Thoughts with Whiskey: 2026-04-10

Thoughts with Weller's Reserve on the week I turn 54...

Artemis II- I saw Artemis II and the mission to the moon described as "Competence Porn", and I understand completely.  To see a hopeful, optimistic mission succeed in the world today is a wonderful thing.  I'm torn on the idea of sending people back to the moon; it's a wonderful thing, but is it worth the cost, when there are so many other ways to spend the resources?  But just knowing that we could is a good thing.

The War with Iran- I have thoughts.  But I'd probably break down into incoherent cursing.  Let's just say that if this ends with Iran able to extort $100 million per day  to charges boats to safely travel The Strait of Hormuz, then I think we can all agree that this is a debacle that will take generations to recover.  

Artificial Intelligence- you know, in retrospect it's probably a bad idea to give trillions of dollars to a company who has a CEO that has a consistent pattern of "lying".  The lesson, we are learning once again, is that Character.  Matters.  

Sports- let's move onto lighter topics.  

NBA- the playoffs start soon, and I'll make my predictions once the season officially ends.

LA Clippers- there still hasn't been any resolution on the Aspiration Scandal, where the LA Clippers tried to circumvent the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard.  Some people think the contract will be voided, with the result being that Leonard could sign elsewhere.  I have a much simpler and effective solution- Leonard's contract stays but the Clippers lose $25 million off their salary cap for the next five years.  This hurts the team (and therefore discourages other teams from trying something similar) and punishes Leonard (who stays on the team when they can't improve)

NFL- the draft is in two weeks; I need to find a team to root for next year (I pick a different team to root for each year).  

MLB- According to Sportrac, last year the Dodgers' Tax Bill was higher than the payroll of the Cleveland Guardians and ten other MLB teams.  I am positive MLB is working as intended.

Be well, everyone.  

Major League Baseball Predictions- 2026

Predicting the order, not the record.  As always, remember these are pure guesses from a casual fan who really doesn't know what he's talking about.

Meet the new boss... same as the old boss

American League:

East:
1.  New York Yankees
2.  Toronto Blue Jays (Wild Card)

3.  Boston Red Sox (Wild Card)

4.  Baltimore Orioles 
5.  Tampa Bay Rays

Central:
1.  Kansas City Royals

2.  Detroit Tigers
3.  Cleveland Guardians

4.  Minnesota Twins
5.  Chicago White Sox

West:  

1.  Seattle Mariners

2.  Texas Ranger (Wild Card)

3.  Houston Astros

4.  Sacramento Atheltics

5.  Los Angles Angles

Playoffs:
- Texas over Kansas City

- Toronto over Boston

- Seattle over Toronto

- Texas over New York Yankees

- Seattle over Texas

National League:

East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies

2. New York Mets (Wild Card)
3. Atlanta Braves (Wild Card)
4. Washington Nationals
5. Miami Marlins

Central:
1.  Milwaukee Brewers
2.  Chicago Cubs (Wild Card)
3.  Cincinnati Reds
4.  St. Louis Cardinals
5.  Pittsburgh Pirates

West:  

1.  Los Angeles Dodgers

2.  San Diego Padres 

3.  Arizona Diamondbacks

4.  San Francisco Giants

5.  Colorado Rockies

Playoffs:
- Atlanta over Chicago Cubs

- New York Mets over Milwaukee

- Philadelphia over Atlanta

- Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets

- Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta

World Series:

Dodgers over Seattle, 4 games to 2.  

At least Seattle makes the World Series, finally.

I said that the Dodgers could win five World Series in a row.  They've won two so far; might as well keep the streak going.  

There's not that much shakeup in the predictions from last year, because I don't see the teams making any significant moves.  The teams that invested the most were already the top contenders.  

If you liked the 2025 Major League Baseball Season, you'll love the sequel.

The Cleveland Sports Curse

Indulge me in a bit of self-whining, if you please.  There are far more important things to focus on in this world, and in my own life personally.  But I am a sports fan, and have attempted to use sports as a way to bring me joy when the rest of reality is feeling dismal.  Unfortunately, I am a Cleveland sports fan.  And for all of the cliches you may have heard about Cleveland and their dystopian sports teams, let me assure me... it is far worse than you think.

First, let me start by saying this- I love living in Cleveland.  The city has an undeserved reputation, and is a great city to live in.  It has all of the benefits of a large city while still being affordable.  Traffic is nothing compared other cities.  We're within a day's drive to about half the United States.  The weather can be cold, and the East Side gets a lot of snow- but I'll take a Cleveland winter over a St. Louis summer any say of the week.  There's an art deco look about the city that really is amazing to look at.  Cleveland's not "cool" and hasn't been since the 1950's- but I'm not in my 20's; "cool" is overrated.  Cleveland is a great place to live.

Cleveland:  Love the city, hate being a sports fan

But it's hell being a sports fan in this city.

Let me give you a few bullet points about why it sucks to follow Cleveland sports:

• We will start with the Guardians (and by the way, Guardians remain an awesome team name, and much better than Indians).  They have only won two World Series- 1920 and 1948.  That's tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the fewest World Series among the teams that have been in baseball since the World Series Started.
• They last won the World Series in 1948.  Except the five expansion teams that have never won the World Series, that is the longest drought among the MLB franchises.  The second longest is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the World Series in 1979- over thirty years later.
• And, due to the current structure of baseball, where teams can practically spend as much money as they want for their salaries, the teams with the biggest payrolls have the best chance to win.  And the Guardians currently rank 28th in MLB payroll- with no sign of that improving.  The Guardians are a smart team, but I see no hope in them winning a World Series in my lifetime.
• Next, we come to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have a 15-13 record.  Two games above .500.  That's promising, right?  But then we look further...
• They currently have the highest salary in the NBA, and are above the second apron- which means they cannot make any moves.  This team- the one that is barely above .500- is what they are locked in for the next few years.
• Plus, they have given up their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks, and have swapped (get the worst version) of the 2026 and 2028 first round draft picks.  
• So this is their team.  And in a year where most of their competition has been decimated by serious injuries, they are playing horribly.  Their best chance to win is right now, and it does not look good.
• But the Guardians and the Cavaliers are awesome compared to the travesty that is the Browns.  
• Pre-1995, the Browns were a good team that seemed curse to be unable to win the big one- sort of like where the Buffalo Bills are now.  Too many tragic games, all with shorthand nicknames:  "The Fumble" , "The Drive", "Red Right 88".  Just a barrage of events with the team coming up short
• Mind you, in the 1950s and 1960s they were great and won several titles- that ended right before the Super Bowl Era started, and most modern fans don't look at those.
• But in 1995, Art Modell moved the team out of Cleveland so they could become the Baltimore Ravens.  Four years later, the NFL gifted Cleveland with a new team.  And that team has been mind-boggingly awful.
• Since 1999, they have averaged 5 wins a year.  Imagine going 5-12 every year for 27 years.  That is what the Browns have gone through.  Now imagine having your fall and winter dominated by this news.  Every.  Single.  Year.  
• There is a meme showing how many QBs the team has gone through since they have returned (and needs to be updated with Sanders):

    

• How bad are the Browns?  Put it this way- The greatest football coach of all time couldn't win with them.
  
  
• At least the Cavaliers have the 2016 NBA Title- the only one that has happened in my lifetime.  If you want to make an argument that LeBron James is the GOAT of basketball, the argument is this:  He won Cleveland a sports title.  That's something no one else can possibly say.

Look- it's sports.  Nothing important.  I know this.  I've given up asking the teams to give me joy.  Just don't give any more misery.  Is that too much to ask?

Thoughts with Whiskey: 2025-12-10

Still drinking Buffalo Trace- just nursing my bourbon as we head into the Holiday Season.

Various thoughts:

NFL- I'm no longer a Cleveland Browns fan, and I doubt I will be again in the future.  However, the city of Cleveland loves the team, so I learn about the ins and outs of the franchise by osmosis.  I'd much rather learn about the Cavaliers or Guardians, but right now the most interesting team is the Browns.

They've hit a particularly nasty catch-22.  They drafted a QB in the fifth round (Shedeur Sanders) who they didn't really want, only all of the QBs ahead of him were either traded or injured.  He's played all right- not great, but the team has a poor offensive line and even worse receivers.  The Browns are currently 5th in the draft and will likely get one of the top two QBs in the draft if things don't change.

So, if they decide that Sanders is good enough to lead them to the playoffs, they can trade down and pick up several picks that can help them.  If they decide Sanders isn't good enough, they can draft one of the top QBs and start over.  Sanders has played just well enough that it's not an easy decision either way.

Regardless, the one thing we know is that whatever decision the Browns make, it will be the wrong one.

MLB- The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires at the end of next season, and people are fearing a lockout between the owners and the players.  I've changed my mine- I no longer think a lockout will happen.  

The system is broken- look at the salary disparity.  It's well over 10-1, even worse when only looking at active players.  The top tier teams outspend the small market teams.  And when a small market team developes a great player, the market forces pushes them to a larger market and larger salary just as they are in their primes.  

The system is broken- but who wants to have a lockout to change it?  Not the large market owners, who get a ton of money from their local sports stations to justify the expense.  Not the small market owners, who get a profit from the luxury tax without having to spend a lot.  Not the players, who earn a fortune in their salaries.  Not MLB, who love 'Great Teams'.

Really, the system only sucks if you're a fan of a small market team, knowing the only way you'll see your homegrown players contend is to leave your team for one of the big markets.  And no one really cares about them...

Merry Christmas, everyone!  We'll wrap up 2025 and make predictions for 2026 soon.

Thoughts with Whiskey: 2025-09-27

It's almost October... the year has seemed to both flown by quickly and been a slow, meandering crawl.  I'm drinking Weller's Antique- let's pontificate!

How do they keep winning?

* As I'm typing, the Cleveland Guardians are tied 2-2 to the Rangers.  Assuming they win tonight, I believe they clinch a playoff spot; if they win and the Tigers lose, they win the AL Central.

I admit to being completely wrong about this team.  I thought they were blowing up the team that made the ALCS last year, that they didn't have the offense to be contenders, and that just a little bad luck would cause them to lose 90 games.

They didn't have a little bad luck- they had phenomenal bad luck, as they lost two pitchers for the entire season due to a gambling scandal, one of them (Emmanuel Clase) being their closer.  They still can't hit (they are dead last in the AL in runs per game), at one point they were 15 and a half games behind the Tigers...   and yet, they keep winning.  I am amazed and astounded by this team, and I cannot explain how they keep being successful.

* I've started writing again.  Just flash writing at either the writing club or on the Absolute Write forums.  But it's something.  I don't know if I should try to rewrite my attempted book or try something new, but for now I'm enjoying just writing at the moment.

* The final Pink Floyd music retrospective will be Monday.  It's been a fun exercise, and I've learned a lot about the group.  I suspect I'll pick another artist sometime in 2026, but right at this moment I have no idea who that will be.

* As always, looking for a new computer game.  I'm playing Grimdawn because there's enough variety to keep me interested, but I'd like something new.  My problem is that many 1st person games trigger my vertigo.  And I cannot play evil- which limits replaying some great games like Baldur's Gate 3.  Suggestions are always welcomed.

Stay safe, my friends.  

Thoughts With Whiskey: 2025-05-16

Today's beverage:  Weller Special Reserve.  Probably the best value for bourbon, in my humble opinion.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers of 2024-2025 may be one of my favorite teams to have ever followed, and it was heartbreaking to see them go out in the 2nd round of the playoffs.  I would run it back with the same players; stability is criminally underrated in basketball, and I do think this was a learning experience (though a painful one) for them.  

* Watching season 2 of "Andor" now.  Best Star Wars tv show, even over the Mandalorian.  My plan is to finish the season and then rewatch "Rogue One".    And it continues my theory that the less involved the Force are in the Star Wars Universe, the better.

* I'd chat about politics... but what's the point?  I want my elected officials to be competent, decent, and boring.  Text me when that option becomes available.  

* Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson are now eligible to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I lived in Kentucky when Rose broke Ty Cobb's record, and he was deified in that part of the country.  He was a great baseball player and horrible human being.  Though I suppose the same also applies to Ty Cobb and others who are actually in the Hall of Fame.  

* Be well, everyone.  It's rough out there.  

Major League Baseball 2025 Predictions

 Predicting the order, not the record

The Once and Future Champions

American League:

East:
1.  New York Yankees
2.  Baltimore Orioles (Wild Card)
3.  Toronto Blue Jays (Wild Card)
4.  Boston Red Sox
5. Tampa Bay Rays

Central:
1.  Detroit Tigers
2.  Kansas City Royals (Wild Card)
3.  Minnesota Twins
4.  Cleveland Guardians
5.  Chicago White Sox

West:  

1.  Seattle Mariners

2.  Houston Astros

3.  Texas Ranger

4.  Sacramento Atheltics

5.  Los Angles Angles

Playoffs:
- Detroit over Toronto
- Baltimore over Kansas City
- Detroit over Seattle
- New York Yankees over Baltimore
- New York Yankees over Detroit

National League:

East:
1.  New York Mets
2.  Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card)
3. Atlanta Braves (Wild Card)
4. Washington Nationals
5. Miami Marlins

Central:
1.  Milwaukee Brewers
2.  Chicago Cubs
3.  Cincinnati Reds
4.  St. Louis Cardinals
5.  Pittsburgh Pirates

West:  

1.  Los Angeles Dodgers

2.  San Diego Padres (Wild Card)

3.  San Francisco Giants

4.  Arizona Diamondbacks

5.  Colorado Rockies

Playoffs:
- Philadelphia over San Diego
- Atlanta over Milwaukee
- Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta
- New York Mets over Philadelphia
- Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets

World Series:

It's a repeat of last year, and the results will be the same.  Dodgers win, 4-1

At some point, the resources the Dodgers put into their team just overwhelm everything.  The Dodgers are guaranteed to win the next five World Series- but right now, I don't see why I'd bet against them winning this year- or the next year- or the year after that.

This is what Major League Baseball wants.  We'll see if this is what the fans want.

MLB 2024 Playoff thoughts

Man, what a weird year in baseball.  The Athletics last year in Oakland, where the fanbase and the owner hate each other to the point that The A's will play in Sacramento for three years while waiting for the stadium in Las Vegas to be built. 

The Chicago White Sox were historically bad.  How bad?  Every other team in the AL Central finished above .500- and the entire division was still 35 games below .500, thanks to the White Sox.

The likely NL MVP is a DH (try imagine saying that 30 years ago)- and Ohtani has been so impressive that few will object.

And, on the day before the playoffs, Pete Rose died.  Take it from someone who was a massive baseball fan during his chase of Ty Cobb's record- no one in baseball was as famous as Rose was for years.  And no one fell harder when his gambling was exposed.

Like I said- a weird year.  No team won 100 games, but 14 teams won 85 games or more.  

Honestly, any team could get hot and win the World Series.  So I'll rank the teams by my preference over who I want to win first, then make my predictions based on who I think will win:

Who I want to win:

1. Cleveland Guardians   
   
   (large gap)
   
   
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. San Diego Padres 
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Kansas City Royals
6. Philadelphia Phillies
7. Detroit Tigers
8. Atlanta Braves
   
   (large gap)
   
   
   
9. New York Mets
10. New York Yankees
11. Los Angeles Dodgers
12. Houston Astros

Who I think will win:

Wild Card:

• Detroit over Houston
• Baltimore over Kansas City
• Milwaukee over New York Mets
• San Diego over Atlanta 

Divisional Round:

• Cleveland over  Detroit
• Baltimore over New York Yankees
• Philadelphia over Milwaukee
• Los Angeles over San Diego

League Championship Series:

• Cleveland over Baltimore
• Los Angeles over Philadelphia

World Series:

• Cleveland over Los Angeles

Your 2024 World Series Champions:  The Cleveland Guardians!

MLB 2023 Offseason

Major League Baseball has picked a direction and doubled down on it this offseason.

Look at the free agent signings this winter:

- Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for a ten year contract with $700 million

- Yoshinobu Yamamoto also signed with the Dodgers for a 12 year contract worth $325 million

- Aaron Nola signed a 7 year contract with $172 million, but for the Philadelphia Phillies

The $700,000,000.00 man

So the 2024 baseball salaries  have six teams with a payroll of over $194 million... and seven teams with a payroll of under $71 million.  The payroll disparity between the teams with the highest salaries and the lowest salaries have never been higher.

Baseball could do something about this- put in a salary cap and floor, change the free agent structure, create revenue sharing on the local tv contracts.  It might be difficult getting it past the Union, but it's feasible.  Baseball has chosen not to do so.  They want the biggest markets to spend as much as possible.

To avoid having the fans of the smaller markets (with lower payrolls) give up entirely, they've increased the number of teams in the playoffs- so there's a chance the small market teams like Tampa or Kansas City could make the playoffs and get hot.  The larger markets- the Yankees and the Dodgers- will be in the playoffs almost every year.  But the smaller markets might get in, and once the playoffs start... who knows?

I used to get upset about- and as a fan of the Cleveland Guardians, it bothers me that the team I root for is priced out of the free agent market.  But this is the system major league baseball wants.  I can either stop being a fan or accept it.  I'm nowhere near the baseball fan I used to be, but I still follow the sport for the moment.

My big question is this; I know this is what baseball wants- but is it good for the sport to have such a huge disparity?

There was a similar period in baseball before.  Look at these World Series:

• 1958: New York Yankees def. Milwaukee Braves
• 1957: Milwaukee Braves def. New York Yankees
• 1956: New York Yankees def. Brooklyn Dodgers
• 1955: Brooklyn Dodgers def. New York Yankees
• 1954: New York Giants def. Cleveland Indians
• 1953: New York Yankees def. Brooklyn Dodgers
• 1952: New York Yankees def. Brooklyn Dodgers
• 1951: New York Yankees def. New York Giants
• 1950: New York Yankees def. Philadelphia Phillies
• 1949: New York Yankees def. Brooklyn Dodgers

In a ten year period, three teams took up 17 of the 20 spots in the World Series.  If you were a fan of the Yankees, Dodgers, or Giants, this was an awesome era of baseball.  If you rooted for any other team... was this fun?  

I'm not upset about this decision.  But it is a decision by baseball to encourage a few superteams.  They seem to think this is a good thing for the sport.  

I remain skeptical.

MLB Playoff Predictions 2023:

National League:

Wild Card Round:
- Phillies over Marlins, 2-0
- Brewers over Diamondbacks 2-1

Division Series:
- Braves over Phillies 3-1
- Dodgers over Brewers 3-1

Championship Series:
- Braves over Dodgers 4-2

American League:

Wild Card Round:
- Rangers over Rays, 2-1
- Blue Jays over Twins 2-1

Division Series:
- Orioles over Rangers 3-1
- Blue Jays over Astros 3-2

Championship Series:
- Orioles over Blue Jays 4-1

World Series:

- Atlanta Braves over Baltimore Orioles, 4-2

Rooting rankings:

1. Texas Rangers
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Minnesota Twins
7. Milwaukee Brewers
8. Philadelphia Phillies
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
10. ...
11. ...
12. Los Angeles Dodgers
13. Houston Astros
14. ...
15. ...
16. ...
17. ...
18. Florida Marlins (STILL BITTER ABOUT 1997!)

Your 2023 MLB Champions

MLB 2021 Thoughts

Yeah, I know... season's already started.  But some late predictions and comments- trying a different format:

It's like rooting for Amazon or Apple...

If I had to bet money on the World Series, I'd go: Dodgers over Yankees, 4 games to 2.  Dodgers clearly have the most talent in the league- which doesn't mean they are a lock to win.  But if I had to bet, they are the team to go with.

The American League is far more wide open.  I could see seven teams getting hot and winning (Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Twins, White Sox, Astros).  But the Yankees have had horrible luck the pasy few years in terms of injuries.  If they stay healthy (big If), they are the most likely to come out of the AL

Team I'm rooting for to win it all this year:  I'm a Cubs and Indians fan, and don't think either will make the playoffs (in fact, I think the Indians might be one of the worst teams in the AL).  I like teams that never won the World Series in my lifetime, which gives me two candidates- the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Rays.  Tampa has had a ton of sports riches, but I'm still bitter about 1984, so let's go Rays.

Most interesting team in baseball in 2021:  The Dodgers, on paper, might be one of the greatest teams ever- but I don't think that necessarily makes them interesting.  The Pirates might be one of the worst teams ever- but again, that doesn't make them interesting.

For interesting- how about the Blue Jays?  A young team with a ton of young, second generation players.  Their hitting looks great- their pitching is either really good (Hyun Jin Ryu, Taijuan Walker) or awful- and pitching is highly variable.  

One final thought:  The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires at the end of the year.  Financially, baseball has a lot of problems.  The Dodgers are spending $226 million on their payroll this year, and a quarter of the league isn't spending 1/3 of that amount.  I don't see how this system can continue- but the CBA isn't between the owners; it's between the owners and the players.  There is a good possibility of a strike after this season, and it might be a long one.  I'm not making any predictions- I'm just going to enjoy baseball this year.

2021 Topps Baseball Cards

 I'm very discouraged by the state of baseball in 2021.  But I'm also a longtime collector of baseball cards, and seeing the new sets usually bring me joy...

But baseball cards have become unusually hot lately.  Prices have skyrocketed, and cards are being hoarded.  I was lucky to find one booster pack at Target, and can check out the pack of the Topps set.  Here are my comments:

1)  The front of the card isn't my favorite.  I like the white broder and 70th anniversary emblem, but the blue diagonal stripes are a little distracting.  But at least it looks different- unlike other years, you can easily identify it's the 2021 set.

2)  The back of the cards, however... I think they look great.  They are clean and easily readable.  

3)  The new normal is a ton of varaitions and inserts.  The 2021 has 18 parallels of each card- purple to gold foil to celebrating Mother's Day to.... it's an overabundance.  

4)  And inserts... According to Beckett, the 2021 Topps has 31 different kinds of inserts. Again, it's overkill.

I'm glad I got the cards to check them out.  But I have no desire to spend the money to put together a set.  Maybe if I fall in love with a special insert, I'll go out of my way to get that.  But considering most of my favorite players were in the 70's and 80's and have been long retired, I'll most likely focus on those players instead.

The Lindor trade and the death of hope

 The Cleveland Indians traded Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets.

This is bad- and I don't think people realize how bad.  And it has nothing to do with who the Indians receive in this trade (I know very little about those prospects).

The Indians have traded superstar players before.  Joe Carter.  Bartolo Colon.  Cliff Lee.  CC Sabathia.  Kenny Lofton.  Trevor Bauer.  Corey Kluber.  I'm sure I'm missing others.

But this one is worse.  Here's why.

In the past, the trades were explained by one of two conditions:

1)  The team is in horrible shape, and we are trading one of our few good players to rebuild entirely.

That doesn't apply here.  The Indians have done extremely well, and made the playoffs four out of the past five years.

2)  We cannot pay superstar player A- but because we trade him, we can pay B, C and D.

The Indians are not in a case where they have to choose between paying five players the market rate.  They aren't paying anyone.  They have the lowest payroll in baseball- half the next lowest team.

The Indians have been blessed with an abundance of talent over the past five years... and the message the owner, Paul Dolan, has shown has that he will not spend money for this team... ever.

Even if the Indians develop superstar players, those players will not stay with the team.  

It's one thing to tell fans, "We cannot match the salaries of the Dodgers and Yankees.  We have to pick our spots to compete."

It's another to say, "We cannot compete, and we will not try."

That is the message the Indians sent, and that is the message the fans received.

Baseball Card Thoughts

Topps has released their 2020 baseball cards.  I have my $0.11 on them...

1st- they are beautiful- but to me, it's a sterile beauty.  Take a look at these two baseball cards:

The one on the left is the 2018 Mike Trout from Topps; the one of the right is the 2020 Mike Trout.  The pictures are stunning- but the cards are too similar.  Both borderless, both of the same in-game moment.  Except for the helmet, you could have told me that they were from the same at-bat, and I'd have believed you.

Below is an example from almost 50 years ago;  The 1971 Topps Johnny Bench and the 1973 Bench.  They look different; not only is one a pose while the other is in-game, but just the feel of the cards are different.  Each year had a different redesign.  You can pick out a 1971 Topps from a 1972 from a 1973... it made collecting the cards more special.

Cards have also become a legalized lottery.  Packs are expensive (my 3 packs were $2.99 apiece for 16 cards), but they all have special inserts that, in theory, could be sold for more money.  I fear we are at a stage where no one collects and everyone invest, at which point the market will fall out.  There's also so many sets that trying to be a completionist is impossible

I'm not an investor; I collect for fun. I'll pick a small group and work on them.  

One set I do want to collect is the 2020 Topps Heritage Set.  The Heritage sets have the layouts of years past, and this one is the 1971 Topps (the black bordered cards).  I want to do this the old-fashioned way; opening up a few packs at a time, putting the set together manually.  It's a bad investment- but it'll appeal to my inner 11 year old.

MLB Playoff Predictions

National League:

Brewers over Nationals, 1-0

Braves over Cardinals, 3-2
Dodgers over Brewers, 3-1

Dodgers over Braves, 4-2



American League:

Tampa Bay over Athletics, 1-0

Twins over Yankees, 3-2
Astros over Tampa Bay, 3-1

Astros over Twins, 4-1



World Series:

Astros over Dodgers, 4-2

2019 MLB Predictions

American League:

East:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Central:

1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

West:

1. Houston Astros
2. Los Angeles Angels (Wild Card)
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Texas Rangers

Playoffs:

• Los Angeles Angels over New York Yankees (Wild Card Game)
• Boston Red Sox over Los Angeles Angels
• Houston Astros over Cleveland Indians
• Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox

Rookie of the Year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays

Cy Young:  Mike Clevinger, Indians

MVP:  Mike Trout, Angels

National League:

East:

1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Washington Nationals
4. New York Mets
5. Florida Marlins

Central:

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Wild Card)
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Cincinnati Reds

West:

1. Colorado Rockies
2. San Diego Padres (Wild Card)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Francisco Giants

Playoffs:

• Milwaukee Brewers over San Diego Padres
• St. Louis Cardinals over Colorado Rockies
• Milwaukee Brewers over Atlanta Braves
• Milwaukee Brewers over St. Louis Cardinals

Rookie of the Year: Luis Urías, Padres

Cy Young:  Aaron Nola, Phillies

MVP:  Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals

World Series:  Houston Astros over Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2

Baseball: Needing a storyline.

I used to be a baseball fan, before any other sport. And I still like following it. But right now, it doesn't hold the interest of sports fans the way basketball and football do.

There's a part of me that thinks baseball needs a villain- and that Bryce Harper might be the best person to fit that role.

Harper is a free agent- and people thought he'd be the first $300 million dollar player. But as of today, no one has signed him. And the fact that no one is upset that he hasn't been signed is part of the problem.

Imagine if he signed a one year deal with the Yankees for a bargain basement price and point blank said, "If the owners aren't going to pay me what I'm worth, I'm going to get a title- something Washington couldn't do- and keep doing so until the fans and owners smarten up about by worth."

He won't- for some very good reasons- but that would make Harper THE story for baseball for 2019. Because right now, baseball needs something to attract the attention of the public.

MLB Playoff and Awards Predictions

American League:

Minnesota Twins over New York Yankees (Wild Card)
Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox in 4 games
Cleveland Indians over Minnesota Twins in 4 games
Cleveland Indians over Houston Astros in 7 games

National League:
Colorado Rockies over Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card)
Washington Nationals over Chicago Cubs in 5 games
Los Angeles Dodgers over  Colorado Rockies in 3 games
Washington Nationals over Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games

World Series:
Cleveland Indians over Washington Nationals in 6 games

AL Awards:
MVP:  Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Cy Young:  Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
Rookie of the Year:  Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Manager of the Year:  Paul Molitor, Minnesota Twins

NL Awards:
MVP:  Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
Cy Young:  Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Rookie of the Year:  Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager of the Year:  Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball 2017 predictions

American League                            

EAST                           W            L

Toronto Blue Jays              92           70

Boston Red Sox                 90           72

Baltimore Orioles              88           74

New York Yankees               81           81

Tampa Bay Rays                 77           85

CENTRAL                        W            L

Cleveland Indians              96           66

Kansas City Royals             85           77

Chicago White Sox              80           82

Detroit Tigers                 77           85

Minnesota Twins                62           100

WEST                           W            L

Houston Astros                 93           69

Seattle Mariners               92           70

Texas Rangers                  88           74

Oakland Athletics              81           81

Los Angeles Angels             63           99

Notes:

Playoffs:  Seattle over Boston (Wild Card)

ALDS:      Cleveland over Seattle

           Houston over Toronto

ALCS:      Cleveland over Toronto

* Biggest story is that the Angels will consider trading Mike Trout and contending teams will offer a ton of young players and prospects- it may be the biggest trade in baseball in 50 years.

National League                            

EAST                           W            L

Washington Nationals           93           69

New York Mets                  85           77

Miami Marlins                  80           82

Philadelphia Phillies          70           92

Atlanta Braves                 70           92

CENTRAL                        W            L

Chicago Cubs                   96           66

St. Louis Cardinals            85           77

Pittsburgh Pirates             79           83

Milwaukee Brewers              75           87

Cincinnati Reds                66           96

WEST                           W            L

San Francisco Giants           92           70

Los Angeles Dodgers            89           73

Colorado Rockies               80           82

Arizona Diamondbacks           74           88

San Diego Padres               74           88

Notes:

Playoffs:  Los Angeles over New York (Wild Card)

ALDS:      Chicago over Los Angeles

           Washington over San Frnacisco

ALCS:      Chicago over Washington

World Series:  Cleveland Indians 4, Chicago Cubs 3