Winners and Losers

There were clearly going to be winners and losers today, and I kinda ended up with a bit of both. On the MLB front, I’m just happy it’s still Spring Training since my Angles team dropped a game today where they scored 10 runs. Hopefully, this is not a portent of things to come. On the March Mammal Madness front, the tournament has finally kicked off, and I’m excited to see who ends up as the ultimate victor. So far, my picks have been doing pretty well.

Heaney to Start Opening Day

It’s an honor to be selected as the Opening Day starter for an MLB team, and Andrew Heaney finally attained his wish. Ok, it’s not pitching the winning game in the World Series or playing in the All-Star Game, but it’s a rung on the ladder of success.

Sadly, days after being announced as the ‘ace’ of the Angels pitching staff, Heaney had his worst outing of the Spring. Pitching 2 and 2/3 innings, Heaney did manage to strike out 3 and didn’t walk a soul, but that was the only plus side of things. He surrendered 5 hits, 4 earned runs, and a 3-run home run in that short outing. Hey, but at least it’s Spring Training. He has plenty of time to shake off the bad game and turn things around before the real games start. I just hope this doesn’t reflect a deeper issue that will carry over into the regular season.

On the positive side of things, Justin Upton’s smacked his first Spring home run, and the Angels kept fighting all game long. From an offensive point of view, the game was pretty fun to watch as there were 21 runs scored even though the Angels lost. I’m still hoping the Angels get better at hitting with runners in scoring position (they went 2–11), but it’s still Spring, so there’s still time to get things working.

March Mammal Madness

Today kicks off the 2020 tournament with the battle between the Mighty Grandidier’s Mongoose and the Odiforous Pygmy Spotted Skunk.

The blow-by-blow for tonight’s main event can be found on Twitter with the hashtag #2020MMM, @2020MMMletsgo, or at the wakelet.

My personal pick for the bout is the Pygmy Skunk, but it looks like the Mongoose is favored according to the ‘official’ unofficial bracket challenge page by over 56% of the fans.

Regardless, the battle will show who the real winner is…other than all of us who win just by learning about all the wonderful combatants in the tournament.

And right off the bat, the Mongoose gains the upper hand when the coin flip determines the location of the match – the scrubland of Tsimanampetsotsa Reserve in Madagascar…home field for the critter.

But even on his home turf, the Grandidier’s “Mongoose” can’t deal with the spray of the Spotted Skunk. As I expected, the Skunk takes the bout as the Mongoose runs away, trying to get rid of the horrible smell.

It’s a Wrap

Wow! I’m 100% with my picks so far in March Mammal Madness. I feel so good to have been able to foresee the Skunk advancing into the round of 64. I’m just hoping the little voice in the back of my head is wrong for the Angels, since I want them to perform better than my expectations during the regular season. I have faith.

Ramble 2020.01.19 | Winners and Losers