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Forget about Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina or Andy Pettitte. If Joe Torre really wants to make Opening Day special, he'd start Carl Pavano.

Don't misunderstand me -- I am well aware that David Eckstein has a better chance of hitting 50 home runs this season than Pavano does of taking the mound on April 2nd. Heck, Pavano's not even in the conversation, and for good reasons. He isn't worthy of the honor to begin with. Also, the Yanks open at home this season, so it's only natural to assume that game No. 1 would be pitched by the ace of the staff: Wang.

Of course, given Mussina's tenure and Pettitte's history with the team, either one of those two would be more than acceptable in the eyes of the guaranteed-to-be sold out crowd in the Bronx. All three are worthy options ... but they also extremely boring options, too.

For the last year and a half, Pavano has put the Yankees through the wringer without pitching in a single Major League game. He had to be shut down in 2005 due to a shoulder injury that didn't require surgery. Then there were all the "nagging" ailments that plagued him last year. Would you really have been surprised if he was placed onto the 60-day disabled list with a hangnail?

No Pavano discussion would be complete without mentioning last summer's car accident and subsequent broken ribs that the right-hander concealed from the Yankees. Pavano claimed that he never brought that situation to light because he "wanted to pitch." Maybe he was telling the truth, but do you, the fans, believe him? You certainly have a right not to.

Granted, the idea is generally to "root for the uniform," but what kind of credibility has Pavano built up in order to warrant being taken at face value?

He's caused a lot of heartburn within the organization, so it'd be hard to blame Joe Torre if he were to tell Pavano: "You want to prove your desire to be a Yankee? Do it here on Opening Day with everyone watching. As Torre proved in last year's playoffs when he dropped Alex Rodriguez to the eighth spot in the batting order versus Detroit, the skipper is not afraid to send messages to players.

Rodriguez' stay in New York has been a choppy one thus far, but he still has an MVP award and, whether some people want to admit it or not, more than a few big hits. Pavano is best known for the car accident, a strained buttocks muscle, and having attractive girlfriends.

Who knows what would be going through the minds of those in attendance if they settled into their seats a little before 1:05 p.m. that Monday and saw No. 45 emerge from the dugout? There would probably be a decent amount of irritation and/or disdain -- two emotions that Pavano has brought out in fans the likes of which few players have in recent years.

Randy Johnson came to the Yankees with a reputation and pitched well every so often. Kevin Brown is persona non grata in these parts mainly because of one historically bad game, but you have to give him a little credit. When he stupidly broke his glove hand punching a wall following a quality start, he took the mound at Fenway Park 23 days later. Such an injury might be career-threatening to Pavano.

Most big leaguers will tell you that the adrenaline pumps a little higher than usual on Opening Day, so Pavano's brain would probably be racing a mile a minute. You've heard all about the comments that people like Mussina and even Torre himself said during the offseason. "Pav"'s got a lot of work to do. Why waste time? Allowing him to hit the ground running could be the best thing for him.

Bridges are damaged, if not burned, but he could begin repairing them by starting the Yankees' year with a dominant performance, even if it comes against the Devil Rays. Hey, Brown beat them four times in 2004 before his brief stay with the Yanks hit the skids.

Given Pavano's track record though, fans probably wouldn't expect that. If he were to get blasted by Tampa Bay's impressive collection of young hitters and outdueled by Scott Kazmir, it could wind up being a counterproductive experience.

The right-hander has been actively scouted this spring, and despite posting a 5.63 ERA through his first three appearances, his trade value may never be higher. The numbers might be ugly, but Pavano is actually able to pitch right now. With the Yankees owning a cache of young pitching prospects high in their system as they operate economically, you have to imagine that they would not mind ridding themselves of some of the almost 20 million dollars remaining on Pavano's contract.

If he were to exceed expectations, perhaps some out-of-town general manager would be swayed into attempting to acquire Pavano without asking Brian Cashman to eat some of his salary. Everyone is eager to find out what exactly Pav can provide, so why waste time?

Hey, it never hurts to ask.