Major League Baseball Is Back

This is one of my favorite time of the year...Opening Day around Major League Baseball. This time of year everyone has a shot to win it all, everyone has a chance to have a magical year, everyone is even at 0-0 and are in first place.

The season begins on Thursday. There are some teams that look very promising to do well and content for the World Series. There are other teams that, if we are being realistic, don't have a chance this year as they are rebuilding. But who will emerge at the end of this 162-game season as the World Series Champs? Only time will tell.

Here are my predictions for this next season:

*American League West Division Champs: Houston Astros
It pains me to say this, but I don't see the Astros losing their hold on the division this year. The majority of their team from last year's World Series champion team is back and they've added pitcher Garritt Cole in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They will also have a full season with Justin Verlander as the ace of their pitching staff. Their lineup is scary with reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and George Springer just to name a few. The rest of the AL West will have a hard time catching the Houston Astros.




*American League Central Division Champs: Minnesota Twins
This is my upset pick. Many think it'll be the Cleveland Indians and they've got a great shot to win the division, but the Twins adding Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi to their pitching rotation to go along with guys in their lineup like Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, and adding Logan Morrison will give Minnesota the edge to win their division in 2018.

*American League East Division Champs: New York Yankess
How can you not pick the Yankees to win the division this year? They added the best player in the game today in Giancarlo Stanton to go along with Aaron Judge.  They have a complete lineup to go along with a great pitching rotation. First year Aaron Boone has a great group to work with.

*American League Wild Card: Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers
The Boston Red Sox will be in contention for their division for most of the season, but I think will fall away late in September. Their rotation looks similar to last years rotation and their lineup looks similar as well. They aren't quite good enough to catch the Yankees due to the Stanton trade, but they will be good enough to host the AL Wild Card game at Fenway Park.

The Texas Rangers are another surprise I'm calling to make the playoffs as the 2nd Wild Card team. They have a lot of questions, but with Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus as the leaders of the clubhouse to go along with the big bat of Joey Gallos their offense should produce a lot of runs. They will need Roughned Odor to start swinging at only strikes and will need Shin Soo-Choo to stay healthy all year. Their rotation has been revamped completely with the additions of Mike Minor, Matt Moore, and Doug Fister will make their pitching staff better. The bullpen will be much better than last year as Alex Claudio will go into the closer's role full time and additions of Chris Martin from Japan, Tim Lincecum, as well as a full season of Jake Diekman back from injury and a healthy Matt Bush should be enough to boost the Rangers to the second Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

*National League West Division Champs: Los Angeles Dodgers
This one won't even be close. The Los Angeles Dodgers will run away with this division.  Their pitching staff is strong, their lineup is a killer, and they have unfinished business after losing in Game 7 of the World Series. This division will be wrapped up by mid-September.

*National League Central Division Champs: Milwaukee Brewers
I'm sure everyone is picking the Chicago Cubs to win the division, but I'm not and it's because of their acquisition of Yu Darvish that I'm not picking them. Darvish is not good under pressure. When the game is on the line and they need a big start from him, they won't get it. He proved during his time in Texas and then again in the World Series with the Dodgers that when there is pressure for him to pitch well, he will crumble. I believe that the Brewers, with their big signing of Lorenzo Cain and trade for Christian Yelich will be what they need to knock the Cubs out of the division driver's seat.

*National League East Division Champs: Washington Nationals
This is a no brainer. No other team in this division will be able to keep up with the Nationals. Now...the Phillies will be better this year after signing Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. But they won't have enough to catch the Nationals. They are still the team to beat in the East behind that monster pitching rotation of Stephen Strasberg and Max Scherzer.





*National League Wild Card: Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies

The Chicago Cubs, while I don't believe will be the division champions, will be the good enough to host the Wild Card game at the friendly confines. While Darvish does cave under pressure, he will give the Cubs 15-17 wins which will be good for them. Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks will also be solid for the Cubs in their rotation. It's hard to argue their lineup with the likes of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant in it. The Cubs will be good...just good enough to grab that number one wild card spot.

The Philadelphia Phillies will be the big improvement team this year. Under first year manager Gabe Kapler, the Phillies will make a solid stride to returning to the glory they once were back about 10 years ago. Carlos Santana will be a solid piece in their lineup while Jake Arrieta will anchor the pitching rotation. The Phillies will surprise some people and will make it back to the playoffs as a wild card.

*PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

AL Wild Card: Boston over Texas

NL Wild Card: Chicago over Philadelphia

ALDS: Houston over Boston; NY Yankees over Minnesota

NLDS: LA Dodgers over Chicago; Washington over Milwaukee

ALCS: NY Yankees over Houston

NLCS: LA Dodgers over Washington

WORLD SERIES: LA Dodgers over NY Yankees in 7 games

What is your MLB predictions for 2018?

Daniel Bryan Is Back Competing In The WWE

Ok...ok...ok...I know wrestling isn't real. So please let's not start in on "oh it's fake" and "it's scripted so it's not a sport." Yes I know it's scripted to a certain degree. But with that said it's hard not to be excited about the announcement that was made earlier today about WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan.

Two years ago, Daniel Bryan was forced to retire after several neck injuries. It was a very emotional night in Seattle when he announced on live TV that he was being forced to retire due to injury. But tonight on SmackDown Live from Dallas, Bryan announced that not only have neck specialists medically cleared him to get back in the ring, but so has the WWE doctors. They have officially cleared him to compete again in the squared circle.

Whether you like wrestling or not, you have to love this story. A man who was forced to retire from doing something that he has lived his entire life to do and getting his love back. Bryan worked for two years and has finally been allowed to wrestle again.

So for you non-wrestling people...how can I put into words that you will understand? It'd be like seeing Lou Gehrig, after announcing he has a serious disease, working hard and doing treatment to beat his disease and getting back on the baseball field. It'd be like seeing Joe Theismann coming back from his nasty broken leg and making it back to being on the football field. That's what seeing Daniel Bryan getting back into the ring is like.

So to Daniel Bryan I say...Congratulations brother. Can't wait to see you in the ring again.

YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

OU??? Really???

I’ve never claimed to be a big time basketball guy. I like the NCAA Men’sTournament, but I don’t watch a whole lot of college basketball, or basketball in general. But this basketball season I’ve paid closer attention to college basketball.

 I’m trying really hard to understand something, but so far I can’t wrap my mind around this one. On Thursday (3/15) the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin and the Oklahoma Sooners are a 10-seed in the tournament and will be taking on 7-seed Rhode Island. How on God’s green Earth did Oklahoma make it to the tournament? It makes absolutely no sense. They finished 9^th in the Big 12, only ahead of Iowa State. But schools ahead of them (Baylor, Oklahoma State) didn’t make the tournament. Oklahoma finished 8-10 in Big 12 play, were swept by Texas, and lost 8 of their last 10 including an 11-point loss to Oklahoma State (71-60) in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Selection committee: please explain to me just how can you justify Oklahoma being in the NCAA Tournament? It makes no sense whatsoever. Baylor or Oklahoma State should have been in before Oklahoma. The Sooners were not deserving and will get their butts kicked and out of the tournament after round one. Normally I don’t have an issue with the selection committee on who gets into the tournament, but you guys really screwed this one up.

Sorry Oklahoma and OU fans, but you don’t deserve to be in the tournament. Well…not the NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament anyway.

I'm Back, Jack

Well...well...well...Guess who is back and ready for more sports blogging? That's right. I'm back Jack. Where have I been you ask? Well...I had forgotten my password to get logged into my blog and couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. But I finally remembered and I'm back. Sooooo...this is a short blog for now, but more will be coming.

Quick update...I'm a high school teacher and football/basketball/baseball coach. I'm a coach at Mt. Calm ISD just outside of Waco, Texas. We are Class 1A/Division 2, which is the smallest classification in the state of Texas. Mt. Calm has had some down years, but our new Athletic Director and myself along with our other coaches are working hard to change the mindset of our athletes. And it's working. They are working their butts off right now because they are bound and determined to win next football season.

As far as baseball goes...we had to cancel our season this year. Not enough players to play. That happens sometimes in small town schools. But those who wanted to play are working out and we have several middle school kids that are playing little league this year to get ready to come play for me in the future. So Panthers Baseball has a bright future.

That's enough about me for now. My sports opinions will be coming more frequently now. Have a great day and God bless.