Expert Prediction: The Atlanta Braves Will Win The 2023 World Series (4-2) Over The Seattle Mariners
Great news fellas
Just a massive day for the boys across the baseball community. And I mean no disrespect to my college rats everywhere that are grinding and hustling in February. I know you're out there. That doesn't compromise the fact that there's three spring training games today. Kinda.
I say kinda because the Red Sox are hosting the Division-1 Northeastern team today. It's an annual tradition dating back to 2004 - established early in Theo's reign in Boston. It's a 7-inning exhibition (obviously) with the Sox going a predictable 18-0 over the series. Even so, still probably the biggest and coolest game on Northeastern's schedule every year.
Here's a great article on the exhibition:
That's a big cultural difference in northern and southern baseball. Southern programs don't give a shit about their nonconference schedule. They're all convinced conference play is the real meat and potatoes and nobody would argue otherwise.
Northern programs? They're Roger fuckin Hornsby staring out that window in February, licking their chops to get down to Florida/Texas/Louisiana.
I think that's why northern college players in the top 5 rounds convert at a much higher rate to the big leagues. They've been through it. They can handle a little grind. And for a lot of people, that grind starts today.
Even though realistically, the players might've taken a couple weeks off.
Otherwise it's pretty much year round taking ground balls and hitting off a tee and that shit. Especially for the real lunatics which is about 4 out of 5 men in an MLB uniform. In other professions, you'd accuse these guys of being serial killers in their free time.
Daddy went 2-4 with a 9th inning walk in a 7-run win today
Nobody wants that 5th plate appearance. They'll never admit it, but truthfully it's one too many. Four is the sweetspot, so drawing a BB in the 9th without having to extend yourself is actually a nice little convenience. Then the guy behind you hits into a 1st pitch double play and you're that much closer to going home without compromising your season statistics.
You thought Patrick Bateman was an inconvenient comparison?
These guys are insane. And now they get 5 weeks to hone that insanity for the start of the season. Maybe that's too much time, but we don't break tradition in this sport unless it obviously benefits long-term broadcasting deals and alternative revenue streams. In that case, some people have no problem changing a start time to 7:11pm. There's countless other examples but that one's probably my favorite. Probably.
Certainly though, this is a tier-1 time on the calendar for my favorite sport. Over 200 baseball games in the next 30 days in Scottsdale Arizona. Another 200 in the Grapefruit League, founded in 1913 and aptly named after some hot babe was used in a promotional stunt for the Brooklyn Dodgers. She was supposed to drop a baseball out of a plane as it was flying over the field, and some player was suppose to catch it.
Before I keep telling this story, let's all agree that it was so fucking easy to be amused 100 something years ago. Newspapers were on site to cover the historic event.
Lady Drops Ball Out Of Plane, Crowd Goes Wild
Except she forgot the baseball yet somehow had a grapefruit with her in the plane. So she threw that out the door instead, and when the Dodgers player went to catch it, it exploded in his face. He thought it was his own blood and was dying. But no, it was a piece of fruit and forever after they called it the Grapefruit League.
Five years later, Babe Ruth used the Grapefruit League to convince his Red Sox manager that he should hit every day. Halfway through spring training, they needed a 1st baseman for the 2nd half of a DH. Ruth lobbied his way into the spot and hit two homers. They left him out there, and then a year later he literally outhomered almost every team in the league.
I love shit like that. Somebody out there right now could be the next Ruth. Begging his hitting coach to give him one more rep. A player who figured something out later in their career and is ready to explode. There's crazy shit happening in this game every time they play. And today we finally got some games again.
Feels so good to be back.
With that, obvious World Series Prediction time:
Atlanta Braves over the Seattle Mariners (4-2) but a dramatic series remembered for a number of late game heroics.
If that chaps your cheeks then maybe you need a long look in the mirror. Baseball fans can be so sensitive. You're not pushing me around because the late 90's Yankees warped your brain. You don't see me fighting people over the Chicago Bulls and I had it better than you by a mile.
Point is, just try to enjoy yourself in the game. As we talked a lot this week with Tim Anderson, it's fucking hard man. So maybe lighten up and try to enjoy yourself this year.
Schedule out next week with Cactus League stops. I'll be at Cubs and A's tomorrow. Royals and Mariners on Sunday. Reds and White Sox on Monday. If you're in town and have something to say about your team. Come find me. I'll be the handsome guy with glass cut jaw slinging cold ones in the outfield.