Like the Phillies' season-opener, the Penn Relays is a signature event that allows one to dream of warmer days just around the corner.

Starting Tuesday morning with the men's decathlon, the 115th running of the Relays will take place again this year, with what director Dave Johnson labeled a "field as strong as ever." The meet will finish on Saturday, with ESPN2 joining in for the final 2 hours, from 4 to 6 p.m.

As usual, the big question is which professionals will make an appearance. According to Johnson, the Jamaicans will have a good showing at the Relays, fueling speculation that triple-gold Olympic star Usain Bolt might be laying his golden spikes down on the Franklin Field track.

"The Jamaicans will have an exceptionally good 4 x 400 relay team," Johnson said at a press conference yesterday at Penn. "I don't know if Usain Bolt will be coming. Usafa Powell may be coming. It's hard to say with the professional athletes. We may have the lineups by Monday [when there is another press conference]."

What is known is that the college field is, as usual, very strong. Coach Mike Holloway will be bringing his strong contingent of men and women from the University of Florida. The most notable name among the Gator men is freshman sprinter Jeff Demps, who gained close to 750 yards of offense for the national champion Gator football team. Demps will be part of both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 teams.