By Ryan “The Goose” Gosiker
As we approach the vaunted changing of clocks and spring ahead, it is time for a little spring preview. No, I am not going to tell you whether I see my shadow or not. However, baseball is coming early this year! The first games for MLB are on March 20th and 21st in Korea. Both NY teams will start on March 28th with the Mets home and the Yankees in Houston. The season will start before the Easter Bunny arrives on March 31st. If you are a NY sports fan, outside of Rangers fans, you’re looking forward to the baseball season as a fresh beginning thanks to a disgusting fall and brutal winter. The Giants were terrible, the Jets saw their Lord and Savior, Aaron Rodgers, go down just 4 plays in, the Devils have been a disaster, the Islanders are not very good, the Brooklyn Nets are awful, and the Knicks are watching their season be derailed by injury. So, baseball is the hope. Improving your golf game is not the hope, baseball season is and will be until failure. The Yankees come into the season with World Series or bust expectations. Do NOT let any of your Yankee fans tell you otherwise. The fanbase is starving for their 1st title since 2009 and they acquired, arguably, the best pure hitter in baseball. They still have Gerrit Cole, the best pitcher in baseball. They still have Aaron Judge, the best player in baseball, when healthy which is a massive question considering Judge himself said his toe won’t ever be fully healed, he will have to manage it. They have Anthony Volpe who should take a leap in his 2nd season. Giancarlo Stanton looks to be in the best shape of his Yankee tenure. Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon are expected to return to form. Anthony Rizzo is finally concussion free. This is a team with holes and questions and is relying on plenty of “if he takes that jump” or “if he returns to form.” However, this is how hope is built and all sports teams do it. No one expects the Mets to win the World Series. Most of the fanbase does not even see the playoffs as a possibility and some don’t even see 80 wins as plausible. The Mets are built around their usual core and veterans looking for new beginnings and redemption. They rely on their players pitching and hitting to their career averages. If they can get that, sure, this team can be in the playoff hunt with the expanded postseason. If they see what they did last year which was severe regression by core members and surrounding parts, this team will struggle. Let us spring ahead to the good times baseball season brings us all. Check out my sports show: “Game Time with The Goose” every Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 AM on WTBQ AM 1110 FM 93.5 and on WGHT Radio with co-host Zach Kruk, Sports Director of WTBQ and WGHT!
