Start counting.

Home runs by Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr.

Wins for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Hits by Milwaukee Brewers pitchers.

New names for the Florida Marlins.

All the elements of Baseball '98--expansion style--will be on display today opening day.

Kevin Brown and Darryl Kile pitching for new teams, Andres Galarraga and Marquis Grissom playing in new places.

The Bank One Ballpark, with its swimming pool beyond the right-center field fence, in Phoenix. Tropicana Field, with its cigar bar, in Tampa Bay.

The Brewers in a new league. The Detroit Tigers in a different division. A dozen members of the World Series champion Marlins now scattered.

And a bunch of hitters waiting to tee off on guys who made it to the majors this year only because of expansion.

"We'll be pitching guys who don't belong here yet," Marlins manager Jim Leyland said. "But there's a big difference between not belonging here yet and not belonging here at all."

World Series MVP Livan Hernandez starts the opener at home against the Chicago Cubs, who added Henry Rodriguez, Jeff Blauser, Mickey Morandini and Rod Beck in the off season.

The rest of the Marlins' rotation, however, includes the likes of Rafael Medina, Brian Meadows and Felix Heredia.

"Our job is to develop youngsters," Leyland said. "I'll be glad to see them get better, but we're not going to be able to compete this year for a title."

Instead, the Marlins may come close to the worst record for a defending champion--the 1991 Cincinnati Reds went 74-88 following their World Series win.