Interesting tidbits about the 2022 Major League Baseball season, which got underway April 8, a week later than normal, but early enough to placate hardcore baseball fans and to complete the 162-game regular season.
— The National League will adopt the designated hitter rule, finally bringing baseball into the 21st century, but driving traditionalists — who never gave up hope the American League would abandon the DH — over the bend.
— The Cleveland Indians have ceased to exist, in name only. The team is now known as the Guardians, because what says ‘Cleveland’ more appropriately than ‘Guardians?’
— Albert Pujols had a busy spring. He: A) Decided not to retire, even at age 42, and coming off a .236 season and 17 homers with the Angels and Dodgers; B) Accepted a one-year free-agent contract from his original big league team, St. Louis Cardinals; C) Announced he and his wife, Deidre, and mother of five, were getting divorced after 22 years together, shortly after Deidre underwent surgery for a brain tumour; and D) Set his sights on joining the 700-homer club, from which he is 21 short.
— Who are the three members of the 700-homer club? (Answer below)
— Under the radar team to watch in 2022? How about the Seattle Mariners, who won 90 games last year, but really weren’t in contention for a playoff spot, and then bolstered their pitching staff by signing Cy Young award winner and former Blue Jay Robbie Ray in free agency.
— While the Los Angeles Dodgers are the popular pick to win the World Series by the majority of writers and broadcasters who make up the group called “experts,” the gambling public has apparently leaned more heavily on the Mets. (That’s why they call it ‘gambling.’) The Mets won only 77 games last year and while they added starting pitcher Max Scherzer and all-star outfielder Starling Marte, they’re still the Mets.
— There are hot rookie prospects every year, but two of the biggest ones this year are flame-throwing pitcher Hunter Greene of Cincinnati and Bobby Witt, Jr., a power-hitting shortstop with Kansas City who is the son of, shocker!, Bobby Witt, a pitcher who won 142 games with a variety of teams, mostly Texas, in the 1980s and ’90s. Investors note: Find a Witt, Jr., rookie card, keep it in a safety deposit box and 50 years from now it might be worth some big bucks. Or, if he has a mediocre career, 50 cents. But you get to enjoy the gum.
— The 700-homer club? Barry Bonds (*), Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth. It’s an exclusive group.
(*) — steroid assisted
• Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “North Macedonia scored in stoppage time to beat Italy 1-0 — Italy’s first defeat in 60 home World Cup qualifiers — and knock it out of a second consecutive World Cup appearance. The reaction in Rome? Let’s just say that, if Nero were alive, he’d be fiddling.”
• Blogger Patti Dawn Swansson: “Interesting factoid about the Hockey Night in Canada panel: Jennifer Botterill went to Harvard; Kevin Bieksa went to Bowling Green; I think Kelly Hrudey just went bowling.”
• NHLer James Van Reimsdyk, on Arizona’s Phil Kessel soon to become the NHL’s ironman (most consecutive games played): “I'm sure a lot of the strength and conditioning specialists are at a loss for words.”
• Patti Dawn Swansson again, on the TV networks’ extreme Tiger Woods hype prior to the start of the Masters: “By the time he tees it up tomorrow, I'm sure they'll be telling us that he's made a quick side trip overseas and restored peace in Ukraine.”
• Columnist Norman Chad, on Twitter: “Nothing like signing up for ESPN+ to get Masters coverage, but every time I click on the Masters stream, I get a college hoops documentary. And when I go to ‘live chat’ to solve the problem, I get gibberish. Feels like a rat in a maze, and my only way out is to call Chris Berman.”
• Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg, on word that Tiger Woods was planning to playing the Masters: “One word of advice, Tiger: Uber.”
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Top five story lines for the Masters: (1) Will Tiger Woods play? (2) Will Tiger Woods not play? (3) Will Tiger Woods make the cut? (4) Will Tiger Woods contend on Sunday? (5) Does Tiger Woods know where Phil Mickelson is hiding out?”
• Headline at fark.com: “Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna, Jr., apparently unaware that journalists often write down the things you say about former team-mates.”
• At @NOTSportsCenter, on Twitter: “Breaking: Due to LeBron James being eliminated from playoff contention, ESPN has officially cancelled the 2022 NBA playoffs.”
• Mike Bianchi again on the Lakers expected to scapegoat coach Frank Vogel: “There’s only one person to blame for the Lakers’ abysmal performance this year, and that’s the general manager who put this team together — LeBron James.”
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
