Spring (Training) In My Step

Earlier this week, I proclaimed to anyone willing to listen that Spring had begun.  Must people looked at me like I was crazy, given a) it was still February and b) temperatures were still cold.  According to virtually every definition of Spring except one - the Major League Baseball preseason calendar - we're still in the tail end of winter.  Now that pro baseball teams have emerged from dugouts across Florida and Arizona, however, I can safely say that this week starts a new part of the year.

I'll just come out and say it - I absolutely love Spring Training.  Part of it is the optimism that comes prior to the start of any sports season - as of right now, every MLB team is undefeated and has a shot at a World Series run.  While this feeling isn't unique to baseball (and, in fact, it's normally associated with football because of the level of parity in the NFL), it's still a great feeling.  Despite all of the upgrades the Phillies have made to their pitching staff (Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels in the same rotation?!?), I still feel like my Braves have a shot at the NL East.  Irrational and unrealistic?  Maybe.  Uplifting and exciting?  Absolutely.

There's a lot more to love about Spring Training, too.  I love the way that so many different guys play in each game, and I get to catch a glimpse of the future of baseball towards the tail end of each matchup.  I love the intense position battles that can last for weeks, where each individual at bat or batter faced can make or break a player's chances of making the Opening Day roster.  I love seeing who will be the last guy(s) to make each team, even though their reward for a great Spring will be the last spot on the bench.  I love watching managers have to make the tough decision between calling up a young phenom (perhaps too soon) and sending him down for more work in the minor leagues.  I love watching bullpens come together, and trying to figure out how each reliever will be used come the start of the season.

Yes, it's only Spring Training.  The top players only play a few innings each day (if at all), and most teams don't even have names on the back of their jerseys.  Some of the games are split squad matchups, so Chipper Jones and Martin Prado might be playing in Vero Beach while Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman are in Orlando.  But it's still baseball, and I'm happy to have it.  While there's plenty to watch right now between college basketball, NBA and NHL, nothing compares to the first time the Boys of Summer  come charging out of the dugouts.