Need statistical evidence??? Here are the scores of the 14-games played at Pac-Bell so far in May, with Giants score listed first: 2-1, 6-1, 3-0, 6-5, 7-6, 2-0, 1-6, 4-5, 9-3, 10-3, 2-4, 7-3, 1-0, 3-7, and 1-0. The Giants (10-5 at home for the month), thanks mainly to Bonds, do have a respectable 63 runs during that span, a clip of 4.2 per outing. Meanwhile the opposition has scored only 45 times.

On the other side of the spectrum, neither of the top-two home run hitting parks in the National League is named Coors or Astros Field. That honor right now belongs to Arizona and Milwaukee. Miller Park (or is that South African Brewing Park) is a bandbox with dimensions similar to Wrigley Field (and like Wrigley facing towards Lake Michigan from home plate), in other words friendly power alleys. In addition, the outfield panels in the retractable-roof facility are usually closed on days the wind is blowing off the lake. And the ball really flies on days the roof is open but the panels are closed, as was the case when Shawn Green and the Dodgers went off for eight home runs in a game. And of course the Brewers pitching staff does not hurt matters.

Bank One Ballpark is a little more puzzling. Curt Schilling does give up gopher balls, but other than that the lighter desert air is what probably plays into the added offense the most. Of course, the hot season is coming up so you can look forward to the roof being closed, and the ball not carrying nearly as much. As you may recall, Schilling was lobbying for the roof to be closed when he pitches just for that very reason.

This coming Sunday is the deadline for CDM�s Second Season Challenge. If unfamiliar with the challenge, it is basically the same as the full season challenge except that the salary cap is 28 million as opposed to 30 million while there are also proportionately less purchases allowed. Also, there is traditionally more consensus plays in Second Season due to having nearly two months worth of stats to scour through, along with productive cheap players who are a must. Also be aware that CDM will pro-rate prize amounts in the event of a work stoppage four weeks or longer. You can also refer to that as the Moo Schwartz rule. I I will use this week to scour through all positions for the best prospects for second season rosters, which I will attempt to do without enlisting the help of the Amazing Kreskin.

CATCHERS - Look for Jorge Posada (990 - .287/30/8/35) to be the most popular play. Candidates for the other catching position is between Robert Fick (600 � 267/28/5/18), Michael Barrett (590 - .326/17/6/22) and Paul LoDuca (840 - .316/21/2/22). Ivan Rodriguez is due off the DL sometime next week and could also his way onto a few lineups.

FIRST BASE � Hitting in the middle of a loaded lineup, look for Paul Konerko (1220 - .346/28/8/48) to be a consensus selection. Beware of series in NL parks between June 14-23, where he will probably be splitting time at first with Frank Thomas. Other first sackers meriting consideration (depending on cap needs) include David Ortiz ( 640 - .243/11/4/21 in 107 AB�s), Jason Giambi (1640 - .309/39/14/39), Ryan Klesko (1300 - .340/30/10/34) and Todd Helton (1980 - .332/40/13/45). Richie Sexson (1280 - .264/30/14/45) is another option if desperate for HR/RBI.

SECOND BASE � Will be as solidified as any position. Alfonso Soriano will be a near 100 percent play while speedy Luis Castillo (1000 - .327/MLB leading 21 steals) will be another solid selection. Other options include Arizona�s Junior Spivey (750 - .330/37/6/35/6) and Jose Vidro (1150 - .336/37/5/40).

THIRD BASE � At 450, Shea Hillenbrand (.323/33/10/40) is a no-brainer. Other options for the second position include Mike Lowell (890 - .335/28/7/33), Eric Chavez (1070 - .269/30/13/35), Blue Jay ROY candidate Eric Hinske (750 - .280/28/9/28/4, and Troy Glaus (1420 - .282/41/9/41/5)

SHORTSTOP � Even at 1880, Alex Rodriguez (.313/34/14/48) remains a recommended play. The second best option, as in the pre-season, is Nomar Garciaparra (1120 - .320/38/7/42), Jimmy Rollins (940 - .294/29/5/22/10) should also be considered for the speed along with Juan Uribe (500 - .274/34/1/15/4) for value purposes.

OUTFIELD � Ichiro, Lance Berkman, and Adam Dunn rank as the must-haves. Other players under consideration include Cliff Floyd (1220 - .298/36/13/34/4), Juan Pierre (1180 - .284/36/0/10/17), Kenny Lofton (1080 - .301/43/3/23/20), J.D Drew (1010 - .276/29/7/22/7), Torii Hunter (830 - .321/39/14/36/8), and Darryl Ward (620 - .328/21/2/11). Out of that group I rank the best as Floyd, Lofton, and Hunter. Then there are the sub 500 players, a group that includes Corey Patterson (440 - .296/24/2/15/11), Vernon Wells (440 - .251/21/3/22/2), Jay Gibbons (420 - .260/28/9/21 but an 0 for 30 waiting to happen) and Euribo Durazo (440). Durazo has cooled off since his 3 HR, 9 RBI outing after just coming off the DL and is being platooned with Mark Grace. Out of those three right now the best bet is Patterson, but don�t expect a huge bevy of steals. Vladamir Guerrero and Sammy Sosa are obviously popular in the full-season game but their high salaries may be better spent with the following�

STARTING PITCHER � It is highly recommended that your team carries Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Curt Schilling, and to rotate those three based on when they�re due for double duty. In the coming week Pedro and Schill are both slated for two starts. A boatload of bargain pitchers should make having the big boys doable � with LA closer (listed as a starter) Eric Gagne (500) leading the way. Eric has saved an MLB leading 18 games, and before getting touched up a little this week, was holding opponents to a .143 BA. Look for him to be on most rosters. Astros ace Roy Oswalt (830) will also be an unanimous selection and Cub phenom Mark Prior along with teammate Kerry Wood (1050 - 2.63 ERA, 57 K�s in 63 IP, opp .141 BA) should be plenty of rosters as well. That makes for six pitchers that you should definitely have, three cheap and three expensive. Other cheap pitcher prospects include Derek Lowe (870 - 7-2, 2.12/.80) Roy Halladay (490 - 3.13 ERA, 1.23 ratio), Brian Lawrence (4.80 - 3.29 ERA), Kaz Ishii (750 � 2.90 ERA, but 1.45 ratio), Vicente Padilla (6-4, 3.04/1.05), Ramon Ortiz (650 - 3.47/1.11) and Odalis Perez (420 - 2.52/.92). I Would also include Josh Beckett but there may be some red flags with him physically after allowing 7 ER in 1+ IP this week. Other pitchers to consider are Wade Miller (900 - just came off DL), Matt Morris (1190 - 6-3, 3.42/1.32, 73 K�s in 79 IP), and Javier Vazquez (1100 - 2.96 ERA). Mike Mussina (1380 - 7-2, 4.42 ERA) is popular in the full-season game but ERA and salary may be too pricey for 2nd Season.

RELIEF PITCHER � This is where entries are able to cut salary #�s in Second Season. Look for Eddie Guardado (900 - 16 saves) to be on nearly roster, with Mike Williams (900 � 15 saves) and Vladamir Nunez (750 � 2.30/1.09, 12 saves) to get plenty of hits as well. I strongly recommend a reliever in the 1200 range to round out things. There are three very strong candidates for that role, including Byung-Hyun Kim (1200 - 1.78/1.02, 12 SV, 45 K�s in 30 IP), Ugueth Urbina (1220 - 17 saves), and Jason Isringhausen (1280 - 15 saves, 0.92 ERA, 0.85 ratio, 32 K�s in 27 IP). You can make a very strong case for any of the three but if presented with a gun to my head I�ll take Izzy. And for those who like to get cute on occasion there is SP listed as an RP Danys Baez of Cleveland (700 4-3, 4.29 ERA, 45 K�s in 56.2 IP) who you could plug in for two-start weeks.

As far as rookies is concerned, 2002 is turning into the polar opposite of the Ichiro/Pujols year of 2001, as nearly all of this year's pre-season potential bargains have gone bust. The past week alone has seen Carlos Pena, Toby Hall (and his .187 BA), and Morgan Ensberg all be optioned back to AAA. Hank Blalock, another possible impact-rookie candidate from Spring Training was sent down a few weeks back. And add to that super-prospect Sean Burroughs, who has now been DL�d with a bum shoulder � and might be heading back to the minors when healthy. So much for scouring through the woodwork for this year�s Al Pujols � oh wait, that�s Eric Gagne.

One possible upshot of the Burroughs injury was Phil Nevin returning to third base, where an extended stint there could help his eligibility at the hot corner for �03. That may not be happening as Nevin broke his arm diving for a ball this week, and will be out for the next six weeks. Other players coming off the DL, only to possibly go right back on include Houston SP Wade Miller, who left his first start in six weeks early due to back stiffness, along with Twins starter Brad Radke, who re-injured his groin this week. And then there are the Braves, who in just one game lost Andrew Jones (shin), Chipper Jones (calf) and Marcus Giles (badly sprained ankle). Chipper is actually back in the line-up while Giles has already been DL�d. The only other significant injury to report is Kevin Brown going on the DL for the fifth time in two years, again with a sore elbow.

THIS WEEKS SCHEDULE

This is a very AL friendly week, with the exception of CLE and MN, everyone plays seven times. In the NL, only ATL and NYM play seven. And Interleague play returns to rear it�s head next weekend, this time in with a different twist � instead of AL East v. NL East, AL Central v. NL Central, and NL West v. AL West, it will be AL East v. NL West, AL Central v. NL East, and AL West v. NL Central. That is except for Interleague games involving designated �super-rivals� such as Mets v. Yankees, White Sox v. Cubs, A�s v. Giants, Blue Jays v. Expos, Solana Steelheads v. Sonoma County Crushers etc.. The Dodgers will be in Colorado for three, while Houston spends the week on the road (AZ, OAK). All AL teams host interleague games next weekend meaning NYY (BAL, SF), TOR (TB, COL), CWS (KC, MON), DET (BOS, PHI), MN (CLE, FL), ANH (TX, CIN), and OAK (SEA, HOU) spend the entire week at home. NL teams spending the week on the road (besides HOU) include FL (PHI, MN), NYM (ATL, CLE), CHC (MIL, SEA), STL (CIN, KC), LA (COL, BAL), and SF (SD, NYY). Double-duty pitchers include Freddy Garcia, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Tim Hudson, Mark Buerhle, Kip Wells, Jon Lieber, Josh Beckett (???), and possibly Kerry Wood

This week�s CDM free agent list is as follows (recommended players in bold)

FACTOIDS OF THE WEEK

Notice I did not put the Reds Chris Reitsma on the Second Season list despite his 2.52 ERA for the year. In case you've never heard this in any game he has pitched, Chris went through a pretty horrific incident as an amateur. In 1994 Reitsma was pitching for a junior team in Canada when his friend and left fielder was fatally struck by lightning during a game. Talk about a freakish, tragic occurance. By allowing eight hits in 5 1/3 innings this week, Kerry Wood failed in his attempt to become the first pitcher since Mark Langston in 1988 to allow four or fewer hits in six consecutive outings pitching six innings or more. Looking for a way to win a bar bet, ask someone which team has the lowest ERA in either league for the month of May. If you guessed the Angels at 1.75, feel free to collect. And that's not the only surprise, Colorado ranks fourth in team ERA for the month.

LATROY B. HAWKINS AWARD

Several avenues to go here. Josh Beckett coughing up seven earnies in 1+ inning definitely qualifies. John Smoltz also had another big-time blown save, giving up 4 hits and 3 ER in the process.