Almanac Baseball – Ruminations on MLB and ABL

 

It’s been a period of mixed emotions lately on the baseball front. The Red Sox look like they’ll miss the postseason after a succession of humiliating defeats and ongoing problems with their roster. On the other hand, the news coming out of the Australian Baseball League has been overwhelmingly positive.

 

Not a lot has changed in terms of contenders since my last post on the MLB. In the American League, it’s the Yankees and Astros setting the pace. The Dodgers and Mets have consolidated in the National League. Those four are the shortest odds to win the World Series this year with a bit of a gap to the pack.

 

So I’d like to centre my MLB rumination around one player. Albert Pujols has been plying his trade in the majors since 2001. At 42 he is the oldest active player, yet probably the hottest slugger going round. He hits ding-dongs as if he’s swatting flies at the moment. He is on the cusp of overtaking Alex Rodriguez to go fourth on the all-time list. He has all sorts of records but to put his greatness in context, just a few days ago, on August 20th he became the oldest player ever to have four hits and two homers in a single game.

 

We often see champions hang around for too long, but what Pujols is doing now is up there with Foreman KO’ing Moorer in 94 to win the unified heavyweight crown. Well played, Albert. Salud, amigo!

 

Now onto the ABL. Baseball Australia has done a great job getting the pre-Covid band back together for the upcoming season. We will have eight teams with the Bandits, Blue Sox, Cavalry, Aces, Giants, and Heat being joined once again by Geelong Korea and Auckland Tuatara. We will get a ten-round season and the postseason, with it all kicking off in early November. After last year’s cancellation, this is great news for baseball fans.

 

Rounding out this rumination, I will zero in on another player from the majors. Josh Reddick is 35, having started his career in 2009 with the Red Sox. I started my obsession with the lads from Fenway around that time and I took a real shine to Josh. He only had a few seasons in Boston before becoming a bit of a journeyman but I always kept an eye out for him.

 

This summer I’ll be able to see him in the flesh when he, hopefully, travels with the Heat to Melbourne Ballpark in Round 2. Delmon Young, not just a big leaguer but an MVP if you don’t mind, has been enthralling Aces fans in recent years. Now we get to see what another big-name player can do.

 

If the BBL goes as well as Cricket Australia is hoping we will be spoilt for choice this summer. It may be snowing now, but sunshine and good times are within reach.

 

 

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