This morning, the official start of Spring Training kicks off as pitchers and catchers report to camp today in Sarasota, Florida.
It’s been a cold, miserable winter up north here, but this time of year reminds me that the weather is going to change soon and there are brighter days to come. The snow outside is going to melt, the winter jacket will be going back into the closet, and it will be nice to simply enjoy a nice day out at the ballpark.
However, this is a time of optimism, drawing out lineups and the pitching staff, plus pondering what can be with the team after a very busy off-season.
There will be debate on how many wins the Orioles will have this season, if the moves made will pan out and who is healthy – or not.
The grass is green on the baseball fields; plus, players for the most part right now are laid back and ready to get to the business at hand.
We’ll see the same old faces, some new ones and those wanting to make a lasting impression in camp despite already knowing their fate.
For most fans, much as myself, the next few weeks there’s pretty much very little of importance on a news front – at least for me.
We should be thankful for the press and bloggers that are down in camp relaying the latest news, tidbits, insight and of course players quoting that, “they are in the best shape of their lives”.
At this point, thank goodness for the internet and smart phones. I’m 33 years old and I’m thinking how much the world has changed in 15 or so years. The information we get from Spring Training – much more, all of sports – is almost instant now and this wasn’t possible in let’s say in the early 90’s.
I remember having to wait until SportsCenter came on in the evening or until the daily paper came out the next day to know what was going on. I’m even sure it was far different for those who grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s.
Amazing.
I’ll be heading down to Florida early this time – in about two weeks – as part of my annual Spring vacation around instead of later in March. It will be nice to see the Orioles in person before the season, plus observe how much things have improved with Ed Smith Stadium.
I’m sure we’ll have more to say on the blog as time goes along, but baseball is officially back. For now, the cool thing is this – a lot of fans seem to have hope for the Orioles in the first time in a good long while.
Let’s see the losing tide will finally be turned around…
