There’s a Catch to Those Pinstripes

Alex Rodriguez made his Yankee Stadium debut in a 3-1 New York victory Thursday and came away more excited than ever about wearing pinstripes.

“What sums up the whole day, one of their guys over there asked me, ‘Is it really as good to be a New York Yankee?’ And I thought about it for a minute and I said, ‘No, it’s better,’ ” Rodriguez said after the game.

Rodriguez spent the day enjoying the adulation and applause from 55,290 fans who got their first chance to welcome baseball’s highest-paid player to the Bronx. Of course, this is still the honeymoon.

Rodriguez walked twice and went hitless in two at-bats. He should remember that Yankee fans have been known to shower players with things besides adulation and applause.

There’s this thing called the Bronx cheer.

Trivia time: What was the last baseball team to open the season in first place and go on to win the World Series?

To hit or not to hit? Willie Mays has been back in the spotlight lately as godson Barry Bonds chases Mays’ mark of 660 home runs, bringing to mind this oldie-but-goodie quote by actress Tallulah Bankhead: “There have been only two geniuses in the world -- Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.”

Consolation prize: Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic on winning consecutive NBA scoring titles: “Yeah, congratulations to me. But that’s a huge accomplishment to win it back to back. I guess I’m just the eighth player to do that, so it’s an honor.

“Basically I had to score for us to get our wins. It really doesn’t mean anything because I’m not participating in the postseason. It’s a personal goal, and I’m not very satisfied with those.”

McGrady is the first scoring champion from a team that missed the playoffs since New York Knick forward Bernard King in 1984-85.

Pit stop: China’s first Formula One race is in six months, and construction of a new track is underway. However, hysteria about auto racing is lacking. “I’m just here to work,” Lu Jingquan told Associated Press on Thursday while taking a break from carting gravel. “I don’t know anything about car racing.”

Passion of the Habs? There is more than a little zeal in Montreal with the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. With a tradition that includes 23 Stanley Cup titles, fans have zero tolerance and players have to accept the albatross-like expectations.

“In Montreal, there’s religion and there’s hockey, and I don’t know which one comes first,” Canadien defenseman Sheldon Souray said this week.

A little reminder for Souray: religion -- turn the other cheek; hockey -- slashing, hooking, tripping, spearing, etc.

Trivia answer: The Cincinnati Reds in 1990, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

And finally: Bill Walton, who seems never at a loss for an opinion, talking about the difficult job General Manager Danny Ainge faces trying to rebuild the woeful Boston Celtics.

“I think that Danny is still digging out from the blunders of Rick Pitino. I think he’s doing the right thing tearing it down and getting guys in here who will run and play the game the way the Celtics are supposed to.”