Before taking the field

Miguel Tejada is in camp. Let the celebration begin. Tejada wasn't required to report at a specific time yesterday. Some players will drop off their belongings at night or simply call a team official and say, "I'm here." It wasn't a big deal, though I suggested that he would have made a better impression by arriving a few days early as one of the veteran leaders and taking ground balls at third base. Players have started to joke with Kevin Millwood about the constant flow of interviews that center on his leadership and mentoring of the young pitching staff. He takes it all in good humor and doesn't seem annoyed by the repeated story angle. We could debate whether Millwood was part of the greatest rotation in baseball history after breaking into the majors with the Atlanta Braves in 1997. They didn't field four 20-game winners like the 1971 Orioles, but they're expected to put three starters in the Hall of Fame. "I can't speak for earlier years, but it's probably the best one in the last 15 or 20," he said. "It would be tough to find one any better." I think people tend to forget that Millwood won 35 games in his first two full seasons and finished third in the National League Cy Young voting in 1998. At various times, the Braves rotation also included Denny Neagle, Dennis Martinez and John Burkett.