Unless you’re fortunate to have spent some time in either Florida or Arizona, Thursday was probably your first baseball since the Astros defeated the Phillies last year. As such, you’re probably as excited as I am, and are already to draw some pretty crazy conclusions based on one or two games. It’s what we do. We overreact, make crazy bets, plan for WS parades and whatnot.

Of course, it’s foolish to extrapolate too much from one game. Unlike the NFL where one game in September did matter (before last season), one of 162 games isn’t going to have the same impact on a team’s overall success. Yet, we naturally draw conclusions because we are so eager to have baseball in our everyday lives.

If you’re a passionate fan you’re more than likely to take a certain amount of pleasure in seeing your foes start the season on the wrong foot. Schadenfreude isn’t reserved for sports fans, but we do like seeing our rivals suffer a little. We also realize that what goes around comes around.

Every year there are a handful of opening day stars-many of whom are complete surprises. Every team has a history of guys that burst out of the gates, raising expectations and winning some games in early April. It’s fun to imagine what they can and will do over the course of a full season.

Adley Rutschman for AL MVP!!