With all Major League camps up and running, it's time for me to take a look at the stories that will be in the headlines as things head towards Opening Day:

1. NEW CHAPTER IN SAN FRANCISCO

With the chase to surpass Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list over, the Giants finally parted ways with controversial slugger Barry Bonds. What is left is a mere shell of a Major League team by the Bay. The Giants are 41 games under .500 over the last three seasons and their escape from the basement in the NL West won't happen anytime soon. The lone bright spots are young starters Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, who GM Brian Sabean dangled and then pulled off the trade market during the offseason. If they are as good as everyone thinks they can be then the Giants return to contention might not take as long as most believe.

2. WILL BONDS RESURFACE?

With perjury and obstruction of justice charges still pending, it would appear that the brilliant yet despised career of Bonds may finally be over. Apparently, the 43-year-old home run king is working out in hopes that someone will offer him a contract even if no one has given him a sniff to this point. But don't be surprised if someone realizes by the middle of March that their team is devoid of a slugger and offers him an incentive-laden deal. Whether his ego will allow him to accept is one thing, and whether a team will go against the rumoured wishes of the Commissioner's Office is another. Did someone just whisper, "Collusion?"

3. DRUG VILLANS APLENTY

The offseason was dominated with the fallout from the Mitchell Report into the use of performance-enhancing drugs over the past decade in baseball. While Roger Clemens continues to go through his charade, others named in the report are slowly coming out and saying they are sorry, although Andy Pettitte is still the only one to completely fess up. The one thing we have all learned is that 90 players named might be a fraction of actual users. And apparently none of the players named can give simple 'yes' or 'no' answers to questions about their alleged use.

4. A STAR IN NEW YORK, A STAR IN LA?

All he did in his 12 seasons as Yankees manager was get his team to the playoffs, winning the World Series four times in his first five seasons at the helm. But now it's a different deal all together for Joe Torre as he takes over a grumbling, underachieving Dodgers team. And now we will finally see if Torre was successful in New York due to the unlimited payroll, or if he's the manager that was 894-1,003 (.471) in his first three managerial stints with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals.

5. RED HOT ROOKIES

Every spring, we get to see the top prospects in the game strut their stuff in hopes of breaking camp for the first time in their promising careers. This spring is no different. Keep an eye on the following once they start playing spring games and opinions start forming: 3B Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay), OF Jay Bruce (Cincinnati), OF Colby Rasmus (St. Louis), 2B Matt Antonelli (San Diego), RHP Luke Hochevar (Kansas City), RHP Adam Miller (Cleveland) and RHP Nick Adenhart (LA Angels). And for Blue Jays fans, they'll get their first glimpse at OF Travis Snider, not expected to be Major League-ready until late 2009, but considered by many scouts to be one of the best pure hitters in the minors at just 20 years of age.

6. JAPANESE INVASION, PART II

Last spring, Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka was all the rage as many predicted he would dominate the Majors like he did in his homeland. Not that 15 wins as a rookie constitutes a bad season, but 'Dice-K' had his moments adapting to everyday life in the Boston baseball pressure-cooker. This spring, all eyes and camera lenses will be trained on Cubs' outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, the 2006 Central League MVP while hitting .351 with 31 HR and 104 RBI. Another to keep an eye on is Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda, a 12-game winner last season with Hiroshima and expected to be the number three starter in LA.

7. HOW CLOSE ARE THE JAYS?

Early reports out of Dunedin have all been positive as no one (crossed fingers) has been injured yet. The health of closer B.J. Ryan will have a trickle down effect with Casey Janssen joining the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation if Ryan is deemed good to go for Opening Day. The arrivals of consummate pros Scott Rolen and David Eckstein have come with universal praise for their leadership skills. Hopefully that means more wins and less post-game Gatorade showers/shaving cream pies for a team whose focus and maturity have been questioned in the past.

8. IS SCHILLING DONE?

The World Champion Red Sox are still the team to beat. But veteran starter Curt Schilling arrived at camp with a sore pitching shoulder and if surgery is needed to correct the problem, the 41-year-old right-hander would be lost for the season and, perhaps, his brilliant career could be over. Schilling and the ballclub are at odds over how this should be handled. His loss, if surgery is the choice, won't cripple the Sox that much, though, with top prospect Clay Buchholz waiting in the wings for a spot in the Boston rotation to open up.

9. TWINS CITIES LETDOWN

You have to feel for the fans of the Minnesota Twins. Here they are, a year removed from opening their new stadium and finally saying goodbye to their garbage bag outfield walls, and they watched Torii Hunter bolt for California gold in Anaheim, top pitching prospect Matt Garza was traded to the Rays for bad boy outfielder Delmon Young, and then ace starter Johan Santana was dealt to the Mets for a cache of prospects, none of whom are expected to make an impact in 2008. For the first time in many moons, the Twins will finally look like the small market team that they truly are.

10. LOOK AT ALL THE CANADIANS

Never before, in the history of this great game, has there been so many quality Canadians sprinkled throughout the Majors. They include aces Jeff Francis (Colorado) and Erik Bedard (Seattle), catching star Russell Martin (Dodgers), former MVP Justin Morneau (Minnesota), former Rookie of the Year Jason Bay (Pittsburgh) and top prospect Joey Votto (Cincinnati). In all, 22 Canadian-born players/pitchers are sprinkled throughout training camps in Arizona and Florida. Oh Canada, indeed!