Take one last walk through the year that was with the very best photos from the 2016 season
It's been more than two weeks since the Cubs set off a party for the ages in Chicago. But we're still not ready to say goodbye to the 2016 season just yet: the dingers, the drama, the outfield dance parties -- it was all just so much fun. So, before we turn our attention to free agency and Winter Meetings, let's take one last walk through the year that was -- as told by its very best photos.
And there's no better way to start, of course, than Photo Day -- signaling the return of baseball and creating fantastically awkward moments since time immemorial. The Padres brought some puppies:
Meanwhile, Royals starter
Elsewhere in Royals shenanigans, the 2015 World Series champions took a moment to celebrate ... and promote their upcoming 1994 R&B album:
Once the games actually began, fans across the league looked to enhance the ballpark experience. One intrepid Marlins fan caught a quick midgame selfie with
While an Indians fan managed to create scoreboard selfie inception:
Some players even got into the act themselves, like
And noted selfie expert
Some photos even transcended the very game of baseball: They became memes. Like this photo of
New day. New game. But that was fun last night. Final six? 2020? ????????? pic.twitter.com/eqKgzHvx2D
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) August 17, 2016
And who can forget the Giants' bullpen storming the field against the Dodgers and/or capturing the precise moment when mom tells you the pizza rolls are ready:
Not to be outdone, Mother Nature set out to prove that nobody is more photogenic than she is:
Alas, things can't always be literal sunshine and rainbows. The 2016 season also saw its fair share of goodbyes -- luckily, though, we were able to chronicle Vin Scully's final season from Opening Day ...
... to the scorebook from his final home game:
And while we also had to bid farewell to the baseball career of
Cubs catcher and Official Team Grandpa
The ultimate selfie. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/oxZB121gi3
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 4, 2016
Speaking of the Cubs, it's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of the photos below, those words are simply "GO CUBS GO" 333 times.
Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Cubs on the way to their championship. They had to sweat for it -- in large part thanks to
LeBron was understandably pumped:
Alas, Opening Day 2017 is still months away. In the meantime, we got a brief taste with the Arizona Fall League, featuring one Tim Tebow -- a man so dedicated to the game that he's willing to try to run through a wall to chase down a fly ball.