“Man, this is baseball. You gotta stop thinking, just have fun.” ~ Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, “The Sandlot”
The 2023 MLB season begins Thursday, the 30th of March. There are some rule changes, most of which are terrible decisions and never should have been allowed to happen. More on that later, but for now, let’s put the negative vibes off to the side and rejoice for our new beginning.
It is traditional for sports writers and bloggers to make predictions on teams; so, who am I to break a tradition? Here are my picks:
American League East:
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays * Wild Card
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox
American League Central:
Cleveland Guardians
Chicago White Sox * Wild Card
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
American League West:
Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners * Wild Card
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
American League Champs: Chicago White Sox
National League East:
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves * Wild Card
New York Mets
Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins
National League Central:
Saint Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers * Wild Card
Cincinnati Reds
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Pirates
National League West:
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres * Wild Card
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
National League Champs: Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Champs: Chicago White (In six games)
My other predictions: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will again find ways to take the joy of our game and screw it up. He and the owners just don’t get it. Aaron Judge will have another outstanding season. Andrew Vaughn of the White Sox will have a breakout year. The N.Y Mets will continue to spread money and still not win it all. Andrew McCutchen will shine being back in Pittsburg, but he probably will be the only bright spot. Shohei Ohtani will again delight fans with his all-around abilities in what will most likely be his last season with the Angels. 88-year-old Bob Uecker will enter his 52nd year of broadcasting Milwaukee Brewer games on the radio and will still be the best in the business.
(Bob Uecker. Found on the internet. Assuming Public Domain.)
I also predict sunny days and pleasant nights of pure joy. Baseball will once again warm our hearts, fill the spring, summer, and early fall with excitement, with, perhaps some disappointments along the way as well. Baseball will conjure up memories of seasons past and add new moments to our personal index. Baseball will be families at the park, missing deceased family members that shared and loved the game, daily box scores and always the promise of tomorrow. Baseball will fill our days and nights with amazing plays, special moments, treat us to things we’ve never seen before and as always enrich our lives with the promise of it all happening again the next day.
I can’t wait!
~ Coach Mike
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Love your predictions 🤩 Beautiful thoughts about the game🤗