[luckymann]

No doubt that 1920 is THE pivotal year for the league.

The ball has already livened up, as shown by that great HR battle between Ruth and Johnson in 1919, and continues to do so from here on in.

The introduction of MiLB means players will be getting plenty of gametime to assist with their development, improving the overall depth and quality of the league.

While we have already seen some of what the NeL has to offer, this really gathers pace in the next few years with legendary names such as Dihigo, Gibson, Bell, Stearnes, Paige and many more set to grace the biggest stage of all.

But the Babe obviously remains the locus around which all of this spins. Will he dominate like he did in IRL? For how much longer will he be used as a two-way player? How will the presence of all these other big bats and strong arms affect his career totals? Will he make it to 600 HR? 700? Will he be the all-time leader when he hangs them up and, if so, for how long?

With regard to the Pirates, we have obviously come off a fairly dominant period with 6 NL pennants and 3 Championships. But our franchise will be right up against it from here on in and we will need to be clever and creative if we want to share at least some of the spoils. We have a good squad now, but will need to continually evolve and improve or the trophy cabinet will not be getting any new additions.

I am so excited to see what this next decade brings it almost hurts.