Opening Day Brings Happiness

It's early this year. No, not talking about Easter but baseball's Opening Day. All of the MLB gets the season going this week, the earliest ever. They need to to try and get World Series wrapped up before the snows fly.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing baseball drop from their 162 game schedule to, say, 154. But for owners to give up those games would mean a drop in revenue (or potential revenue) so it probably won't happen. Still, go that route OR go back to scheduling double-headers here and there in order to get the playoffs starting earlier. Wouldn't mind seeing that.

Love Opening Day at Miller Park. This will be the 24th with G-Man, and probably my 30th plus overall.

Milwaukee's Brewers got the state excited last season, pretty much coming out of nowhere to play meaningful baseball late in September. Picked by Sports Illustrated to win, if memory serves, 74 games. This on the heels of a 73-89 record in 2016.  I picked them 82-80....and they finished 86-76 and just a game out of the Wild Card.

This year, SI picks the team for second 86-76, nine games behind Cubs and two games out of Wild Card. Las Vegas has Milwaukee at 84 1/2 (meaning you bet the over at 85 or the under at 83). ESPN tabs then as 10th in their MLB rankings, with four NL squads (Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs, Cardinals) ahead of them.

As far as this year's record,  I'll be a little more generous and predict the club will be 89-73. While the Brew Crew won't win the division -- those pesky Cubs! -- they will make the playoffs. And finish ahead of the hated St. Louis Cardinals.

Yes, pitching in a BIG Brewer question mark, but isn't that the case for most teams? Milwaukee needs Chase Anderson and Zach Davies to repeat or improve upon, last season. Brent Suter needs to step up, as does Brandon Woodruff, while free-agent addition Jhoulys Chacin will prove to be a good signing. Don't forget Jimmy Nelson is on the mend, and getting him back mid-season will be akin to a trade.

The starters just need to put together at least six quality innings, then turn it over to a very stacked bullpen  and All-Star Corey Knebel. 

Again, pitching will be crucial. But this Milwaukee club should be able to put runs on on anybody and everybody. The addition of Christian Yelich & Lorenzo Cain improve not only the offense but the defense as well. Continued improvement from Travis Shaw and Orlando Arcia will help club. Eric "Old Man River" Thames ran hot-and-cold, but straightened out down the stretch. Domingo Santana gave power, but not necessarily defensive prowess. Can Jonathan Villar get back to his 2016 numbers? Word from Spring Training was he came in with a better approach to the game. Still, I think remains a liability on the base paths unless he starts listening to Manager Craig Counsell. I think the team would be better off playing Eric Sogard.

Odd man out from the outfield is 34-year-old Ryan Braun, starting his 12th season with the big league club. His numbers have been slipping, along with his health. Perhaps limiting him to 100 games (he only played in 104 last year due to various injuries) might help. Not thrilled with the Braun-to-first base experiment -- I think the team is better served getting Jesus Aguilar at-bats instead. But the team can't trade Braun due to that big contract he signed.

The other side of baseball happiness for me is the start of fantasy baseball. I've been a part of, or commissioner of, leagues for 33 years. Was conned into joining by Dan McDonald and the Sports Information Department at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (now know as Louisiana-Lafayette) in 1985. Fantasy baseball continues to frustrate me, but makes baseball a little more enjoyable -- and gives me the chance to trade trash talk with friends/owners around the country.

Like the others in the league, I hope to uncover that "gem" that the rest of the owners missed and prove my true baseball intellect. This despite the fact that I continue to go without a title: curse you Deric, Bill, Mild Bill, Bartender Doug, Gary, Tyler and Stevie Wonder.