I don’t know if Japan’s victory over the US last night in the championship game of the WBC cast a pall over Chicago or Mother Nature is just playing with us, but the weather (lack of sunshine) stinks on toast. Whether this is meant to foreshadow what next Thursday will look like worries me a little.

Some of MLB’s voices and scribes are describing last night’s Trout-Ohtani showdown as one of the greatest in MLB history. It was a neat, if over-hyped moment, but it happened in an exhibition game and not Game 7 of a World Series game.

Several players made the most of their opportunities under the bright lights. Most of the players seemed to be enjoying themselves and the fans’ enthusiasm was genuine. I don’t think it’s going to carry over into the regular season, but I expect MLB will be happy with a boost in jersey and cap sales.

As I’ve been discussing with a few friends, there’s no good time to hold the tournament, but that doesn’t mean they should or will stop holding them. In most cases, I prefer single-elimination tournaments, but baseball is played in multiple game series with the exception of the College World Series. The WBC is already a strain on ML teams and their pitching staffs, so moving from the one and done isn’t worth discussing.

I’m anxious to see all of the players return to their ML teams and prepare for the upcoming season. I know Phillies fans are looking forward to see Kyle Schwarber, J.T Realmuto and Trea Turner return to Clearwater.