“Opening Day”. The two sweetest
words in the English language. For baseball fans, there’s something mystical
about this day. It’s the day where everything starts fresh. Whatever happened
last year is irrelevant because every team starts off on equal footing. This is
the only day where everyone will have the same won/loss record. The only day
where all players’ stats are equal.
A baseball season reflects the
climatic seasons as well. The arrival of spring brings hope, as does the
beginning of the baseball season. As spring gives way to summer, the heat can
sometimes be a bit overbearing, much like the middle of a baseball season when
a fan realizes that the expectations of the spring are wilting away in the
summer heat. As the summer turns into fall, indications pop up that winter will
soon be upon us again. The same can be said of the end of a baseball season as
the fan is saddened that his or her team will not be playing much longer.
However, the beauty of the
autumn foliage can relate the beauty of the postseason. Even if your team is
not involved, the baseball playoffs are a sight to behold, where the unexpected
can happen. But then, with the conclusion of the World Series………the end. The
harsh reality that the season is over. Much as when October turns into November
and we prepare ourselves for the onslaught of the snow and ice and cold
temperatures.
But for now, all we have to
think about is spring. The season starts today. The energy is everywhere. The
birds chirping, the sun shining, the trees starting to bud, and that spring-time aroma you inhale
when you step outside and breath deeply.
As we have come to end of our
2016 Team Previews at “Top Of The Third,” we will finish this post with a quick
review of the predicted order of finish, followed by what will happen in the
post season. As always, these are merely my predictions. Please don’t bet your
life savings on my picks. And feel free to email me your predictions to topofthethird@gmail.com.
National League
West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
Central
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Chicago Cubs (Wild Card #1)
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
East
1. Washington Nationals
2. New York Mets (Wild Card #2)
3. Miami Marlins
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Atlanta Braves
Wild Card Game
Cubs over
Mets
NLDS
Pirates over
Cubs
Nationals over
Giants
NLCS
Pirates over
Nationals
American League
West
1. Houston Astros
2. Texas Rangers
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Los Angeles Angels
5. Oakland Athletics
Central
1. Kansas City Royals
2. Detroit Tigers (Wild Card #1)
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Cleveland Indians
East
1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Boston Red Sox (Wild Card #2)
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. New York Yankees
5. Baltimore Orioles
Wild Card Game
Red Sox over
Tigers
ALDS
Astros over
Red Sox
Blue Jays
over Royals
ALCS
Astros over
Blue Jays
World Series
Pirates over
Astros
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