Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
I’ve come to think of this post as one where you come for the music and stay for the conversation—so feel free to drop a note. The diarist gets to sleep in if he/she so desires and can show up long after the post is published. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
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Mornin’ y’all —
We’re halfway through the baseball season.
Think about that for a minute.
Baseball only started up a month and a half ago, and due to the 2020 COVID Craziness Tour that the Orange Vulgarian has thrust upon us, there’s only 60 games to this season. That leaves precious little time for the season to wrap itself up before the weather gets colder and more unpredictable.
I look forward to baseball season. Christ, I need baseball right now, more than at any other time in my life. The constant ups and downs of following my team consoles me somehow, and my running joke is that damn stroke couldn't take me down, because… well.. baseball. I just gotta see what happens every year…
So, with that in mind, I thought I’d take a few minutes and report to all the non-baseball fanatics out there on the state of the game and standings of certain teams —
- The Biggest Surprise
Gotta be the Chicago White Sox. They’re sitting atop the AL Central division with a 22-13 record, one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians. Led by Jose Abreu, these guys are a thrill ride a minute, and it’s good to see a team from Chicago (cough) make something of themselves (cough, cough, ain’t that right, bears?).
- The Most Improved
For almost all of this season, the San Diego Padres have been giving the LA Dodgers a run for their money and dominance in the NL West. They’re still 4½ games back in the standings, but for chutzpah, they’re atop the National League, the most intriguing player being Fernando Tatis, Jr. With the pickup of Mike Clevinger as a pitcher yesterday at the trade deadline, look for these guys to make a run in the next coupla weeks…
- And Of Course…
I would be remiss (and shunned from most local eateries and pubs) if I failed to mention my beloved Atlanta Braves. The Bravos are sitting on the top of the NL East with a 20-14 record, and the many injuries and distractions they’ve had to deal with in this shortened season are, frankly, incredible. Four of the five starting pitchers on their staff have gone down to either injury or ineffectiveness, yet they remain strong in a hyper-competitive division. Perennial favorite Freddie Freeman has been leading the offensive onslaught, along with newly arrived Austin Riley and the oft-injured Ronald Acuna. They’ll be okay, though… They’ll be okay…
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Now a collection from the rattled remnants of my brain…
Be good humans, and Chop On!
