Happy MLB Opening Day! Plus, party like it’s 2006, Sacramento Kings fans

Good morning to everyone but especially to…

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

It’s here! Opening Day has arrived, and soon the sounds of bats cracking and gloves popping (… and a pitch timer ticking, and players sliding into bigger bases) will fill the air.

Our MLB experts have made their official predictions for season standings, league pennants and, ultimately, World Series champions. Here’s a breakdown of who they like to win it all:

Here’s why our Dayn Perry went with San Diego.

If the Padres are going to win their first ever championship, Juan Soto is going to have to brush off a down 2022, and our Matt Snyder talked to Soto and wrote about why he should be regarded as the NL MVP favorite.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s appreciate Opening Day. Whether your team is hoping to contend for a title or get the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft(or something in between), hope springs eternal today, and there are plenty of great pitching matchups to get the season underway. Our Mike Axisa ranked them all, and atop the list is…

Here are some more news and notes before things really get going:

Honorable mentionsNot so honorable mentionsKings clinch first playoff berth since 2006 🏀 

Light the beam and party like it’s 2006, Sacramento: The Kings are headed to the playoffs!

To give you an idea of how long it’s been: there are only four NBA players who have played this season who also played in 2005-06 — LeBron James, Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul and Udonis Haslem.

Not only are the Kings going to the postseason, but they made it with ease and are currently the 3 seed in the Western Conference. Here’s the list of teams who have clinched a playoff berth so far:

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday put up historic numbers 🏀

Welcome to the 50-point club, Jrue Holiday, and welcome to history, Bucks! Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up some absurd numbers in a 149-136 win over the Pacers.

What more can I say? Well, a lot actually. Our Jack Maloney put the duo’s performance in historic perspective. Here are some of my favorite notes:

So, yeah. Those guys are pretty good.

Final Four preview: Ranking starters, evaluating rosters 🏀 USATSI

The paths they took to get here differed, but Miami, UConn, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic all have one thing in common: They’re the last four teams still competing for a national championship.

But how did these four get here, exactly? Our David Cobb took a trip down memory lane to see where the players ranked as recruits, and the average recruiting rank of the contributors is eye-opening:

What I love most about this group is that these teams have found contributors from all over: Miami’s standout center Norchad Omier, for example, wasn’t even ranked at all in the 2020 recruiting class, spent two years at Arkansas State and is now arguably the most important player on a team two wins away from the title. Meanwhile, six of FAU’s top nine contributors weren’t ranked at all in their classes, either.

Omier comes in sixth in Kyle Boone’s rankings of all of the Final Four starters. The player he’ll face Saturday is first:

Here’s Kyle’s entire 1-20.

Panthers down to two QBs for No. 1 pick; biggest draft needs for every team 🏈 Getty Images

And then there were two.

The Panthers are reportedly deciding between Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud as their selection with the first overall pick.

The Panthers’ top priority is quarterback — that’s why they made the blockbuster trade with the Bears, after all — but what about elsewhere around the league? Our Josh Edwards took a look at most pressing draft needs in both the AFC and the NFC.

I’m particularly interested in the Eagles, who lost many key parts of their NFC championship team of last year but have two first-round picks. Here’s Josh’s take:

What we’re watching Thursday 📺

⚾ White Sox at Astros, 7 p.m. on ESPN🏀 Celtics at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT🏀 Pelicans at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT