To know list: 6 beers or an empty wallet, whichever comes first

[1] BASEBALL'S OPENING WEEK

It's a numbers game

1:51 On opening day at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox and Indians played as fast a game as there may be all season. In fact, there have been only two games in the past two seasons that were quicker. In 2004, there was a 1:47 affair between the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson and the Pirates' Josh Fogg. In '03, Mark Buehrle and Mark Mulder hooked up in a game that lasted 1:49, one of their three duels in under two hours that season. Not surprisingly, Buehrle, the A.L.'s fastest worker, was the White Sox's starter on opening day, beating the Indians' Jake Westbrook 1-0.

.400 Ichiro Suzuki's five consecutive 2-hit games to start the season were certain to lead to speculation about a magical season. If Ichiro can keep up another trend--he walked in two straight games last week--that chatter could be worth more than filler for the talk shows.

7 That's how many players (none of them Barry Bonds) were on pace to hit 97 home runs after hitting three in their first five games. One was Dmitri Young, who already had cooled off from a pace to hit 486 after he hit three on opening day.

20 The Rangers are hoping for rain--they've got that many consecutive days of games to open the season. But it's play 'em now or play 'em later. The Cardinals, who had three scheduled days off in the first week and a half, have only one day off in steamy August.

[2] GET ON THEIR BACKS!

Monkey business

Now that Roy Williams has gone and won his first championship, the debate about the best college basketball coach never to win a title has gotten a lot less interesting. But it goes on.

We'll exclude Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton and Temple's John Chaney; they're too close to the ends of their careers to build championship teams before they retire. These guys, though, remain in the hunt:

Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma. He owns a 362-203 record in 18 seasons, with one Final Four appearance and an 11-11 mark in NCAA Tournament games. His 2005-06 team will have a shot.

Rick Barnes, Texas. Having T.J. Ford helped Barnes reach his first Final Four. He could get there again with Daniel Gibson leading the way. Barnes is 363-203 in 18 years and has averaged 23 wins in seven seasons with the Longhorns.

Bob Huggins, Cincinnati. He has been to the Final Four once but lost his best title shot when Kenyon Martin broke his leg a week before the 2000 NCAAs. Huggins owns a 567-199 record but needs to get back to recruiting great players to compete at the top of the Big East.

Bo Ryan, Wisconsin. He has nearly three times as many wins in lower divisions as his 123 in Division I, though Ryan has won 72 percent of his games since taking over the Badgers--and is 6-3 in the past three NCAA Tournaments. He's getting closer.

--Mike DeCourcy

7 That's how many closers were torched for at least three runs in the ninth inning and blew a save opportunity. The not-so-super seven: the Padres' Trevor Hoffman, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, the Indians' Bob Wickman, the White Sox's Shingo Takatsu, the Mets' Braden Looper, the Diamondbacks' Brandon Lyon and the Mariners' Eddie Guardado,

[3] MORE NUMBERS

Got a couple hundred to spare?

Forget RBIs and OPS. The FCI hits where it hurts. This season, the Fan Cost Index--a formula using four average-priced tickets (two at children's rates, if available), parking one car, two beers, four hot dogs, four sodas, two programs and two adult hats--went up 6 percent.

Start saving.

$164.43--the new average FCI.

$276.24--the highest FCI, belonging to the Red Sox.

$119.85--the lowest FCI belonging to the Royals.

$13.70--the cheapeast average ticket price, courtesy of the Devil Rays.

30.3--the highest percentage ticket increase, thanks (a lot) to the Marlins.

--Kara Yorio

[5] IT ADDS UP FAST

One hill of an expense

You've heard of retractable roofs, but what about a retractable mound? That's one of the quirks the Nationals will face at their home opener at RFK Stadium this week. The team shares the field with D.C. United of Major League Soccer, and when the baseball diamond needs to become a pitch--which costs about $40,000 for each conversion--the mound can be lowered with an electric jack. Of course, for this franchise, something else will seem just as far out of the ordinary: plenty of fans.--Benson Taylor

[4] NFL ECONOMICS

Salary craps

Drafting a quarterback high in the first round may be riskier this year because for any team other than the 49ers, getting the player signed in a timely fashion could be more difficult than ever. The 49ers, with the first overall pick, can negotiate with their choice before the draft. Other teams are supposed to wait to negotiate.

In fact, it could be harder than ever to sign first-rounders on the whole. This year, because the collective bargaining agreement has not been extended, teams can prorate bonuses over only five years--compared with six years in 2004 and seven years previously--which will hold down some initial offers.

One general manager warns that signing the top 20 picks is going to be very difficult. "I wouldn't expect any of those players signing before July," he says. That could devalue a potential first-round quarterback such as Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers. Quarterbacks in particular need to get an early jump on learning their systems. A quarterback who shows up for the first time in the middle of training camp is the equivalent of a 2006 draft pick.--Dan Pompei