By PAUL GUTIERREZ, Sacramento Bee

SAN FRANCISCO - One guy announced his arrival to the major leagues by hitting a home run in his first at-bat.

The other was brought in more slowly, donning the tools of ignorance, taking command of one of the best pitching staffs in the big leagues and sparking a franchise to a magical summer ride with his bat.

Jason Heyward. Buster Posey.

Few observers expected the rebuilding Oakland Raiders to waltz into Nashville on Sunday and easily knock off a tough Tennessee team.

But even fewer anticipated seeing such a flat, uninspired effort by the Raiders in a disheartening 38-13 beatdown by the Titans.

Three explanatory themes have emerged from Oakland's season-opening debacle:

-- Horrid offensive-line play.

SAN FRANCISCO - Buster Posey crinkled his nose, squinted his eyes, shook his head and made a face that looked as if he had just taken a foul tip south of the border.

All I asked him was what the San Francisco Giants learned about themselves in their recent 3-6 skid against contenders.

SAN FRANCISCO - The most truthful baseball axiom -- and believe me, baseball is full of axioms --goes something like this: A team is only as good on a particular day as that day's starting pitcher.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Major League Baseball's Midsummer Classic was played with heavy hearts on a simmering Tuesday, what with the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in the morning.

But more heat and heartache is on the horizon for the national pastime with next summer's All-Star Game in Arizona, where the controversial immigration law S.B. 1070 takes effect July 29.

What's that about the more things change the more they stay the same around Major League Baseball? Here are some midseason baseball awards, then, with appropriate statistics.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

(HALF) MVP

Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers DH

-- Key stats: .319 average, 20 HRs, 75 RBIs

-- Two to consider: New York Yankees 2B Robinson Cano

OAKLAND, Calif. - It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Take it for what it's worth, but with the Oakland Raiders concluding their mandatory three-day, five practice mini-camp Sunday, coach Tom Cable insists there is a wide-open, five-man quarterback competition under way.

"I mean, I've said that now for quite some time," Cable said. "So that's what it is, and that's how we're going to do it."

OAKLAND, Calif. - He was the centerpiece of the old "Moneyball" Oakland A's, a patient work-the-count hitter with pop who would just as soon take a walk as swing for the fence.

BERKELEY, Calif. - For the first time since the Eisenhower administration, Cal claimed a share of a league title with a thumping of Arizona on Feb. 27.