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Remember the MLB lockout? Neither do we.
OK, OK, we remember it. But with baseball back — and a full 162-game schedule ahead — we’re doubling down on optimism after a dark winter.
So what are we most excited to see this season? ESPN baseball experts Bradford Doolittle, Doug Glanville, Alden Gonzalez, Tim Keown, Tim Kurkjian, Joon Lee, Matt Marrone, Dan Mullen, Buster Olney, Marly Rivera and David Schoenfield share their picks for what has them pumped for 2022.
Bradford Doolittle: All 21,650 innings!
I’m excited about 21,650 innings. That’s a symbolic number more than a precise one but it’s roughly what you get when 30 teams play 162 games apiece under a set of rules not guided by pandemic concerns. For two years, we’ve all craved a sense of normalcy and for those of us who love baseball, even when at times it tries so hard to be unlovable, nothing promotes that day-by-day sense of rightness like the daily companionship of our greatest game. And real games, no snipped doubleheaders, no weird extra-inning gimmicks. Just baseball for six months, 2,430 games and (approximately) 21,650 innings. For weeks it’s seemed impossible that we’d get it but here we are, the full menu. Thank goodness.
Doug Glanville: A diamond anniversary … celebrated on the diamond
I am most excited about the chance to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers debut. Especially after we all were facing the game spiraling into a deeper labor dispute. His memory gives us a chance to reflect on the game’s meaning with an appreciation for what some players had to endure just to create opportunity for others. After experiencing a pandemic and recognizing so many efforts to be a more inclusive society, Robinson’s legacy reminds us not to take our gifts for granted. The game needs that reminder right now.
Marly Rivera: Meeting the (2022) Mets
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Source : espn
