So, where have I been all week?
Fair question. It is March, but I'm usually more consistent than this. A week ago Thursday I was getting a workout in during the early afternoon when I heard an unbelievable crash out in the driveway. From the kitchen windows, I could see ice falling and I knew it wasn't good immediately.
A giant sheet of ice slid off the roof and dropped two stories onto my vehicle. Windshield shattered, tail light gone, huge dents everywhere and $3,300-plus in damage. God love ya, March. I've lived in this house close to 30 years and nothing even close to that has happened.
For the past week, every single day, I've been chatting up either the insurance company, body shops, the tow-truck operator or whoever else deals in vehicle mayhem. Also, I've been working on a story for my newspaper. Every time I do one of those in-person, multi-person interview stories, it eliminates any other kind of writing (i.e. blog writing) from my schedule. That's how thin the line is between work time and free time. Then, throw in an ice avalanche literally on top of everything.
Yesterday was my first opportunity to relax and I took the day to detox (though I still worked). And I photographed some cards for this year's 30 Teams post, which should have been posted like 10 days ago.
Every year I start off with a plan: I'm going to watch spring training games regularly and get to know some of these players on the other teams. It'll come in handy for 30 Teams! Then March hits, and casual baseball viewing vanishes.. I've watched one game in a week, and that was the Dodgers, a team I know already! This is why I laugh when the World Baseball Classic comes along in March. Ha-ha, like I have time to watch another kind of baseball!
So this year's post won't have much commentary. As a reminder to those who haven't seen the first 17 of these things, this is where I rank all the MLB teams in order of preference. I have done this for a long time, since way back as a young fan and I'd write my picks on a piece of paper. It's also a handy guide for the reader in case they don't know who to root for!
This year I am using parallels to represent each of the teams. I've been deluged by them the last couple of years as all collectors have. Don't blame me for who is featured though. I pull what I pull. And I wasn't the one who rookied-up Heritage.
Let's go:
1. LOS ANGELES DODGERS (highest ranking: 1st; lowest ranking: 1st)
I think this year, instead of getting annoyed when people get mad online at the Dodgers for essentially being a properly functioning baseball team, I will count those moments and select a Dodger card to buy for every comment. I expect to be broke by May.
2. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 5th)
I may not be watching the WBC but I am going through my Vinnie Pasquantino inventory. I have a couple of nice ones for a low-budget collector.
3. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (highest ranking: 3rd; lowest ranking: 7th)
The green parallels go very well with the 2025 Heritage Pirates in my mind and that's because green was the main color used with the Pirates cards in 1976 Topps and I have associated that color with the Pirates ever since even though that is definitely not their color!
4. BALTIMORE ORIOLES (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 18th)
The Orioles seem to have a lot of players with long and complicated names. Nobody cares about this but me and people who work for the Baltimore newspapers, but they don't fit easily in one-column headlines.
5. TORONTO BLUE JAYS (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 8th)
This is a feat. Despite trying to beat the Dodgers with everything they had during the World Series, the Blue Jays slip only one spot. I can't picture this happening to any other team.
6. CINCINNATI REDS (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 16th)
The Reds have their highest ranking ever. I'm not sure why, most likely it's because I like some other teams less than before.
7. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 10th)
If the Phillies can stop trying to beat the Dodgers in the playoffs they might make it back to No. 2 -- wait, scratch that, I've heard their fans during playoff games.
8. BOSTON RED SOX (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 8th)
9. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 17th)
Jose Ramirez is keeping this team afloat in the rankings and has been for a few years.
10. SEATTLE MARINERS (highest ranking: 10th; lowest ranking: 20th)
Postseason bump!! Up four spots!
11. MINNESOTA TWINS (highest ranking: 9th; lowest ranking: 14th)
12. TEXAS RANGERS (highest ranking: 5th; lowest ranking: 12th)
13. SOMETHING-SOMETHING ATHLETICS (highest ranking: 4th; lowest ranking: 13th)
The gypsy nature of this team makes me sad and is keeping it out of the top 10. Moving to Las Vegas isn't going to help in the rankings either.
14. DETROIT TIGERS (highest ranking: 7th; lowest ranking: 14th)
The Tigers have a fair amount of notable players and I know a lot of fans of the team -- both in person and online -- so I hope nobody gets too offended, but I find the franchise boring.
15. NEW YORK METS (highest ranking: 15th; lowest ranking: 21st)
Now that I don't have cable -- and New York teams are always blacked out around here on mlb.tv -- I see much fewer Mets games than ever. I don't know if that's good or bad for them in my rankings. They didn't move this year.
16. TAMPA BAY RAYS (highest ranking: 14th; lowest ranking: 23rd)
Up 3 for no particular reason.
17. MIAMI MARLINS (highest ranking: 13th; lowest ranking: 20th)
Do I know a single person on the Marlins? Probably. But not on recall.
18. MILWAUKEE BREWERS (highest ranking: 10th; lowest ranking: 23rd)
19. CUBS (highest ranking: 18th; lowest ranking: 25th)
Cubs drop one because of the dumb prices sellers want for Pete Crow-Armstrong's 2025 Heritage card.
20. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 25th)
Colorful teams look miserable on these sepia refractors. Not as bad as the negative refractors though.
21. CHICAGO WHITE SOX (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 21st)
Very Christmasy.
22. LOS ANGELES ANGELS (highest ranking: 22nd; lowest ranking: 26th)
24. ATLANTA BRAVES (highest ranking: 19th; lowest ranking: 25th)
25. COLORADO ROCKIES (highest ranking: 22nd; lowest ranking: 26th)
In case you didn't notice, the Braves leaped over the Rockies this year. That's due to the highly unlikely scenario that the Braves play the Rockies in the playoffs this year.
26. HOUSTON ASTROS (highest ranking: 5th; lowest ranking: 28th)
Still can't get them any higher. Maybe someday.
27. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (highest ranking: 26th; lowest ranking: 29th)
We're really in four-teams-tied-for-the-bottom territory now.
28. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (highest ranking: 28th; lowest ranking: 30th)
This card alone prevents the Giants from slipping further.
29. NEW YORK YANKEES (highest ranking: 28th; lowest ranking: 30th)
I'm always disappointed in an established pitcher on another team who signs with the Yankees and then stays. I expect them to play one season for them, get grossed out and move on.
30. SAN DIEGO PADRES (highest ranking: 26th; lowest ranking: 30th)
I could not find any "real" parallels in my collection for the Padres, just this super-dumb back-design parallel, which is appropriate for the Padres. Fourth year in a row at the bottom. Rooting for another year of misfortune!
There you go! Print it out and post it near your viewing device for easy consulting. Even if you don't agree, you've got to admit this post means the season is very close.
Even closer than usual, actually, both because of my lateness and MLB's early start date this year.
March, It's always something. (Hey, that can be its slogan!)
Comments
I always appreciate the “love” for my Royals. Vinnie is quite a character. I love watching him in interviews. I think he would be a fun guy to sit down and chat with over a lunch or dinner.