Meet Me at Our Spot: Opening Day 2022
So, it’s the baseball season.
There isn't a better opening day for any sport than baseball's Opening Day.
It's exciting when basketball starts again, especially when your team is good. There is so much style in basketball. It's exciting for people who were into football when it rolls around again in the fall and it marks the end of the frivolity of summer. Football season is serious. People are obviously obsessed with hockey in this country, so I'm not going to discount the fact that that's exciting.
But there is something truly magical about baseball.
First, when the pitchers and catchers report in late February, that’s the first hint that winter is on its way out. The snow will melt and the grass will be green. And then through the end of February and into March, baseball is on view in warmer, sunnier locales. Warmth and sun equal a glimmer of hope.
And then April arrives, and it's time for real baseball. It's the promise of spring that coincides with Opening Day. And it’s beyond just the weather because there is something else at play.
It feels like any team could win. Of course, by crunching numbers, making predictions, and just seasoned looks at some of these rosters, you know that isn’t actually possible. Some of them are major league teams by name only. But the feeling of that possibility exists.
Caught a vibe. Baby, are you coming for the ride?
So Blue Jays were a really good team last year. Despite the fact that they played a small fraction of the games in their actual home stadium, they had two guys finish in the top five for MVP and a guy who won the Cy Young. And they won 91 games.
Of course, they finished fourth in the AL East and out of the playoffs. It’s entirely possible that the four teams in the AL East finish with more than 90 wins in 2022, but who knows the exact order. The Jays, despite losing two of their 2021 stars, have the talent to go far. The Jays might have to listen to some nonsense about their advantage because various rival players, notably Aaron Judge and, until recently, Trevor Story, would have to miss road games in Toronto because they refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and couldn’t cross the border.
I suppose there is an advantage to not having selfish idiots play for your baseball team, but I’m not sure about the unfairness of it all.
If the Jays are great this season, that may be a talking point.
Hypnotized by the lights; Man, this must be the life
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks in shape. Bo Bichette’s hair is perfect, as is Lourdes Gurriel Jr's. Matt Chapman is large. George Springer’s legs are healthy. Kevin Gausman has a splitter. Hyun-jin Ryu has the Korean BBQ. The homerun jacket is pressed.
The vibes are immaculate.
Let’s go.