The Reds can’t lose. The Pirates can’t win. The Brewers can’t truly get it together, and the Cardinals definitely can’t. The Cubs? They’ve certainly played their way back into the division mix.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we wanted to know your pick to win the National League Central.
“Having Joey Votto back is huge for the Reds,” @00723maui commented.
We asked the same question about the American League Central, where it seems no team is good enough to put the others away now, next week or ever. That at least begins to explain why the White Sox can keep showing up to the ballpark and acting like their games matter.
“Guardians or Twins,” @JBIRD1268 offered.
Last, we asked about NBA super-prospect Victor Wembanyama, the no-doubter No. 1 overall draft pick taken Thursday by the Spurs. How great is this kid’s great going to be?
“Probably more Ralph Sampson than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” @RonaldVoigt4 predicted.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Who will win the National League Central division?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday's paper.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 22, 2023
Q1: Who will win the National League Central division?
Upshot: The Cubs arrived in London for a two-game series against the Cardinals having established themselves — thanks to a 10-2 stretch — as a team to be taken seriously, at least by the standards of a subpar division. Their starting pitching has been outstanding. The bats have come around. Kyle Hendricks’ so-far-successful return has put some pep in the Cubs’ steps. Why not them? Sure, it could happen.
Poll No. 2: Who will win the American League Central division?
Q2: Who will win the American League Central division?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 22, 2023
Upshot: Since bottoming out at 7-21, the Sox have been neither good nor bad. Coincidentally, neither good nor bad is all it takes to stay afloat in the worst division on the planet. So the Sox have that going for them, which is nice. And kind of sad. The vote says the Twins, for what it’s worth. A friendly reporter cast his vote for the Guardians, a nod to the outstanding manager Terry Francona.
Poll No. 3: How great will 7-4 Frenchman Victor Wembanyama — the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James — be?
Q3: How great will 7-4 Frenchman Victor Wenbanyama — the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James — be?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 22, 2023
Upshot: “Wemby,” as he is known worldwide, has the handles, the shot, the vision, the smarts, the maturity — and sure as hell the height — to be a superstar unlike anyone we’ve ever seen, and that’s just the start of it. At least, that’s what we’re led to believe by the analysts on TV and the snot-nosed young fans in our lives who think anyone who played before the era of high-definition television was garbage. Guess we’ll see.
