Braves’ place
So baseball is back. Atlanta is listed as one of two teams with the third-best team in the MLB in the view of Vegas. (Granted that’s not entirely just about the best, weighing and mitigating risk from the betting houses plays a part too.)
Los Angeles is the favorite to win it all at plus-500 (bet $100, win $500 at DraftKings). They are followed by the Blue Jays at plus-850 and then the Yankees and the Braves at plus-950.
In truth, I think the Braves are overvalued right there considering that a) arguably their best starting pitcher (Mike Soroka) may not be available until goodness knows when, b) their best position players (Ronald Acuña Jr., who is as good as any position player in baseball) will not use his glove until after Memorial Day in all likelihood and c) the NL East is going to be a pretty salty division with an improved Mets team, a free-dealing, free-spending Phillies crew, the young-and-talented Marlins, and the stinky Nats who have Juan Soto and little else but somehow find ways to give the Braves fits.
Now there is reason to believe, at least in the odds-makers’ eyes. The Braves will be supercharged with power. Draft Kings has Adam Duvall’s home run over/under set at 33.5, Austin Riley’s at 31.5, Matt Olson’s at 39.5, and Acuña Jr.’s at 36.5 – and that’s with him missing the first few weeks. Add in Ozzie Albies (who hit 30 homers last year), Dansby Swanson (27 in ’22), and whatever the Braves can get from Travis d’Arnaud, DH Marcel Ozuna and the rest of the outfielders, well that’s a whole lot of pop 1-thru-9.
In fact, I think the Braves’s lineup – when healthy – of Acuña, Olson, Riley, Ozuna, Albies Duvall, d’Arnaud, Swanson, Rosario, in that order or whatever variation is right behind the Dodgers as the best in baseball.
And Atlanta’s is not behind by much, and may have a smidge more power if not as highly accomplished in the slash lines.
With that, here’s our picks (with the odds to win their divisions in parenthesis) for this season. (Side note: Take this with a grain of salt or 4 million since I had the Lakers winning the West in my NBA picks, which is assuredly not happening since the Lakers are assuredly missing the playoffs. Maybe LeBron can use that free time to go film “Fish That Saved Peking” or some other basketball remake?)
NL East – Braves (plus-120);
NL Central – Brewers (minus-165);
NL West – Dodgers (minus-220);
AL East – Rays (plus-330);
AL Central – Twins (plus-475);
AL West – Astros (minus-180).Wildcards (with odds to make the playoffs) – Giants (minus-135), Padres (minus-245) and Phillies (minus-140) in the NL. Side note on the NL: I like the Mets, but if Jacob deGrom is hurt, the Mets are sunk. The Yankees (minus-400), the Blue Jays (minus-425) and the White Sox (minus-390) in the AL.
Give me the Dodgers over the Braves in the NLCS that will draw a smidge of interest around these parts and the Yankees over the Astros in the AL.
Dodgers over Yankees in the Series. (And yes, this is the third year in a row I’ve picked this matchup, and I likely will keep picking it until it happens. Or they turn the comments back on, whichever comes first.)
Masters begins
So we compiled all of the zaniness from this week and shared it with the sports section in terms of Masters memories. Since there is a rain delay this morning – only reason to have a weather delay at Augusta National is because the Lord Himself has something more pressing to tend to, so He pauses the event until He can get back and watch it unfold – we’ve got a little more time for more Masters thoughts.
> I’m truly excited for Luke List, and have placed a couple of entertainment duckets on the local kid.
> The betting options are limitless for an event like this. And man, Tiger Woods at plus-240 (bet $100 win $240) to shoot par or better in round one looks mighty attractive.
Side note: Man, do I miss the LeBatard Show on local radio. And that last sentence made me think of the truly great “Looks Like” game the LeBatard crew would do. And one of the all-timers was Andy Reid looks like the guy in the company break room that walks up to the pastry tray, wags his finger at a jelly-filled doughnut and says to no one in particular, “Don’t mind if a I do.”
In honor of that, the ‘Masters looks like’ game starts with the mulleted-magician with a putter, Cam Smith. Go.
> What do you think you’d shoot at Augusta National from the pro tees with these conditions? Side note: Unless Keith Mitchell is reading this, there are very few among us who would not shoot in triple digits.
> Pimento cheese, friend or foe? Discuss. (For me, friend. Egg salad? Uh thanks but no.)
> Man, if we had the comments working, I’d be up for everyone picking a winner – no duplicates, and first come, first serve – and whoever wins gets lunch on me.
Alas. (I’d do it with emails, but the overflow of Rahm, JT, Xander, et al., entries would make for zaniness.)
Come on comments.
Masters hodgepodge
It’s a Masters kinda day, you know. So here’s some more.
First, if you are not aware of Dude Perfect, the collection of sports and prank-playing fellows who are internet sensations, then you likely do not have a teenage son. And that’s OK. (Side note: And by internet sensations, I mean 57 million YouTube followers, which likely generates enough fees and sponsorship dollars that the Perfect Dudes could afford the Augusta National dues.)
But you want to know something that’s kind of unknown cool about Augusta National? They are willing to partner with the dudes from Dude Perfect and have them kick soccer balls toward the holes on Amen Corner – and do it with Bryson DeChambeau – and use croquet mallets and hockey sticks as putters in an effort to get golf in front of different audiences. It’s more than smart for a game that has a fan base with the media age of and Alexian sock-hop.
It’s percent, Dude.
Second, here’s Dan Wetzel on Phil Mickelson missing the Masters. According to Masters chairman Fred Ridley, Mickelson backed out after his controversial comments.
And Ridley has no reason to be dishonest here; if it was not that way he could very easily offer a non-committal comment about reserving the right not to discuss invitations and tournament inclusion. The Masters is cool like that.
So I believe Mickelson pulled out amid the backlash. I also believe that Mickelson had decided to play, Ridley and his crew would have had some serious requirements before he could stroll the grounds.
Finally, we have a record 77 Masters contest entries, so there’s that. I will post the names tomorrow to make sure everyone’s confirmed.