2024: Don't Believe the Hype

 

With everything that's elapsed this offseason, all the big contracts, contract deferring, contract holdouts, super-teaming, massive overspending, will the 2024 season come down to two teams that outspent the competition?

I say....don't bet on it. 

...lord that's like a Crypt Keeper line. Especially with context. Lordy this season.

Okay. Today is Opening Day. And that usually means that I should probably predict some things. But we know how that goes. I'm famously terrible at predicting things. I think in the mid-2010s I said the White Sox were a World Series team. What the hell happened there? And recently, when I have made predictions that have turned out to be correct, they've done so at the expense of a better outcome. Like saying that Corbin Burnes should win the Cy Young in 2021, and he did...but over Zack Wheeler, who I still think deserved it that year. 

So I think it's a little easier for all involved parties if I go general this year. Cause if I just outright say, oh the World Series is gonna be Orioles-Phillies or something, then it's just not gonna happen and it'll be Astros-Dodgers for me even wanting a fun outcome. 

The key thing that I think is going to happen in 2024 is that the trend of small teams overtaking the big teams thanks to momentum is going to continue. With this playoff schematic being what it is, this will keep happening, because Rob Manfred doesn't see anything wrong with it. So any of you expecting the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and Giants to factor heavily into this season's endgame, I don't think it'll happen. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series, it will likely be for the same reason the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl this year; because people seem to like watching when it happens. 

But odds are the playoffs won't work that day. So it'll be someone we're not expecting dominating the narrative this year. Does that mean the Rays, a team that nobody is talking about despite making a lot of really smart moves this offseason, might have a chance? Possibly. The Rays brought on Jose Caballero, Richie Palacios, Amed Rosario, Jake Mangum and Ryan Pepiot this winter, and if you're wondering how these small pieces are going to affect this team, you do not know Rays baseball. The Rays currently have Isaac Paredes, Yandy Diaz, Jose Siri and Harold Ramirez playing major roles, and playing well. This team takes the guy your organization has no idea what to do with, makes him a star and then trades him away before he gets what he's earned. The Rays machine just works, and even if people are pegging them to come fourth this year due to a banged up infield, it will still work this year. They might outdo the Yankees. Who knows?

Does that also mean the Diamondbacks have a shot at repeating in the NL? It's more complicated, because they're not even guaranteed a Wild Card spot this year due to the number of people in this league that might aim to compete this year. And yes, bringing on Jordan Montgomery is a big deal, but the D-Backs made a lot of smaller, rudimentary moves to keep the core power intact, and I know they wanna get back to September and build from there but I don't know if it'll be a lot to get there. A lot of the Diamondbacks' plan for 2024 involves lightning striking twice, which at least happened to the Phillies because they built on their 2022 team, signed huge pieces and became a great team. The Diamondbacks had a great season but need to figure out if it makes them a great perennial team, and I'm not convinced yet.

Does this mean that a middle of the road team, like the Tigers, Reds, Pirates or Marlins, could spring into action and claim the narrative? Perhaps. It's happened before. And this is a league that's fit to be surprised, with every narrative about the season being about 'will Ohtani hit 40' or 'will Soto be a Yankee legend' or 'will it be Houston or Texas'. What if we're looking in the wrong place? We usually are.

I'm still excited for this season, there's a lot that could happen and a lot that I'm hoping does. I'd love to see the Yankees or Phillies do well this year, I'd love to see the Orioles go deep, and I'd love to see the Astros miss the playoffs. But if I left every season happy it'd be a different vibe all around, I think. 

In Lieu of Boredom, A Value Box of 2020 Topps Opening Day

This is what it's come to, folks.

I just needed cards, something that wouldn't involve any semblance of dupes or headaches. Just a break. I was supposed to have a box break ready to go a week ago, but UPS has foiled my plans, and now I have to get in contact with them. I'm also recovering from a strong work week, which has put a lot of my card-related plans at a standstill.

Until the point where everything relapses or dissolves, here is a 16-pack box of Opening Day. I just expect  this to be a pick me up. If I wanted substance, I'd wait for Big League.

Red Parallel Pack:
188- BRYCE HARPER. WOOOOOOO!
66- Paul Goldschmidt
166- Andrew Benintendi
158- Mike Clevinger
99- Nick Senzel
118- Yoan Moncada, perhaps the only non-Red-friendly team in this pack
140- Michael Chavis. 2 Sox, but 1 Phillie, so I guess it's fine.

Pack 1-
111- MIGUEL CABRERA. Starting off with a future HOFer doesn't hurt
135- Tommy Edman
169- Rafael Devers. Lots of Sox so far
3- Garrett Cooper
187- Jacob deGrom
108- Corey Seager. If this is a preview of his S2 card, I approve
Opening Day insert of CITIZENS BANK PARK. A BEAUTY. This insert set commemorates last year's Opening Days, and this was Braves-Phils at CBP. Still, great place to watch a game.

Pack 2-
109- Trevor Story
56- Mike Soroka. So glad Topps has dropped 'Michael'. Now to wait for them to drop it from 'Brosseau'
20- Max Scherzer
15- JT REALMUTO
25- Omar Narvaez
144- Buster Posey's catching gear shot
Mascots card of Rosie Red. I kinda love the continued presence of mascots in Opening Day. Loved it when I was 11, love it now.

Pack 3-
173- BO BICHETTE RC.
115- Yusei Kikuchi
32- JD Martinez. The Sox streak continues. Still no Bombers
85- Elvis Andrus. Nice of Topps to include Rangers in this set
8- Domingo Santana
39- Carter Kieboom
Opening Day insert of Petco Park. I have heard great things about this stadium, but have yet to attend a game there. My dad has, says he loves it.

Pack 4-
107- Max Muncy
136- Shane Bieber
51- Ramon Laureano. Lots of S1 reruns
146- George Springer
57- Dustin May
174- Sonny Gray
Team Traditions of PESKY'S POLE. WHAT IS WITH ALL THE DAMN RED SOX??

Pack 5-
69- Tommy La Stella
12- Nico Hoerner
10- YASMANI GRANDAL as a WHITE SOCK. Who said Opening Day didn't do great work with  airbrushing?
193- Cavan Biggio
143- Kyle Schwarber
75- Craig Kimbrel
Sticker Collection Preview of Juan Soto

Pack 6-
145- Freddie Freeman in a cool throwback
68- Dominic Smith
133- Christian Walker in a cool throwback
103- Hanser Alberto
41- Patrick Corbin
164- Alex Bregman
Spring has Sprung insert of Gavin Lux. These are cool and fun!

Pack 7-
191- Hunter Renfroe on the Rays. Another solid airbrush job
100- John Means. HIM, of all people, for the hero number?
91- Marco Gonzales
106- Tyler Glasnow
104- Matt Boyd
29- Jordan  Yamamoto
Mascot Card of Paws, from the Tigers

Pack 8-
97- Eugenio Suarez
86- Anthony Rendon as an Angel
77- Bryan Reynolds
199- Jose Berrios
87- Giancarlo Stanton. FINALLY a Yankee
184- Matt Olson
Opening Day insert of T-Moble Park, another one I've yet to go to

Pack 9-
THREE CARDS FROM THE RED PARALLEL PACK. Bryce, Benny and Goldy
7- James Paxton. Okay, a Yankee helps
95- Eduardo Escobar
58- Mike Fiers
Spring has Sprung of SANDY KOUFAX. COOL.

Pack 10-
101- Kenley Jansen
22- Anthony Rizzo
94- Liam Hendriks
195- Brad Hand
46- Franmil Reyes. FINALLY a Topps card of the Franimal in Cleveland
149- Charlie Blackmon
Opening Day insert of Target Field. More and more stadiums I haven't been to

Pack 11-
183- Yuli Gurriel in a sweet throwback
43- Shohei Ohtani
26- Sean Murphy
81- Evan Longoria
18- Lance Lynn
180- Austin Riley
Team Traditions insert of the Baseball Bat Chandelier in T-Mobile Park

Pack 12-
82- Orlando Arcia
42- Max Fried. Glad to see he snuck onto the checklist
73- Amed Rosario
165- Brandon Lowe
159- Luke Voit
117- Kris Bryant
Sticker Preview insert of Nolan Arenado. Stickers this year look a lot like Topps Fire

Pack 13-
110- Merrill Kelly
176- Jean Segura
192- Dee Gordon
151- Ian Kennedy, closing pitching aficionado
190- Trent Grisham RC, shopped into a Padres uniform
129- Cody Bellinger BLUE PARALLEL. Not numbered, though
Mascots insert of MR. MET. NOT BAD

Pack 14-
119- Joey Lucchesi
83- Eric Hosmer
21- GERRIT COLE AS A YANKEE. Granted, the chin line is OBVIOUSLY photoshopped, as I'm getting some Henry Cavill in Justice League uncanny valley from the chin. Back of his head's also photoshopped as well. Nice try though
Three straight dupes from the red parallel pack
Opening Day insert of YANKEE STADIUM. THINGS ARE TURNING UP

Pack 15-
28- Mookie Betts. Kinda happy they didn't try airbrushing him into a Dodger uniform
13- Brian Anderson
140 Michael Chavis
121- Zack Greinke as an  Astro. At least I know that's not an airbrush job
27- Juan  Soto.
Opening Day insert of the Oakland Coliseum

Pack 16-
89- Jose Altuve
14- Alex Verdugo. Also not shopped into a Sox uniform
168- AJ Puk
90- Mike Trout
88- Great shot of Matt Carpenter
148- Jorge Polanco
Spring Has Sprung of Sandy Koufax. INSERT DUPES? REALLY?

An amusing box of Opening Day, even if a lot of it is inherently flawed. Still helped my mood a little.

30 Things I Was Looking Forward to Seeing on Opening Day 2020

Baseball should be happening right now.

If there weren't a pandemic swirling around the world right now, I'd be watching the first Yankee game of the year with my dad, acting like everything was as it should be. That's clearly not the world we're living in right now, and we might have to wait another month or so until we get the 2020 baseball season started.

...but if any day in the last few months of offseason was painful just being without baseball, the following few weeks will be even tougher. There's still a lot that needs to be done before players go out for the season, possibly more weeks of training of sorts, and we may not get that for a while. Any chance of a normal season has been lost.

Which sucks, because if 2020 were a normal baseball season, I would have loved to see so many things for the first time today.

So, as a way of sharing the entirety of the 2020 spring training customs, I thought I'd share a list of 30 things I would have loved fro see on Opening Day 2020, wishes for a season that may never happen as planned.

1. Anthony Rendon batting after Mike Trout in Anaheim. And if that got this team any further into the playoffs than Trout alone had gotten them.

2. The Astros' response to being caught red-handed in 2019. Would they sink to the bottom of the standings after being found out? Would they continue dominance? Would it affect the pitching in any way?

3. How Khris Davis would factor into the youth-driven 2020 A's lineup, and if he'd have returned to his 2010s numbers or fallen behind the Chapman-Olson combo. Does he have another .247 season left in him?

4. How far the Blue Jays can go now that they have a substantial pitching rotation. With Ryu, Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark, in addition to the monster youth movement, would they scare away AL East rivals any more than in 2019?

5. If Will Smith finally figures out a way to fix the Braves' rotation woes. Or if it takes more than just getting the best veteran relievers from all over and actually calling up good relief prospects.

6. Which direction the Milwaukee Brewers are headed. Either they're still competitive, and losing Grandal, Moose and Davies hasn't hurt them, or they're headed for fourth.

7. If Jack Flaherty is the potential Opening Day starter ace the Cardinals have been looking for to replace Adam Wainwright. His 2019 season was fantastic, but is it all he has in him?

8. If the Chicago core that gave us playoff squads for a few straight years has another playoff run in them, even with new manager Grandpa Rossy filling the shoes of Joe Maddon. Willson Contreras looks ready for another run, even if all it gets him is another All-Star nod.

9. If the problems Madison Bumgarner was having in the past few years (higher ERAs chiefly) were predominantly caused by pitching for failing Giants teams. If MadBum has a huge year in 2020, if and when it starts, it will have been the Giants', and Bochy's, fault. If not, the Diamondbacks just spent a lot of money on a risk.

10. If David Price has any strong material left in him, despite being the asterisk of the Mookie Betts deal. I genuinely think he's in for strong numbers in 2020, but it's up to him to prove me right.

11. If the last half of 2019 was a fluke for San Francisco, and their decision to double down on older players will count them out of the division race. As much as I love Hunter Pence, his place in the lineup might mean another year of tanking for the Giants.

12. If the new additions to the fold in Cleveland have any shot at keeping the flame going. Subsequently, if Francisco Lindor continues to put out during what may be his final season as a member of the Tribe.

13. If the Mariners look at all good or self-sustaining before the inevitable late-season callup of Jarred Kelenic. Or if Kyle Seager will finally accept his role as the defacto leader in Seattle.

14. If the small-ball the Marlins have decided to play in 2020 will pay any dividends, especially for people like Jorge Alfaro, Miguel Rojas and Sandy Alcantara, who could be good July trade bait if the team will fail to compete yet again.

15. How long it takes Marcus Stroman to find the strike zone again. Unless Stroman gets his shit together, the big Mets-Jays deal of 2019 may continue not to mean anything until Anthony Kay gets to start games again in Toronto.

16. Washington's strategy of keeping the elder members of their 2019 World Series squad around, and whether or not it pays off. As nice as it will be to see Eric Thames, Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera, Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Zimmerman getting playing time in 2020, does it mean that the youth movement the team had banked on in 2019 is fraying a bit?

17. If the Orioles will finally figure out a way to not lose 100 games in a season. The new combo of Renato Nunez, Hanser Alberto and Anthony Santander holding up the lineup is intriguing, but is it enough?

18. If THIS is finally the offseason that makes it happen for the Padres. Cause I'm half-asking what else it's gonna take? They've gotten Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, a call-up for Fernando Tatis and Chris Paddack, and now Tommy Pham, Zach Davies and export Pierce Johnson. Will THIS be the team? Please?

19. What it will take for J.T. Realmuto and the Phillies to stop beating around the bush and sign an extension. JT loves Philly, Philly loves JT, and I'd hate THIS to be his last season here.

20. If old Chris Archer will finally show up in Pittsburgh. He's cut his hair, reworked some mechanics, and is looking to get his prior numbers back. Will this give the Bucs the ace material they'd wanted, or will they have to just use Joe Musgrove?

21. If a contending Texas Rangers team can exist with Rougned Odor continuing to bat under .200. Even with Kluber, Frazier, Lyles and Gibson, they'll need Rougned Odor to get his stuff together, or else there's no point.

22. How long the first Rays game of the year lasts before the inevitable 'YOSHI' chants from the Tampa fans. Or some Mario-Bros motif on the scoreboards. It's not a matter of IF the Rays populace falls in love with this guy, but WHEN.

23. If the Red Sox without Mookie Betts, David Price OR Chris Sale is worth the price of admission in 2020. Even with the majority of the killer B's still intact, will the AL East have ANY trouble with this team?

24. How long it will be until the Reds' offseason gamble pays dividends. Seeing Nick Castellanos, Yoshi Akiyama, Mike Moustakas, Pedro Strop and Wade Miley on this roster is one thing, but will this overstuffing work? Will a Reds team that seems so much fun in concept pay off kinetically?

25. Jon Gray and German Marquez' efforts to keep an ERA below 3 in Coors Field. How far will they get? Will their OTHER numbers suffer?

26. The triumphant return of Salvador Perez to Kauffman Field. How soon does he get back to his ASG-caliber numbers? Is he still one of the best catchers in baseball?

27. How much of the Tigers is capable of staying around once the callups start happening. Riley Greene and Casey Mize are gonna come up eventually. It's just a matter of what this team can accomplish before they do. Will Matt Boyd make it to July before being gobbled up by a contender?

28. The number of BOMBAS in the first Twins game of the year. How many will Garver, Sano, Rosario, Donaldson, Cave, Cruz and Kepler manage?

29. How well guys like Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito do given a team that seems to be consistently good. Will any pale given respectable balanced talent? Will Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel bury some great Sox trying to happen?

30. If Gerrit Cole can stay healthy as a Yankee, AND if he can continue to hit 300 strikeouts. Cause if so, we're in business.

Hopefully I'll get the answers to those questions soon. Not sure how much longer without baseball I'll be able to stand.

A Blaster of 2019 Opening Day

Happy Opening Weekend! A great time to look at everything and see how new it feels! A time for new uniforms, spring sunshine, and Luke Voit not being able to make a simple throw at first (i'm a little bitter, yes).

It's also a time where not much is on shelves except for flagship and heritage, and Opening Day. I've never been a huge fan of Opening Day, as it doesn't do much that flagship doesn't, but I'm getting it for two reasons. One, because I wanna see some airbrushing and variations on eventual flagship cards, and two, because that 150 Years of Fun insert set looks great.

11 packs, 7 cards per. Let's try to have fun:

Pack 1-
176- Joey Gallo
81- Jeimer Candelario. Same as S1
139- Jack Flaherty. I forget if I pulled this in S1 or not
Opening Day insert of the A's. This set is a great excuse to show off some really cool photography, similar to the Perspectives insert from a few years back, but with less emphasis on player and more on team.
82- Jonathan Villar. From S1
92- David Peralta. This is a nice shot.
113- Edwin Diaz. Airbrushed into a Mets uniform...and done pretty well, though the muted color is a giveaway.

Pack 2-
79- Justin Turner. Looks new, and nice
150- Jacob De Grom. From S1
16- Brian Anderson
150Y0F of SANDY KOUFAX. This one is just charming enough
103- Mitch Garver
121- Orlando Arcia
83- Kole Calhoun. This one looks newer as well

Pack 3-
86- Anthony Rizzo. I don't know if this is an Opening Day thing, or just a Topps thing in general, but the main cutout of the players on several cards have a slight drop-shadow  behind them, setting them apart from the background, which is cool, but sort of takes away from the photo a bit? I'm still behind it, but I'd like to know how long they've been doing that
127- Mitch Haniger
42- Rafael Devers
A Mascots card of Mr. Red. Those are always fun to pull
95- Javier Baez
122- Ryan Zimmerman
141- Ryan Yarbrough. With such a small checklist, I'm glad a sneaky reliever like Yarbrough got a base card

Pack 4-
199- Brandon Crawford. That's a cool shot.
44- Trey Mancini
123- Eric Hosmer
150YOF of Ronald Acuna. Another fantastic, goofy shot
10- Jordan Zimmermann
40- GREAT SHOT of George Springer
157- Lorenzo Cain

Pack 5-
78- Andrelton Simmons
152- Matt Olson
51- Ronald Acuna, who must have a billion cards in these sets
Opening Day insert of the Diamondbacks
167- Tyler Glasnow
177- Jake Bauers. Now, technically this is a nice airbrush job, as the Indians duds look natural on him. HOWEVER...there's a flaw here. On his arm is an ASG patch, as the Indians are hosting the 2019 All Star Game. Bauers did not play for the Indians in 2018, therefore hasn't had the opportunity to wear the patch yet. So this HAS to be an airbrush job, even if it is a good one
166- Didi Gregorius

Pack 6-
106- Gleyber Torres. This one is new to me
89- Yoan Moncada. Beautiful shot of him, with a helmet toss in a throwback
68- Christin Stewart BLUE PARALLEL. It's not numbered, but it makes the card look even cooler
150YOF of Ernie Banks. Could have picked a slightly more fun photo, but still great
162- Jean Segura as a Phillie. This airbrush job is NEARLY perfect, as the two on the back of his uniform looks mildly artificial.
119- Randal Grichuk. His Jays white cap looks pretty awesome here
172- Max Kepler

Pack 7-
191- Joey Wendle
60- JT Realmuto. This product must have been finalized before the Phils deal
91- Brad Keller
Team Traditions and Celebrations insert of the Diamondbacks Pool, which was made even more famous on Zack Godley's Stadium Club base card last year
17- Sandy Alcantara. Great shot
28- Mark Trumbo
21- Kenley Jansen

Pack 8-
153- Willians Astudillo. I have been waiting a bit to pull a card of this guy.
23- Miguel Cabrera
124- Stephen Strasburg
Mascot card of Orbit, from Houston. Yeeeahhh.
18- Kyle Tucker
12- Zack Greinke. I'm glad he's brought back the long hair thing. I feel like he waits til he's comfortable on his new team, then grows it out.
56- Justin Upton

Pack 9-
31- Nolan Arenado
112- Rowdy Tellez RC. Nice!
25- Michael Lorenzen, the next two-way player, who seems to be doing well for the Reds
150yOF of TED WILLIAMS...WITH A FISHING POLE. Because of course.
160- Ramon Laureano
150- Josh Hader, who only needed 9 pitches the other night
197- Felipe Vazquez

Pack 10-
180- Elvis Andrus
46- Clayton Kershaw
61- Albert Almora
150YOF Mike Trout. Not bad
178- Touki Toussaint
41- Jose Altuve
138- Luis Urias. Not Tatis, but not bad

Pack 11-
74- Jonathan Schoop. Another nice airbrushing job done on his Twins duds
45- Kris Bryant
185- Khris Davis. Love these bright green-and-yellow highlights on this card
Mascot card of the D-Backs Mascot
50- Mike Clevinger
190- Miles Mikolas
4- Ryan O'Hearn

Not great, but still a fun little rip. That's what it's meant to be, I think

Opening Day 2018: Let's Get This Over With

So here's what everybody thinks is going to happen in 2018:

• Everyone thinks the New York Yankees are going to be this unstoppable, monolithic force that's gonna come back and go for a title, and while that's an awfully nice thought, especially considering the force of two major home run hitters on the lineup, we're not exactly certain that this is gonna work quite yet. We don't know if Judge is a one-year thing, we don't know if Stanton can have another year like 2017, and we don't know if this formula is one that works, but everyone seems to think it will. So...sure, it might.
• Everyone thinks that the Astros and Dodgers are going to make serious runs at the World Series again, possibly being successful for the latter, but we all know how hard it is for a team to get back to the World Series a year after being in it (just ask the Indians). Both teams could be great, but it's too early to say if either one will be THE GREATEST.
• Everyone thinks that Ronald Acuna, Scott Kingery, Gleyber Torres, Ryan McMahon and Shohei Ohtani are gonna be incredible from the getgo, but it may not be that simple, and it may take a while for all of these rookie prospects to prosper in the bigs. Hell, Ohtani may end up being a failed experiment from LA. We don't know. My eyes are on Kingery and McMahon to make the most of their roster spots right now.
• Everyone thinks that Yu Darvish in Chicago is gonna be electric. The guy's had off seasons. You've seen them. This may be one of them. But don't have a stroke if it is. Remember, it only took a year for Zack Greinke to bounce back.
• Everyone thinks that Topps cards kinda suck this year. They do. Next
• Everyone thinks that the aborted free agent class of this year is going to lead to insanely mad trade deadline and 2018 offseason. It might just lead to a ton of people getting traded late August, and Topps having heart attacks to try and get them all in the 2019 set. It may be another misladen free agent year like this one. Maybe free agency's going downhill for good. 

And that's what everyone thinks is gonna happen in 2018. Let's see if any of these are right.

Coming Tomorrow: Probably a custom? They need to come out with some baseball photos, and I have a feeling there might be a few of those from today. 

Custom Card of the Day: Opening Day Retrospective Edition

I wouldn't want to have been in a Las Vegas casino on Sunday night, the night of the first game of the season between the Astros and the Rangers. If I was a passerby in any casino, I would have seen countless Ranger fans, as well as gamblers who know the game of baseball, walking out sobbing, throwing their empty wallet in the trashcan, and resorting to a flask for solace.

Nobody in Vegas would have bet on the Astros to win the first game of the season.Which is why it's so astounding that they pummeled the crap out of Texas.

Some may argue that Texas' lead was destroyed by two botched calls in favor of Houston. However, no blown calls prevented the Astros from scoring more points than them to begin with. Besides, some players, such as Bud Norris, Rick Ankiel, and Jose Altuve were smoking the ball that night, and their homers and brilliant games led to a deserved win.

What does it say about the Astros? It says that they're not as terrible than we all thought. Sure, they may lose every other game this season, but we all thought that they'd do poorly against people like the Rangers. Turns out they're willing and able to hit and pitch well against teams as well formulated as that. They may be the underdogs of the division, but they could win some games here and there in 2013. I'm not saying they'll win the division or anything, but don't quote me if I say they won't.

What does it say about the Rangers? It says that the glory days might be coming to an end. Josh Hamilton and Michael Young were the reason people went to Rangers games, hitting well every game, playing like champions. Now that they're gone, the Rangers, while still solid, are depleted. Their pitching staff is young, and faulty. Their batting roster has some major holes. And the Astros took major advantage of their faults Sunday night. Does this mean the Rangers are dead? Not necessarily, but it means they may or may not do as well as they've done in years past. However, this basically just sets them up to ironically win the division, unless the Astros do first. But again, don't quote me.

What does it say about baseball? That it never ceases to surprise its millions of fans. And that you can quote me on.

Coming Tomorrow: The top ace of Anaheim.

Custom Card of the Opening Day

Youtube will not be ending on April 2nd. Blogger has not banned humor in posts. And Peter Dinklage will not be replaced on Game of Thrones by the guy from Willow. All of those stories were made up for April Fool's Day, and are bullcrap. However, something happened on April 1st that ISN'T bullcrap: Bryce Harper hit two home runs against the Marlins. What Sophomore Slump?

As if the eyes of America were not already resting on Harper's shoulders, he proved that he was here to stay by blasting two straight homers off of Ricky Nolasco, proving once and for all that the Marlins were downright terrible. It also proved something a lot of people were waiting to prove: this Harper kid has some staying power.

Bryce Harper's rookie year was all that every scout that found him hoped it to be and more. He hit well throughout the season, scored an All Star Nod, and won the Rookie of the Year prize, all while infuriating every other fan watching. People couldn't believe it. They expected Bryce to go away, flame out and disappear like the other huge rookies, such as Joe Charboneau, Mickey Klutts, and Chris Coghlan.

But no.

Harper's two home runs on Opening Day made him the youngest player in MLB history to accomplish that feat, and remember folks that this is only the beginning. He hits two today. Imagine how many he'll hit over the course of 161 more games.

Bryce Harper is hopefully here to stay. Any other accusation would be comparative to that of a children's circus performer, sibling.

Coming Tomorrow- A much shorter post, on a much shorter player, whose chances at making the postseason are much... shorter.

Easter Packs: 2012 Series 1, Opening Day and Heritage

Easter for a 17-year-old usually consists of getting a crapload of candy, plus some packs. While the mounds of Starburst Jellybeans will last for a while in my house, I'm glad the packs will give me a short-term high. I got 2 packs of series 1, a fat pack of Opening day, and 3 rack packs of Heritage, which Topps really perfected this year.

Series 1 Pack 1-
274- Miguel Montero
223- Yonder Alonso, steroid abuser
158- Chad Billingsley
63- Justin Masterson
30- Neftali Feliz, who really wished he had some bats to support him right now.
121- Delmon Young, now on the Phillies
199- Avisail Garcia. Have it.
261- Trevor Rosenthal
72 Mini of Willie Mays. I'm beginning to think I only pull Hall of Famers out of this. Hm.
117- Aubrey Huff.
325- Kevin Millwood. Good heavens. Are you still trying to win?
230- David Robertson, who will likely find some way to injure himself this year.

Pack 2-
50- Adam Wainwright. How he's still healthy, we have no idea.
1- Bryce Harper, who better have some staying power in the bigs.
313- Maicer Izturis
274- Miguel Montero. Hello again.
207- Matt Holliday
284- Angel Pagan
124- Ricky Romero, who will try his best NOT to suck in 2013.
72 mini of Nolan Ryan. Hall of Famer. Also, a double. Anybody want it?
293- Jeff Karstens
117- Aubrey Huff again
325- Kevin Millwood again
230- David Robertson again.

Opening Day-
127- Edinson Volquez
152- Brian Wilson. Still kinda looking for a job, by the way.
202- Jason Motte, who just got injured
14- Josh Willingham
19- Joey Votto
123- John Danks
57- Cliff Lee, whose improvement would really help.
108- Hunter Pence. Still a Phillie to me,
103- Desmond Jennings
117- Michael Young. He better work for the Phils.
Superstar Celebrations of Justin Morneau.
A Mascot card of Screech, for the Nationals. Hm, Dustin Diamond's lost a lot of weight.
Joe Mauer Play Hard insert. Wow, a lot of Twin love.
78- Hisashi Iwakuma
137- Yoenis Cepsedes
4- Matt Dominguez. Wow, the Astros are gonna suck.
47- Jake Peavy. Needs to stay healthy,.
77- Mark Trumbo
217- CHOOCH. Another Steroid abuser
43- Pedro Alvarez
51- Elvis Andrus
219- Troy Tulowitski, who plays well despite me never hearing anything about him.
18- Jemile Weeks
58- Chris Davis.

Heritage Pack 1-
291- Ryan Ludwick. Well, that's one way to start.
200- Clayton Kershaw. That's a lot better.
273- Matt Moore
42- Tommy Milone, one of the many Oakland prospects
346- Rafael Dolis
269- Justin Smoak, staring off into space.
486- David Ortiz, who I do not hate.
115- Dan Uggla. The hell happened to him?
253- Sergio "Brian Wilson called, he wants his thing back" Romo
417- Juan Francisco
98- Quintin Berry
213- Michael Morse, now back on the Mariners.
201- Oooh, this is a good one. Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy rookie stars. I will hang on to this one.
3- Leaders. Meh.
84- Jon Niese
47- Peguero/Machi Rookie Stars. No idea who these people are
422- Eduardo Nunez
52- Jayson Werth
300- Jason Heyward, who really needs to perform.
191- Anthony Rizzo.

Heritage Pack 2-
169- Elvis Andrus
50- CURTIS GRANDERSON!
30- Chad Billingsley
198- Gavin Floyd, former Philly washout.
45- Brandon Phillips, laughing and showing off his teeth
327- Heath Bell
358- Casey Kotchman, who shouldn't be here
250- Prince Fielder, another big star
20- James McDonald, who sucks.
328- Patrick Corbin
104- Jonathan Papelbon, who actually closed well last year for the Phils
385- Glen Perkins
96- Jeff Samardzjia
292- Trevor Cahill
274- Justin Morneau, whose best days are kinda over.
367- Jeremy Guthrie
9- Leaders
294- The most disturbing card of the year, Liam Hendriks
62- Starling Marte

Pack 3-
127- Edwin Jackson
63- Jason Grilli, who is not amused
163- Gaby Sanchez
381- Fernando Martinez
324- Terry Collins
183- Fernando Rodney, and his asymetrical hat
374- Luis Cruz, the new LA 3rd baseman
60- Will Middlebrooks, who's been hyped up like hell
322- Scott Baker
49- Brett Jackson
418- Pirates rookies
386- Jared Burton
182- Felix Doubront
363- Neftali Feliz
95- BJ Upton, looking like a crazed deer
258- Michael Young
470- Albert Pujols RED BORDER. NICE!
364- Russ Martin
276- Nick Swisher
13- Adam LaRoche

Those were some pretty damn nice packs. Now, to catch up on my Reese's eggs.

Expectations for a Hyped Year

It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen. Tomorrow, every baseball fan will offically have a reason to live, and every baseball manager will have a reason to die.

The season begins tomorrow, and it couldn't come soon enough. The offseason was long, and quick, though quite eventful. Big stars were swatted across the leagues, and teams were deprived of their stars.

However, while the rest of the league is uncertain in its progress, there's one team whose season seems to be drawn out for them, and that is my New York Yankees. They picked up a lot of awesome players in the offseason, including:

• Michael Pineda, in a trade with Seattle


• Raul Ibanez, in a free agent signing


• Andy Pettite, after he returned from retirement


• Hiroki Kuroda, in a free agent signing

Unfortunately, we lost a few players as well, including:

• Jesus Montero, in a trade with Seattle


• Jorge Posada, to retirement


• Bartolo Colon, signed by Oakland


• AJ Burnett, signed with Pittsburgh

Still, with the roster we've built up, it looks like it'll be a great season. Personally, I'd love to take it all this year. But that's just me.

Sunday Afternoon Target Packs

I scooped up a few random packs. Some are the only pakcs of the product I'll buy all year. Some are things I'll buy all year

Opening Day- 3 Packs-

Matt LaPorta
Zach Grienke
Wade Davis Rookie
Hunter Pence Code
Ryan Braun
Kyle Blanks
James Shields
Drew Stubbs
Johnny Cueto
Curtis Granderson on the Yanks
Fredbird
Chone Figgins on the Mariners
Nick Swisher
Adrian Beltre
Bengie Molina
Posada
Felipe Lopez
Colby Rasmus Insert
Barry Zito
Jered Weaver
Torrii Hunter

Heritage- 1 pack
Ryan Demptser
Tony LaRussa
Luis Valbuena
Alexiei Ramirez
Aaron Hill Chrome #'d 1961
Mantle 61 Insert
Andrew MacCutchen
Tommy Manzella

Upper Deck- 1 pack
Hunter Pence
Buster Posey
Aaron Hill
Braden Looper
Alexei Ramirez
Brendan Harris
AJ Burnett
Jensen Lewis
Ryan Zimmerman Biography
Matt Wieters Supreme
Jason Jennings
Jon Lester
Luke Gregerson
Arthur Rhodes- how is he still playing?
Hey, it's Albert Pujols
Michael Young
Alfredo Sauce
Busch Stadium

And now...another Cereal Box. There were a lot of crappy doubles, so here are the highlights

Zach Greinke CY
Juan Uribe
Eric Byrnes
Albert Pujols
Yovanni Gallardo #'d to 2010
Adam Dunn Topps Town
HISTORY- Babe Rith 1st All Star Game
Roger Maris CYMTO THAT I ALREADY FRIGGIN HAVE! GYAAAAAAHHHH!
Pablo Sandoval Turkey Red

Refractor-
George Sisler

Yeah, not much to call home about, but it was still alright

More Odd News

Apparently, this year Topps put out another Opening Day set, which should really be retired and be replaced with Topps Total. Screw Contract infringement, screw the fact that MLB says they have to, they don't have to.

Why can't they just bring back Topps Total and let us be happy.