX, TOR

NL
7: ATL, CIN, COL, PHI, SF, STL
6: CHC, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, NYM, PIT, SD, WAS

The Kentucky Derby is still about a month away, but don't let that stop you from getting ready now.  Let's hit the Triple Crown tail running:

Saturday featured two of the biggest prep races:

WOOD MEMORIAL - Aqueduct
Tale of Ekati just edged out War Pass to win Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial by a half-length.  Tale of Ekati was not in the Derby picture too much after losing to War Pass by 17 1/2 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last October and then a non-threatening sixth to Pyro in the last month's Louisiana Derby. Trainer Barclay Tagg, who won last year's Wood also with Nobiz Like Showbiz (finished 10th in Derby), felt he had legitimate excuses in both of those races. Tale The horse didn't handle the slop in the Juvenile. In the Louisiana Derby, he broke poorly. In his last two breezes for the Wood, Tale of Ekati worked from the gate though and he was impressive on Saturday. War Pass, the two-year old champion, bounced back nicely from a last place finish in last month's Tampa Bay Derby but the horse still tired a bit after being pressed hard early in race. Nick Zito's horse remains a bit of an enigma entering the Triple Crown season.

SANTA ANITA DERBY - Santa Anita
Colonel John emerged as the West Coast's best chance in the Derby, by edging out Bob Black Jack and Coast Guard to win the 71st Santa Anita Derby. The pace was intense early on as Coast Guard came out of the gate fast and furious. Jockey Corey Nakatani bided his time though and when he called upon him Colonel John was ready. The horse looked ferocious down the stretch and will head to Churchill in May as one of the top three choices. Favorite El Gato Malo was nowhere to be found after going off at 9/5. He shuffled back to 10th early, made a powerful move on the far turn, but flattened out.

UP NEXT
4/12 - Keeneland - TOYOTA BLUE GRASS STAKES - 1 1/8 m
4/12 - Gulfstream Park - HOLY BULL STAKES (G3) - 1 3/16 m
4/12 - Oaklawn Park - ARKANSAS DERBY (G2) - 1 1/8 m

FUTURE WAGERS POLL (closes on Sunday 4/6)
# Horse M/L Odds
1 Adriano 20-1
2 Atoned 30-1
3 Big Brown 3-1
4 Big Truck 20-1
5 Blackberry Road 50-1
6 Bob Black Jack 30-1
7 Colonel John 12-1
8 Cool Coal Man 15-1
9 Court Vision 20-1
10 Denis of Cork 15-1
11 El Gato Malo 12-1
12 Gayego 30-1
13 Liberty Bull 50-1
14 My Pal Charlie 50-1
15 Pyro 4-1
16 Salute the Sarge 50-1
17 Smooth Air 50-1
18 Tale of Ekati 30-1
19 Tomcito 30-1
20 Visionaire 20-1
21 War Pass 6-1
22 Yankee Bravo 30-1
23 Z Fortune 50-1
24 All other 3-year-olds 15-1