The likely lasting impression: The Yankees committed more than $340 million to these two players in the offseason. The bet here is that they’ll get a much bigger return on their investment in future games.

“I was terrible,” Sabathia told reporters after the game. And he was -- yesterday. Orioles’ fans shouldn't expect to see too many more starts like that from CC in the future.

As for Teixeira, if he thinks playing in Baltimore yesterday was tough, just wait until he has to face New York’s media and fans after blowing similar clutch opportunities in September.

The first impression: ESPN cares about “Yankees lose!” The “Orioles win!” storyline was barely a footnote.

I caught an 11 o’clock SportsCenter last night, and for fun, I ran the stopwatch. Because the NCAA title game was still being played, the Yankees-Orioles game kicked off the broadcast, taking up the first three minutes (actually, 2 minutes, 55.3 seconds). After the game highlights, Sabathia was the first interview ESPN aired. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was the second. No Oriole players were interviewed, and we heard nothing from Dave Trembley.

Later, Baseball Tonight devoted a full 6 minutes, 23.4 seconds to the game, and their coverage was just as Yankee-centric. Sabathia's post-game comments were the only ones that aired, and while analyst John Kruk talked solely about the Yankees, Peter Gammons did address the Orioles, saying complimentary things about their younger players and the franchise's direction.

The likely lasting impression: Ha! You think that’s going to change?

If ESPN didn’t have the Yankees (plus that baseball contract), they’d still be talking about the Dallas Cowboys. So while it’s frustrating for Orioles fans – and fans of every other team not based in New York or Boston – it’s just the way it is.

In fact, on my way home from the stadium, a friend called and asked, “Did you go to the Yankees game today?” and when I got home, the headline on ESPN.com read, “CC, Teixeira fall flat in debuts with Yankees.”

The first impression: The Orioles’ are an offensive juggernaut. They took one of baseball’s best pitchers – a guy who always has their number – and knocked him out of the game in the fifth inning. Eight Orioles notched at least one hit and all nine starters reached base at least once.

The likely lasting impression: If the Orioles could hit like that every other day, this would be a wild season. It was a box score worth cutting out and saving.

The best part was the top of the order. Brian Roberts and Adam Jones combined to reach base in their first eight plate appearances. (In the end, Roberts was 3-for-4 with a walk, and Jones was 3-for-3 with a pair of walks.) That’s a big reason Markakis finished with two RBI and Huff had three.

“The guys who were supposed to step up and do it,” Trembley said, “did.”

The first impression: The shortstop position is solidified for the Orioles.

The likely lasting impression: The jury will deliberate for a few more weeks on this one. But certainly Cesar Izturis showed us a bit of what Trembley’s been promising. Izturis was solid on defense, and at the plate was 2-for-4, with the big eighth-inning homer, plus a stolen base.

“I’ll sleep even better tonight knowing he’s out there,” Trembley said after the game.

The first impression: In case you got up to visit the restroom -- with two outs in the eighth inning and two runners on base, Teixeira strode to the plate. The Yankees trailed 6-5 at the time. It was the most tense situation I can recall from the past few years at Camden Yards.

In fact, the entire game had an exciting vibe, and with an announced attendance of 48,607 – the largest Opening Day crowd in stadium history – you felt like you were a part of something that mattered.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in an environment that’s had it all in one place at one time ever before,” Trembley said.

The likely lasting impression: Huff didn’t mince his words. He loved the crowd and the excitement the fans brought. "If you get a crowd like that, you can win on any given night, no matter who you're playing," Huff said.

Well, sorry to break it to you, Aubrey, but 1) you won’t have that crowd every day this season, so enjoy this week, and 2) a great crowd cannot overcome a lack of pitching depth.

The first impression: Opening Day with no "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch just feels wrong. "God Bless America" is beautiful. "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" is campy. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," though, is baseball.

The likely lasting impression: My feelings on this matter will not change.

The first impression: Jeremy Guthrie pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. He threw 93 pitches, 59 of them for strikes. Trembley declared that any questions surrounding Guthrie this spring have been answered.

“He set the tone early,” the manager said.

The likely lasting impression: No idea. If Guthrie gets run support, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be effective every fifth day this season.

There was one bit from yesterday’s game that I thought told a lot about the pitcher and just as much about the manager. The Orioles entered the sixth inning with a 6-1 lead. But Guthrie gave up a lead-off homer to Jorge Posada, walked Robinson Cano and then gave up a double to Xavier Nady. After Guthrie struck out Cody Ransom and got Brett Gardner to fly out, Trembley visited his pitcher on the mound. According to the manager, Trembley said:

“I know you’ll be honest with me. Do you have anything left in the gas tank or not?”

“I’m going to get this guy,” Guthrie told him.

He actually needed help to get out of the inning – Nady overran third base and was tagged out by Melvin Mora – but I like the message that such an exchange sends. Here’s how Trembley explained it:

“Early in the season, you got to believe your guys,” he said. “You’ve got to make a statement, you’ve got to trust them, you have to respect them and you have to set the tone -- not only for them but for your team.”

The first impression: Nady's sixth-inning double was actually a ground-rule double. The replay seemed to suggest that a fan interfered with the ball. Umpires still allowed Cano to advance three bases and score.

Though Trembley questioned the ruling, there was no Earl Weaver-like explosion.

The likely lasting impression: We'll see a bit more fire from Trembley this year. He's more familiar with his seat in the dugout and more comfortable with his role as manager. He's a passionate man, and it's only a matter of time before the umpires see that more.

The first impression: The Orioles are 1-0, tied for first in the AL East and on pace to go 162-0.

The likely lasting impression: Great day, great game. But it's going take quite a few more outings to alter any preseason predictions.

But who knows? All the Orioles have to do is repeat yesterday's performance 161 more times. Maybe invite Vice President Biden out again. Maybe make sure the opposing teams always bat a hated villain in the clean-up spot. And try to make sure the stands are full every night.

Makes me think of something Huff said last night: “If we had that every day, there’s no telling what we could do."

Photos: Elizabeth Malby, Karl Merton Ferron and Gene Sweeney Jr. / Sun