Opening Day is Sunday and The Big Dog Has Made His Picks

Opening Day should be a national holiday for America's pastime. Thousands of Americans and Canadians will be heading through the turnstiles into ballparks as the 2016 Major League Baseball season gets underway Sunday.  

The season starts Sunday in Pittsburgh for the St. Louis Cardinals, in Anaheim for the Chicago Cubs, in Oakland for the Chicago White Sox and in Kansas City for the Royals hosting the New York Mets.

This day had special memories for me because for a long time I would take my dad to see opening day as his birthday present. I miss those days and wish I could go pick him up and head to the ball park again. He passed away years ago, but the best part is those memories will always be with me.

This is also the time of the year when "hope springs eternal" for all teams playing. With that said, here are my predictions for 2016.  In the National League East, I am picking the New York Mets to win that division. In the National League Central, I am going with the St. Louis Cardinals. The winner of the National League West will be the San Francisco Giants with the wildcards going to the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals. The winner of the National League title will again be the Mets.

In the American League I am picking the Toronto Blue Jays to win the East with the World Champion Kansas City Royals winning the Central and the Texas Rangers winning the West. The wildcards teams will be the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. The American League winner will be the Royals once again.

The World Series winner will be the Kansas City Royals again in a repeat of last year's World Series. So, it's opening day for baseball and that means that it will soon be opening day for the batting cage too. I can't wait! Baseball, what a great game!