Baseball Opening Day ( well, sort of..) thread..your team still has a chance...

one man's opinion.....

[ken5050]

"There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit." Al Gallagher, ( retired major leaguer, quoted in 1971)

[ken5050]

Well, today is Opening Day. Well, not quite. Actually it's the third day of FOUR opening days, but like the "neighborhood play" at second base, it's close enough for government work. Like Obamacare, it keeps on getting extended. I mean, the Dodgers have already played THREE games, before 27 have yet to even take the field.

OK, enough with the carping already. Spring is here, the grass is green, so let's "PLAY BALL."

And of course, like 99.999% of us, your NCAA bracket is busted..most likely after the first two days. In SI.com's bracket challenge, I currently rank 33,323.

It's shaping up to be a fascinating season. Lots of teams plausibly in contention. And unfortunately, several pre-season contenders have been decimated by injuries. OUCH!!

The contracts being handed out continue to astound. Canoe, Cabrera, Fielder, Trout...just to name a few.

Lots of story lines to follow this season. Among them:

1. Can the Red Sox do it again?

2. Ryan Braun's return from PED suspension.

3. Will Robinson Canoe find happiness in Seattle?

4. And of course, most eyes are on the Yankees. It's Jeter's last season. Can he return from his injury? Can they get him to the playoffs one last time? ( Let's face it, "win one for the Jeter" lacks a certain 'je ne sais quoi.') Will their Japanese wunderkind, Tanaka be worth the $$, or turn out to be another Hideki Irabu, whom the late George Steinbrenner ( who signed him) once called "a big, fat, pussy toad?" Will C.C. Sabathia overcome his new-found anorexia and return to Cy Young form?

5. What happens when the first baserunner attempting to score wipes out the catcher, despite the new rules against home-plate collisions?

6. And of course, the great new experiment begins: INSTANT REPLAY. Managers are already brainstorming how to game the new system.

7. What else will Yasiel Puig do wrong?

I could go on, and on. There are easily hundreds more. That's what makes baseball the greatest game. And even better, Obama ain't making picks.

"Baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up." Bob Lemon

"Baseball is a fun game. It beats working for a living." Phil "Harmonica" Linz

So, weigh in. Who's your favorite team? What are their chances? Who's gonna win it all? Anything else on your mind?

Note: I'm planning to revive something I did several years ago, a weekly baseball thread. I'm planning on posting it every Monday morning, and it'll run for the week. If you post to this thread, I'll put you on the ping list, ( I'm assumng you have an ongoing interest) unless you FReepmail me not to do so.

[ken5050]

Yippee!!!

[Hugin]

Wait ‘til next year!

[BuckeyeTexan]

Go Rangers!

[Haiku Guy]

Verse 5 from "Oh God Our Help In Ages Past"(#680 Hymnal 1982)

Or as I like to call it... "Meet the Mets"

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.

[scooby321]

Baseball salaries even has Basketball Player's jealous.

Football maybe be the dominant Sport it would be my last choice for my children.

Saying that Yankees watched the playoff's while Pittsburg , Atlanta and other small payrolls made it to the playoffs.

In baseball three Players can't do a Lebron, Wade and Bosh did to Basketball.

[ken5050]

Man, you've got to be hurtin'. Now Darvish is on the DL.

Were you surprised they gave Wash a new contract? I don't think he can manage.

[Ronald_Magnus]

I’ve got my sign all made that I’m going to parade around with at the Mariner’s home opener.......WAIT’LL NEXT YEAR

[ken5050]

I haven't been to Seattle in more than a decade. It's on my bucket list to catch a series at your ballpark..It looks amazing.

Last year, I went down to Miami for a weekend to catch the Mets playing the Fish....and the new ballpark. It's unreal. The fish tank in the field seats is amazing. We paid $100 total for two tickets to three games..right behind the Metsies dugout, and also included was parking.

One of the best things about living in Tampa...I go to all the Red Sox games..it's like being in Fenway SOUTH..

[jjotto]

Median salary for MLB is lower than median salary for NBA. Baseball has a lot more players per team.

[Marathoner]

That's what makes baseball the greatest game. And even better, Obama ain't making picks.

That's reason enough to love it.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

Cardinals are at the ready for another stunning season!!

[ExCTCitizen]

In baseball, Putin pitched a no hitter as Putin beat Obama 1 thousand to nothing. Putin next game was against Crimea and pitching another no hitter as Putin won 4 million to nothing, as Obama retired to play golf.

Go Red Sox...

[Hot Tabasco]

Miguel Cabrera, $292 million contract........that's nuts!

currently it's 29 degrees here in Detroit.......that's nuts too!

[ken5050]

Good morning!

Question: Is it possible to put this thread in one of the sidebars? Leave it up to you which, if any? I didn't want to violate protocol, or whatever. Thanks..

[Cyber Liberty]

My team is already 0-2. They look awful this year.

[oh8eleven]

Well, today is Opening Day. Well, not quite. Actually it's the third day of FOUR opening days
You can thank that greedy, ignoramus Bud Selig for further ruining the great game of baseball.
Did nothing about PEDs for two decades, now he destroys the grand, 100+ year tradition of Opening Day in America. Hey Bud - this one's for you up yours!

If the Jints get better pitching this year, they beat the Bums by 5 games.

[ken5050]

I figure that Mike Ilitch isn’t worried about having to shell out for the full contract. He’s a good, decent, man..just wants a WS ring before he dies.In fact, looking at a recent pic of him..if I had a “dead pool” going..he’d be one of my pics..

[ExCTCitizen]

That is true..when the Sox play the Rays at Trop, it seems like Fenway South, but I hate the Trop. I can’t wait to see a baseball stadium in Tampa, near the Forum (where the Lightning play).

[Straight Vermonter]

Speaking of the opening day(s) fiasco, why does MLB manage to screw up everything? Maybe with Selig out of the way they can start to get their act together.