Hello, and welcome to 2016. Here are some dates you need to know:
January 6: The Hall of Fame class is announced. Ken Griffey Junior is a given, Mike Piazza is also looking pretty good…but what about Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell? How will Trevor Hoffman do in his first year of eligibility?
January 29: The Inaugural Baseball Continuum Blogathon for Charity! It’s going to be fun, and hopefully it’s going to help raise some good money for a good cause!
February 11-14: The World Baseball Classic qualifier in Sydney, Australia will take place, featuring Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Africa. Personally, I expect Australia to win this group.
February 17: Pitchers and Catchers begin to report.
February 21: By this point, every team should have had pitchers and catchers reported.
February 28: First spring training game, albeit between the Phillies and a college team.
March 1: First spring training games between MLB teams.
March 17-20: In Mexicali and Panama City, more WBC qualifiers will take place. Mexico, Czech Republic, Germany and Nicaragua will play in Mexicali, while Colombia, France, Panama and Spain will be in Panama City. I’m picking Mexico and Panama to win these groups.
April 1-2: The now seemingly-annual exhibition games in Montreal take place, between the Blue Jays and Red Sox.
April 3-4: Opening day is a longer affair this year, with three games on Sunday (as opposed to just the one that had occurred in previous years) and then a more traditional opening day on Monday. Sounds fun.
April 18: The annual 11:05 AM Patriots’ Day game in Boston, between the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
April 18-20: The Cubs go to St. Louis for the first time this season. Given how last year ended and how the Cardinals and their fans took Jason Heyward leaving for Chicago, this could be… interesting.
May 9-12: The Dodgers (with Chase Utley) face the Mets for the first time since the playoffs last year. Sparks (and fists) may fly.
May 31: The first anniversary of Bartolo Colon hitting a double. Give thanks on this day.
June 9-11: The draft will take place.
July 4-6: The Royals and Blue Jays meet for the first time since the epic ALCS.
July 11: The Home Run Derby in San Diego! PETCO Park is not exactly a hitter’s park, but with the second year of the new format, it could look small, depending on who takes part.
July 12: The All-Star Game in San Diego! I’ve been to PETCO Park once, and it’s very deserving of an All-Star Game.
July 18: The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2016 is announced.
July 24: The Hall of Fame inductions will take place.
July 31: The non-waiver trade deadline.
September 22-25: In Brooklyn, the last WBC qualifier will take place, featuring teams representing Israel, Brazil, Great Britain and Pakistan. I’d say Brazil has a slight edge to win this group.
September 25: If the Dodgers’ don’t make the playoffs, this may well be the last game that Vin Scully calls from the Dodger Stadium booth. No, I’m not crying, YOU’RE CRYING!
October 2: The last day of the regular season will again see every team playing at the same time, with many of the games being division match-ups. This will also be (barring a very unlikely playoff run) the day of the last game in the history of Turner Field.
October-November: The postseason! The schedule hasn’t been officially announced yet.
December 1: The current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends. While there appear to be no major rifts between the owners and the MLBPA, nothing is for certain until an extension is made or a new CBA is agreed upon.
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There aren’t as many links from over the Holiday break, so here’s just one SELF-PROMOTIONAL ITEM: The latest Bizarre Baseball Culture was an especially weird one, about a baseball episode in an Ultraman series in Japan where a baseball glove turns into an evil giant monster!
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Until next time, this has been Dan Glickman.
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