The final game of the regular season means different things to different people. Fans of 18 games will be contemplating their team’s sordid past and rosy future, maybe simultaneously. It’s been a few years since I last closed out a regular season at a ballpark and I don’t feel any better about it. Unlike last season, I have a couple rooting interests beyond today. My #2 team, the Brewers has made the postseason-again and I’m rooting especially hard for the Orioles as well.
The fate of two managers has already been sealed and I expect more pink slips in the next couple of weeks. If fans of those teams have confidence in their front offices, then the changes should be positive.
In Chicago the offseason appears to be a Tale of Two Teams without that guy Dickens doing the writing. If you bleed Cubs blue, you’re buying that the team is on the upswing after a surprising season. If you pull for the Pale Hose, questions are mounting as quickly as Michael Kopech walks.
Franchises like the Dodgers and Houston confuse things as they make building sustained winners look easy. If one were to believe the smart guys, the Mariners would be playoff contenders for years to come after their great 2022 season. Well, they fell short, and the Rangers made the postseason after a 7-year absence.
Fans in Cincy must be pulling their collective hair out and not because they fell short of the last spot in the NL playoffs. For the better part of the last three years, the Reds, Padres and White Sox have been the preseason teams to surprise. The Pads did it last year and the Sox did it this year by losing 100 games when they were supposed to compete with the Twins. Somehow, the Reds surprised everyone by winning 82 games (as of 3:12 pm CT) after only winning 62 games last year. In comparing the two seasons it’s easier to look at the wins: 62/82 instead of saying they lost 100 games last year. On the face this accomplishment should be cause for celebration in the Queen City, but the fans know better. Ownership hasn’t historically spent wisely on free agents, and player development hasn’t been their strong suit either. Throw in the fact that manager David Bell hasn’t earned the fans’ trust yet. Have they really leapfrogged the Pirates and Cardinals?
Last season I spent the better part of ten days mapping out plans to attend one playoff game out of town. It was kind of fun looking at flights for multiple cities, and working the MLB ballpark app for affordable tickets. This year I may stick closer to home and head north the American Family Field, but I wouldn’t be averse to revisiting Baltimore on the 40th Anniversary.
This however will be the third time in the past four years that I won’t be traveling to Arizona to cover the Arizona Fall League. Circumstances dictate that I’ll sit out the 30th season in the Valley. I made it 15 times and had hoped to produce an overview.
Good luck to your teams unless they are playing the Orioles or the Brewers!
