It's Go Time - Opening Day Is Here

This is it. It’s basically do or die for the White Sox. If 2016 plays out, they might as well start the fire sale. They’ve got a core that most teams in baseball would kill for and have seemingly built around them with a decent group of glue guys to where just about every national prognosticator thinks they could and should contend for a playoff birth. No more bullshit, it’s fucking go time.

There has been a different vibe surrounding the team this offseason. Yeah, they had the whole Drake Laroche situation, but when I was down in Arizona I was talking to a few people in the know (hardo!) and they all agreed that this team, with the veteran leadership they added this offseason, is more tight knit and sick of losing than ever. They’re done fucking around. They’re done being mediocre. They now expect victory.

I already went in depth on how I see the season unfolding in my 2016 preview blog; no, I don’t think they’re gonna rattle off 95+ wins, but I don’t think anyone else in the division is either. Top to bottom, this is the most competitive division in baseball, not because it’s loaded with teams that could win 100 games, but because not one team is head and shoulders better or worse than the rest of the divison. Unless the Royals keep winning in spite of their lack of good baseball players, come October I wouldn’t be shocked if the AL Central’s first place through fifth place teams are only separated by 10 games or so. These teams are going to beat each other up all season long, both literally because the Royals are a bunch of dirty scum bags, and on the field for about 80 games this season. It’s going to be a dog fight from today through game 162, and there are ZERO excuses for the Sox to not be in contention.

I’m not going to get into analytics, stats, projections and all of the other shit right now. Tonight’s game will be a microcosm of how the 2016 season is going to play out. Chris Sale – Vegas’ favorite to win the AL Cy Young award – takes the bump tonight, and he is going to make Oakland look like a bunch of high school hitters. His fastball/slider/changeup combination will cork screw Oakland’s shitty lineup into the ground time and time again. Then Eaton will set the table for Abreu and Frazier, scratching together enough runs to win the baseball game. Waiting for tonight’s 9pm start time will be like waiting for Christmas… x1000. And I cannot fucking wait. Fuck the Royals, fuck the Cubs and let’s win a goddamn division title.

Sox fans have been asking for a Sox podcast so I hopped on with Zach Gropper of Grab Some Bench and previewed the Sox, AL Central and rest of baseball last night. Have a listen