2021 Major League Baseball Season Prognostications

 American League East:

* W denotes wildcard

1.New York Yankees

2.Toronto Blue Jays(W2)

3.Boston Red Sox

4.Tampa Bay Rays

5.Baltimore Orioles

American League Central:

1.Chicago White Sox

2.Detroit Tigers

3.Minnesota Twins

4.Cleveland Indians

5.Kansas City Royals

American League West:

1.Houston Astros

2.Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels(W1)

3.Oakland Athletics

4.Seattle Mariners

5.Texas Rangers

National League East:

1.Atlanta Braves

2.Philadelphia Phillies(W1)

3.New York Mets(W2)

4.Miami Marlins

5.Washington Nationals

National League Central:

1.St.Louis Cardinals

2.Chicago Cubs

3.Milwaukee Brewers

4.Pittsburgh Pirates

5.Cincinnati Reds

National League West:

1.San Diego Padres

2.San Francisco Giants

3.Los Angeles Dodgers

4.Colorado Rockies

5.Arizona Diamondbacks

Wildcard round:

Toronto Blue Jays @ Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels=Angels

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies=Phillies

Divisional Round:

Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels v Chicago White Sox=White Sox in four

New York Yankees v Houston Astros=Yankees in four

St.Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies=Phillies in five

Atlanta Braves @ San Diego Padres=Padres in five

Championship Round:

Chicago White Sox v New York Yankees=White Sox in six

San Diego Padres v Philadelphia Phillies=Padres in five

World Series

San Diego Padres v Chicago White Sox=Padres in six

San Diego Padres will be the 2021 World Series champions

Miscellaneous/Awards:

American League M.V.P=Matt Chapman(Oakland)

National League M.V.P=Fernando Tatis Jr.(San Diego)

American League Cy Young:Gerrit Cole(New York Yankees)

National League Cy Young:Kyle Hendricks(Chicago Cubs)

American League Rookie of the Year:Ryan Mountcastle(Baltimore)

National League Rookie of the Year:Cristian Pache(Atlanta)

Homerun king:Bryce Harper(Philadelphia)

First Manager fired:Torey Lovullo(Arizona)

Largest "disappointment" in the American League:Bo Bichette(Toronto)

Largest "disappointment" in the National League:Devin Williams(Milwaukee)

Bretzky babbles on about sports: Week of April 21st,2020

1.ESPN premiered it's  highly anticipated series chronicling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls  this week. This blogger grades the first two episodes as a resounding A +. The access Jordan and the Bulls granted was truly unprecedented as for the 1997-1998 season, it was given locker room access, special features throughout Chicago's pre-season trip to Paris among many others. A takeaway from the second episode particularly was the dynamic between it's two star players, Jordan and the ever underappreciated Scottie Pippen. Pippen was a reclusive figure throughout those days(which is ironic as in 2020 he's an outstanding contributor for ESPN's "First Take" program) but the relationship he and MJ had was complex as Jordan was laser focused on winning while ignoring Pippen's anger over what he perceived to be a lack of respect from Bulls management. Bottom line is, it was fantastic and the more behind the scenes footage we get, the better. I would love to see what went on throughout the 90's Yankees dynasty or the genuine relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, which seems inevitable for a future 30 for 30.

2.Their have been some outstanding commentators tasked to do the World Junior Hockey championships over the years. In the first volume of this blog, the week of April 7th,2020, I illustrated my appreciation for former WJHC play by play man Paul Romanuk but it was his color man throughout the years that deserves a hearty shout-out today. Gary Green,  the who had a brief stint as the Washington Capitals head coach in the 80's, was  a staple on TSN airwaves in the mid nineties/early two thousands with the World Junior Hockey Championship along with it's NHL coverage. For those of us that are old enough to remember Green, his distinct voice allowed him to stand out. Aside from the signature vocal cords, it was the natural chemistry that he and Romanuk possessed which made the broadcast very organic. He never attempted to over step his boundaries the way some current broadcasters may do to increase it's social media following but he had a way to naturally break down the play while keeping his emotions at check. As I look back, it's unfortunate that Green and TSN couldn't draw up a long term partnership as with all due respect to Pierre McGuire, any one in their late twenties or early thirties would agree that the WJHC is synonymous with Gary Green.

3.COVID-19 has began to strike the National Football League. First, it was the unheralded Rams center Brian Allen that tested positive and now news broke late last week that Von Miller, one of the most feared linebackers throughout the league, has additionally tested positive. So what exactly does this news mean for the league? I could attack this from multiple levels however the angle worth exploring is that of the increased media presence behind this story and the presumed controversy that will be attached to the NFL draft. It took one NBA player in Rudy Gobert for society to effectively shut down but with the draft scheduled for less then a week away, does a positive test on a marquee name force the NFL to reconsider re-scheduling the draft? It's been reported that behind the scenes some executives have voiced their concerns over being able to do their jobs while confined to home, the Miller news will surely just add to the fire.

4.Normally this would be the time of the year in which golfers would begin dusting off the clubs in Western Canada. Hailing from Regina, it's fun to reminisce about which tracks are worth the bang for your buck. Pertaining to inside the city for public golf courses, the Murray and Torr are decent, a bit overpriced(but what  isn't?) but are modest golf courses that cater to a variety of skill levels. A course that constantly gets crapped on, partly due to it's nine hole nature is the Katepwa Beach golf club.  Katepwa is one of the best kept secrets in Saskatchewan and when combining it's beautiful scenery along with it's pristine maintenance, you won't find a better golf course to spend a Saturday afternoon!

5.Unfortunate cutbacks were announced the other day regarding the removal of the University of Lethbridge Men's and Women's hockey programs. Sign of the times one might say as the general consensus is that the economic downfall from this pandemic is that many small businesses will be in financial jeopardy and this doesn't exclude smaller profit sporting organizations such as the Lethbridge Pronghorns. Unfortunate on a variety of levels as for the majority of kids enrolled in Major University sporting programs, it's a last kick at the can in their hockey careers. Many graduate from Major Junior/Junior A onto the university ranks capitalizing on their scholarship opportunities to play amateur sport while pursuing an education. I really don't see how this isn't just the tip of the iceberg as if Lethbridge made the financial decision to scale back, how does a Junior A franchise in Timbuctu stay a float. While experts believe that their is light at the end of the tunnel for when provinces can begin lifting social distancing restrictions, what was "normal" before March of 2019 will have a vastly different meaning on the other side.

6.P.K Subban hosted an online hockey trivia show via NHL.com, the "NHL Hat trick challenge", and the premise of the show was to quiz hockey fans throughout North America and if they completed the trivia hat trick, they would win two regular season tickets to a team of their choice. One of the questions pertained the infamous Philadelphia Flyers"Legion of Doom" line featuring Michael Renberg, John LeClair and Eric Lindros and it got me reminiscing on how great that line really was. Lindros specifically was ahead of his time as the combination of size and skill was evolutionary.  It's a shame that the Lindros led Flyers never hoisted Lord Stanley as if concussions didn't get in the way, I don't believe I'm going out on a limb in suggesting that Lindros leads the Flyers to at least two cups in the mid nineties and hey, by extension maybe Michael Renberg would've had his name enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame!

7.The Western Hockey League bantam draft was conducted this past Wednesday and done so online in lieu of the global pandemic. My hometown Regina Pats selected West Vancouver forward Connor Bedard, the first ever player to receive exceptional player status from the Western Hockey League. My take is that Connor, barring that he can stay healthy has a chance to contribute next season, potentially amassing the thirty goal plateau.My other takeaway is as the recruitment war amongst the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA is ever present, creativity will be required to entice the elite talent to choose the CHL, and how do you do that, be more lenient with that justifies the exceptional status  A kid out of Saskatoon in Berkly Catton is the premature top prospect in the 2021 bantam draft and if Bedard paves a clear path, Catton may not be too far behind in joining Bedard in the dub.

8.We're approaching on almost three years since the Houston Astros cheated their way to a world series, but it was a trade vetoed by the Detroit Tigers that could've forever changed the direction of the 'stros franchise. It's been reported that at the peak of pitcher of Michael Fulmer's potential, the Houston Astros were willing,whilst ultimately being fortunately declined, to package prized third basemen Alex Bregman to land Fulmer. Fulmer admittedly still has extreme potential however coming off a Tommy John operation, questions naturally will arise over the plausibility of a comeback. The Tommy John operation is a mastered science in 2020 and the recovery rate is at an all time high. A pitcher in Fulmer who relies on the heat carries some inherent risks but he's been to an all-star game previously, no reason another trip to the classic isn't on the horizon. The Astros make that trade, lose a core piece in Bregman, perhaps aren't forced into chasing and cheating a championship, A.J Hinch still employed? The theories are endless.

9.Current Kansas City Royal Brett Phillips was once featured a few years back on the MLB network for his distinguished laugh.  The exuberant laugh aside, while a member of his former organization the Milwaukee Brewers, he was a heralded prospect but I genuinely didn't the potential.  Sub par arm, had power to left field but as teams began to exact the scouting report, his effectiveness decreased significantly. A former sixth round by the Houston Astros, he's on his third team and 2020 was billed as a make or break year for Brett. The Royals have full intentions of providing him every opportunity so we should have a better gauge as to whether he's a capable every day player of whether the trademark to Phillips will be the laugh.

10.NFL Draft for 2020 commences tomorrow and while the first two picks in the draft are known commodities in Joe Burrow donning the Cincinnati Bengals stripes and Chase Young destined for D.C, the draft truly begins at three with the Detroit Lions. Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah appears to be the consensus at this selection but rumours have run rampant the last several days that the pick is in play and that teams that covet highly regarded Alabama pivot Tua Tagovailoa such as the Chargers and Dolphins have been working the phones diligently. I'm a proponent of the talent that hails from the SEC conference, always have been and while Burrow is also SEC alumni product of LSU, he's a pocket passer that from my viewings hasn't shown the propensity to competently get out of pocket whilst making plays. Conversely, Tua prior to the injuries that ravaged his 2019 campaign moreso resembles the modern age quarterback and I am adamant that between the two, Tua will have the more consistent career when we analyze this draft ten to fifteen years from nw.

Bretzky babbles on about sports:Week of April 14th,2020

1.Generally speaking in the Canadian Hockey League when a team graduates it's best player, in this instance for the Spokane Chiefs in New Jersey Devils defensive prospect Ty Smith, you're due to a regression the following season. That may not be the case for the Chiefs in 2020-2021 as led by Adam Beckman, Jack Finley and Luke Toporowski, I genuinely believe the Chiefs are poised for their first Western Hockey League title since the 2007-2008 season. Admittedly losing the aforementioned Smith is a crushing blow and that's one area that General Manager Scott Carter will have to address. There are a couple options that seemingly could fit in swimmingly to Spokane's back end. There's a strong likelihood that with Kelowna forced into a rebuild after it's cancelled Memorial Cup host gig that soon to be twenty year old Sean Comrie could be had at a a reasonable price. If the defence shores up, you'll arguably have the best scorer in the dub in Beckman along with the projected Czech Republican starting goaltender at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships in Lukas Paric. I want to congratulate Spokane in advance for defeating the Winnipeg Ice in the 2020-2021  Ed Chynoweth Cup championship series.

2.On NBA TV this past weekend, they featured a program in which they air sporadically, that being "Back Drafts", and in this edition they aired the replay of the 2006 NBA draft, widely panned as one of the weakest NBA drafts. Former Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo and his  burner twitter account get a lot of criticism for the first overall selection of Andrea Bargnani, the man who former Fan 590 Prime Time sports host Bob McCown once famously coined "couldn't cover the coach" that his defence was so bad. Bargnani rivals Michael Olowokandi as one of the all time busts in NBA draft lore however we must take a step back and conclude that the 2006 draft was atrocious. In 1998, the Clippers  had their pick of Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter or Mike Bibby ahead of Olowokandi whereas the Raptors weren't afforded that luxury. Out of the 2006 lottery picks in 2006, Brandon Roy was on the precipice   of a legendary NBA career until a chronic ankle issue sidelined his career and LaMarcus Aldridge were the two that justifiably were sounder picks then the aforementioned Bargnani but at the same time the Raptors, considering they rostered Chris Bosh at this juncture were looking for a ball distributor and the scouting report on Andrea was that he was a pristine passer. The pick looks abysmal but when analyzing the team need at the time you can understand why Colangelo

3.Brand recognition in the Canadian Football League is frankly putrid. In the mid nineties, it was easy to identify which players belonged to which team. Would've Allen Pitts have ever left the Calgary Stampeders to join the rival Edmonton Eskimos? Hell no! Loyalty has become obsolete in the league and while I blame the modern age player, the CFL collective bargaining agreement is partly to blame as well. The incentive to sign long term contracts to protect against pursuing future opportunities south of the border isn't their. I had heard a report, can't necessarily verify it however the premise of it was that after the 2020 CFL season, EVERY player is a free agent. That's not good for continuity purposes. Over the last few years, I've been fairly critical over the deluded  talent pool but that's not to say that talent doesn't exist, getting back to my original synopsis, it's where they exist is the glaring issue. Odell Willis would be exhibit A. Odell possesses ferocity at the linebacker position but year after year it's musical chairs for which franchise he's inked to. I'd consider myself a relatively knowledgeable fans and when I got in lost in the free agency shuffle, certainly the casual fan will to and that's a black mark on the CFL.

4.Colorado Rockies best be careful as with the direction this organization is trending, they're running the danger of alienating core piece Nolan Arenado. Personally, I don't fault anyone in Rockies management or manager Bud Black as from this bloggers vantage point they've fallen victim to an incredibly competitive division in the NL west. One facet where I do take issue is in the pen. Wade Davis is the closer based off precedent however the Wade Davis in 2020 is not the same Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals empire. The Rockies closer distinction should belong to one Scott Oberg. A 2.25 ERA with a WHIP hovering around 1 is the all the proof you need that the Rockies are overdue to make this switch when spring resumes as the scuttling Davis doesn't possess the goods any longer.

5.Who has the best pitching staff in baseball? The Miami Marlins anyone? Gone are the days of stellar outings from Josh Beckett, A.J Burnett and the great Carl Pavano however the influx of young power arms in the Marlins organization is staggering. I'm in a stratomatic baseball league and for those who are unaware of  stratomatic baseball, the essence of the game is you play out actual baseball games using real life rosters along with real life statistics. through using probabilities via dice rolling. In a mid-season draft which generally consists of cast-offs, I acquired Sandy Alcantara with the ninth  overall selection!!!! In deference to the likes of Aaron Bummer and Tyler Duffey it's comical that Alcantara was selected below them as once the Marlins young pieces mature, you're staring at quite possibly the best pitcher in baseball. A staff consisting of Alcantara, Caleb Smith and Pablo Lopez is going to eventually equal the feats of the 1997 and 2003 Marlins renditions.

6.The Mighty Ducks franchise, reinvigorated by original producer Steven Brill was in the midst of rebooting the trilogy by filming the made for television series set to air on Disney plus. Now, I have not a clue on whether the pandemic has altered these plans but before all of the pandemonium, Emelio Estevez who portrayed the iconic Gordon Bombay character, had agreed to reprise his role but many other questions exist. Are other Mighty Ducks staples such as Joshua Jackson or Vincent Larusso not being included in the festivities? If not, that's incredibly unfortunate as the nostalgia from fans of the early nineties trilogy would implore that Charlie Conway and Adam Banks make appearances. In an ideal world, the entire cast would be brought back but as some of us know, Shaun Weiss who played Goldberg the goalie or Mike Vitar,the former actor turned firefighter who infamously played both Louis Mendoza and Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez from the Sandlot have had troubles with the law and a full fledged reunion won't be in order. Where the short lived "Girl Meets World", a spin-off from the ever popular Boy Meets World flourished was bringing back it's core ensemble including Corey Matthews, Topanga and Rider Strong's character Shawn. Extenuating circumstance won't allow the Mighty Ducks to follow suit however in an alternate universe it sure would be nice for the whole gang to go to war again.


7.Tragic news this past weekend pertaining to the passing of former Swift Current Bronco Colby Cave. Cave, who most recently was property of the Edmonton Oiler organization tragically succumbed to a brain bleed at the tender age of twenty five. My recollection of Cave is he along with Jake DeBrusk restored respectability to the Swift Current franchise just before the Broncos were about to hit their competitive window. Reminiscent to my hometown Regina Pats where right before they made their two year run to the Ed Chynoweth Cup and Memorial Cup, Chandler Stephenson and Morgan Klimchuk put in the grunt work right before John Paddock orchestrated a winner. Cave was a hard worker and it's commendable that after going undrafted he paid his dues eventually paving his way to a honest National Hockey League. Tough news to comprehend all around.

8.I've been fortunate enough to attend two NCAA March Madness tournaments in my lifetime, 2012 and 2013 to be exact and I was privy to witnessing a slew of players that rose to NBA prominence. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jae Crowder, Anthony "the brow" Davis" to name a few but the player I'm confounded with is former UConn product Andre Drummond. Selected ninth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the '12 NBA draft, he possessed, and still possesses all the tools to be a NBA superstar but as the 2019-2020 campaign progressed, Dwayne Casey and company in Detroit had enough and jettisoned him to Cleveland. An organizational philosophical shift or a complete misstep from Pistons management?  In 2016 he was handed a $130M extension illustrating that he was the future and present for Detroit basketball but after the Pistons engaged on a Blake Griffin blockbuster, it always felt as if Drummond's role became redundant. The Cavaliers are directionless and it's a sheer certainty Drummond will find a third home prior to the 2020-2021 tip-off but for a big man who can run the floor, 29 other teams, particularly contenders should have interest. A natural fit for Drummond's services could be the Miami Heat as Jimmy Butler has reinvigored hope on South Beach yet they've struggled to replace the departure of Hassan Whiteside.

9.To change up the exercise, social media has run rampant with 'who's your favourite players from each team in X sport?'. I've seen and participated in the hockey variety courtesy of HFboards.com however I thought it'd be fun to list my favourite player from each Major League Baseball franchise throughout it's history(alphabetical).


Arizona Diamonbacks-Quinton McCracken
Atlanta Braves-John Smoltz
Baltimore Orioles-Brady Anderson
Boston  Red Sox-Mo Vaughn
Chicago Cubs-Mark Prior
Chicago White Sox-Matt Thornton
Cincinnati Reds-Jay Bruce
Cleveland Indians-Carlos Baerga
Colorado Rockies-Dante Bichette
Detroit Tigers-Mike Maroth
Houston Astros-Carlos Lee
Kansas City Royals-Bret Saberhagen
Los Angeles Angels-Darin Erstad
Los Angeles Dodgers-Hideo Nomo
Miami/Florida Marlins-Edgar Renteria
Milwaukee Brewers-Ben Grieve
Minnesota Twins-Christian Guzman
New York Mets-Wilmer Flores
New York Yankees-Jimmy Nelson
Oakland Athletics-Barry Zito
Philadelphia Phillies-Brad Lidge
Pittsburgh Pirates-Jason Kendall
San Diego Padres-Kevin Brown
San Francisco Giants-Shawn Estes
Seattle Mariners-Jay Buhner
St.Louis Cardinals-Chris Carpenter
Tampa Bay Rays/Devil Rays-Ji-Man Choi
Texas Rangers-Rusty Greer
Toronto Blue Jays-Ed Sprague Jr.
Washington Nationals-Ryan Zimmerman


10.In my previous blog, something that will surely get referenced sporadically, I used to write a column titled "PGA prospective patrons" where I would seep through young, up and coming golfers that I projected could have break out years/careers. I've infamously chronicled Si Woo  Kim, who went on to win the Players championship and Dylan Frittelli, who back in July of 2019 was the hottest player on the PGA tour. It was announced Tuesday night that the tour will resume in Texas in mid June and a  player that I expect to become a household name in this soon to be condensed season is Kristoffer Ventura.. I caught glimpse of Ventura at the 2019 web;com finals and he stood out for his athleticism, his Bubba Watson-esque power off the tee and his precision around the greens For a tall individual, he has soft hands around the greens and when you combine all of the strengths of his game, it equates to a multiple time PGA tour winner, eventual major champion. What struck me as well was his calmness in high pressure situations. The Web.com tour finals are the final opportunity for players to reach the pinnacle of the PGA tour and at every literal turn, Ventura looked unphased. This new generation of tour talent is exponential as the likes of  Victor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Matt Woolf have already touched the winners circle,  Ventura isn't too far behind.

Bretzky babbles on about sports: Week of April 7th,2020

1.The Baltimore Orioles were a perennial laughing stock in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has shortened, quite possibly ceased operations for the 2020 campaign however in the oft chance that play gets resumed, the Orioles are in better shape then the average pendant will have you believe. Case in point, third basemen Renato Nunez. Manager Brandon Hyde has vowed to give every opportunity for Nunez at the hot corner and it's my perspective that Nunez is due for a breakout. He's an average defender, sure, that will test the patience of Hyde but that swing for the fence mentality that has clamoured the world of baseball is in Renato's wheelhouse. Pencil in Nunez in for forty more this year presuming a good chunk of this season gets filled because while many consider the O's core of Jonathan Means, Adley Rutschman, and Anthony Santander, Nunez is every bit as deserving to be included in this mantle.

2.Space Jam 2 has a tentative July 2021 release date and this blogger who was a mere ten years of age when the original Space Jam was released, is stoked to watch the sequel.  One issue I have with it though after perusing through the purported cast is they failed in capitalizing on the country of Canada by excluding the bubbly Pascal Siakam, star of the 2020 champion Raptors. Siakam has personality, is the face  of basketball in Canada and if Warner Bros would've thought this through, it would of catered to all of North America by including the flamboyant, yet exceptionally talented Siakam who is a budding superstar.

3.COVID-19 has obviously absorbed the masses in 2020 and by extension, the sporting world. Major League Baseball and Rob Manfred seemingly are taking a proactive approach on this pandemic. Is it the right one however? The proposal which was done with the approval of the players association is to target a May 2020 start date by having all organizations convene in Arizona whilst playing in front of empty spring training facilities.  As a sport afeniciado, while taking the sensitivity of this pandemic into consideration, I'm craving sports on my tube again thus would be in favor of the attempt but it's short sighted as all it will take for this to be shut down is ONE person to become symptomatic and this is abruptly shut down. Heck, a bat boy, assistant camera operator, anyone.

4.Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes? This pause in professional sports has a lot of experts weighing in with their "best of" lists and pertaining to the best young defenceman, with all due respect to Dallas Star property Miro Heiskanen, the consensus is between either Hughes or Makar. For me, and this may be considered a hot take(which will become a norm of this blog), it's an easy answer of Cale Makar. The reason for labelling this a slam dunk is the trepidation I have with Hughes' defensive escapades. I look at both Hughes actually currently employed in the National Hockey League, and they both struggle with handling one on one battles. Hughes, similarly to Makar is a magician with the puck  but where the difference lies is the 200 foot game. When watching the Avalanche, it astonishes me the confidence Jared Bednar has in signalling #8 in a key defensive zone face-off. It's his calmness in making the first read out of the zone combined with his blazing speed to join the rush creating matchup problems. Hughes upside is Phil Housley which is admirable in it's own right whereas Makar will be the best defenceman in hockey within two years. Philadelphia and New Jersey executives currently huddled up in their home office shuttering in disappointment over the 2017 draft blunder.

5.Canadian Hockey League interleague. This is something I've long been a proponent of and in a previous blog, advocated for the idea. To me the idea is financially justified as the revenue stream it would bring in for some of the smaller Canadian Hockey League markets, ala the Swift Current Broncos or the Val'dor Foreurs would exponentially benefit from such a concept. Hear me out, it's a Tuesday night in December and the 4-16 Swift Current Broncos are due to host against the equally scuffling Red Deer Rebels. As a Swift Current and area resident, what motivation is there to attend such a duel?  However, on that same night, if the Windsor Spitfires from the OHL came to town,all of a sudden it's a marquee draw. To make my proposition sustainable, the home team should host back to back games against the same interleague opponent and then the following year go to that teams barn. Every two years you would then re-draw the matchups. Brilliant idea!

6.The other night I tuned into a documentary on the MLB network chronicling the 90's Atlanta Braves. A tidbit that I found fascinating among numerous others that throughout the 1992 campaign,the Braves had agreed in principle to acquire Barry Bonds from Pittsburgh. Imagine an organization, who was the model franchise of that decade bringing in Bonds to a lineup that already featured David Justice, Terry Pendleton and Otis Nixon.  Not to mention that pitching staff that laid claim to a couple Hall of Famers. Who do Braves fans have to blame for the reneged deal? None other then legendary manager Jim Leyland. He was so disgruntled over the developments that he threatened to quit.

7.The art of small ball in baseball has gone by the wayside which is unfortunate. I'm a baseball purist and while all big league managers have mostly adopted the same strategic principles, this swing for the fences or strike out era, not dissimilar to one Renato Nunez I summarized earlier, takes some of the complexities away. I vividly remember in the 2015 Toronto Blue Jay post-season run I would scream at the television begging for John Gibbons to put on more sacrifice bunts, hit and runs etc etc. What major league baseball analytics will eventually indicate is that while the offensive brethren has never been more powerful, pitchers will soon make up the difference and runs scored will become ever more precious.

8.When growing up, my favourite NFL team was the Atlanta Falcons largely because of back in my video game fandom, playing Madden '96 and constantly being the Falcons and there was this one play in particular, the 'Birden Bomb' that I was infatuated with. Throughout the years, my attachment with the Falcons faded but will admit the signing of Todd Gurley peaked my interest. Upon first reading the news, my initial reaction was filled with skepticism but as I've thought about it over the last two weeks, Gurley is out to prove the doubters wrong, many of whom perceived him to be on the wrong side of the hill.  He's a north-south runner which equates to a shorter career span but now given the fact that he goes to a team that possesses a deep play receiver, because if we're being honest the Rams didn't have that,  it'll force defences to keep honest. Gurley accumulating over 1000 yards again isn't farfetched.

9.Throughout this pandemic, watching some of these classic games has brought back all the nostalgia one humanly needs. On that note, I believe it was Michael Farber who tweeted out bemoaning how some networks determine "classic" games. I'm sorry but watching a 2018 Pittsburgh Penguins v Washington Capitals tilt in April of 2020 is not classic. I need to see more actual vintage classics. Give me replays of the 1995 World Junior Hockey Championships so I can serenade in the sounds of my broadcasting idol Paul Romanuk, or the 2002 British Open in which Frenchman Thomas Levet was robbed a Claret Jug by Ernie Els. National networks must do better!

10.The Masters has been moved to November(assuming we're all systems go by that juncture) and out of all years, this year may be the year where a sleeper can rise to the occasion and secure a green jacket. Generally the late fall/early winter portion of the schedule is the time where a lot of the superstars in the game of golf play to a reduced schedule and are not in peak form. In the traditional April time slot, the contenders manipulate their schedule to be in prime form for Augusta but now in November it seemingly opens the door to a wide variance of possibilites. Brendan Steele is someone who historically flourishes in the fall season so if you want a darkhorse, the California native may be supreme value.

Synopsis

Hello,

I'm back, after a lengthy hiatus, into the fascinating blogosphere world. In previous incarnations, I used to dabble into the Western Hockey League through providing comprehensive season previews, or elicit prognostications jnto the world of baseball.  among many other things. The essence of this blog is to keep it more structured. The goal of this enterprise is to once a week, share ten thoughts pertaining to the world of sports that often times that will have no connectivity, basically appearing very random.  A strength of mine is my versatility in a wide array of sports so the variance of my thoughts will be staggering, however at the same time hopefully insighftul.

Enjoy!