People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
• Rogers Hornsby
• • •
Photo from Shooting from the Hip
by Chicago Tribune Photojournalist Scott Strazzante
Wait No More!
21 Feb by
The beginning of baseball season is like being present at creation.
Watching pitchers warm up in spring training is more enjoyable than watching the interminable NBA playoffs. Let’s go Yankees (unless, somewhere along the line, they play the Dodgers).
The first comment is routing for the Evil Empire. Meanwhile my beloved sox will break my heart yet again this year.
I love this city. I hate it’s teams.
Well, the Giants aren’t bad. I don’t mind seeing the Pats lose.
If he stared at the wall, he at least might have been able to see paint drying… but then he would be watching something more exciting than baseball.
A prof once told me that baseball was the best sport to watch while studying, because almost nothing ever happened, and if by chance it did, you could catch it on the replay!
Long live hockey!
When you live in a cold place (Canada) you gotta keep moving, but Spring Training is leisure and contemplation made perfect.
Oh, Michael. Poor, poor Michael. While you Canadians are swigging your Molsons and brushing your mullets, we baseball fans will be sipping Budweiser, the King of Beers, and enjoying the most pastoral, athletic, and cerebral sport on the planet. While you all lust over your Zamboni girls, we baseball fans will be singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in united, harmonius chorus, embracing each other’s love of the game, regardless of team affiliation. And while you all are throwing squid onto the ice for God knows whatever reason that is done, we Braves fans will be throwing batteries and beer bottles at the Phillies right fielder, and, if we are losing, someone will undoubtedly make the choice between urinating into the Phil’s bullpen and running onto the field naked.
That, my friend, is why baseball is America’s favorite past time.
“we baseball fans will be sipping Budweiser, the King of Beers, and enjoying the most pastoral, athletic, and cerebral sport on the planet”
Athletic? Athletic? But seriously.
As Lenny Dykstra stated: “I am not an athlete. I am a baseball player”
At the bottom of the 5th there will now be MMA caged fighting!
I’m pumped!! I’m going to pick a fight with a neighbor, beat the crap outof him and BE A MAN!!! Got to love baseball…
Just thought I would mention that the squid is an American (Detroit) tradition, introduced when you needed to win 8 games to win the Stanley Cup.
Octopi. Octopi. Not squid. Please.
(Die-hard Red Wings fan…and I work in baseball…so I’m all about reconciliation between the two camps)
Oops, you are absolutely correct.
I am reminded of an old Rodney Dangerfield line: “I went to see the fights last night. In the middle of it, a hockey game broke out.”
As a transplanted southern Californian, I’m just now coming to appreciate hockey. However, I have yet to find a team to get excited about. Maybe when the NHL comes back to Hartford. . .
And, while I’m at it, throwing squids onto the ice is a good argument for becoming a hockey fan.
Maybe Braves fans so consider throwing them into the Phillies bullpen.
I’ve never actually considered that, Randy. Squid are not accessible. Maybe we could toss chitterlings…
Canada!!!
The 51st state can keep hockey!! 
You said the Secret Woid!
Maybe, once college hoops is over.
Go see “Moneyball” before spring gets here.
Pitchers and catchers, baby!
How long till the Cubs are out of contention? I give them early May. OK, late April…
A 6 year old boy is in court. His parents have fought a bitter legal battle for custody, but the judge wants to know which parent the child wants to live with. The judge asks the child, “Do you want to live with your mom?” The boy looks and says “I don’t want to go and live with my mom. She beats me.”
The judge casts a disparaging look at the mother, and asks the child, “Do you want to live with your dad?” The boy looks at the judge, and replies, “No. I do not want to live with my dad. He beats me, too.”
The judge then asks the child, “Then who do you want to live with?”
The boy looks thoughtfully at the judge, and answers, “I want to live with the Chicago Cubs.”
The befuddled judge says, “You want to live with the Chicago Cubs? Why?”
The child looks at the judge and replies, “Because they never beat anybody.”
Excellent.
Oh Lee. And I thought we were friends…
As long as my Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals have a chance I am in!!
Nats? I wouldn’t hold my breath. They look to be interesting in a year or three, but I don’t think they are there yet. It will be interesting to see how the Prince-less Brewers do. I don’t know them well enough to say how big a hole this leaves in their lineup.
Royals fan checking in – we are already out of contention.
Not a big baseball fan myself. My sport’s season started Saturday night, with my driver rolling his car over 5 or 6 times and skidding about 800 feet on his roof. Thank God, he wasn’t on fire.
Still, it’s a long, miserable feeling in the off season no matter what your sport is, so enjoy it, CM!
Growing up in Southern California, we played baseball all year long. And when Spring rolled around and we heard Vinny’s (Scully) voice on the radio, we knew it wouldn’t be long before school was out and we could play baseball all day long.
I love baseball season. Although Bob Miller has made a hockey fan out of me, as well.
I grew up in California, too. I subscribe to the MLB radio feeds. I occasionally put on the Dodgers just to hear Scully’s voice.
I love that voice! And he’s still sharp! Not perfect…but pretty darn good for his age…and he outshines the young pups who oftentimes bore me to tears.
Vin Scully is in a league of his own.
Amen, Randy.
Guys, guys, guys (and gals!!)
Before we start we need to have the national anthem!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyCc1DzRAgQ
Eagle, this made my night.
I miss Leslie Nielson… Comedy will never be the same….
No wonder he didn’t know the words, Leslie Nielson is a Canadian. His brother Eric by the way, was the deputy leader (kinda like the Vice President) in the Canadian government in the 80s.
I have an app that counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until spring training. I watched those seconds tick off a couple of times a week this year — it’s been a long winter.
But happily, for my team, it was a shorter winter than most… ; )
Oh well. I suppose if you can’t get to a cricket match, baseball is about the best of a terrible set of choices.
Don’t have to wait any longer. I’m heading to Florida to see Yankees baseball in spring training. I bet you are all jealous.
Spring when every fan thinks that their team actually can win this year.
The Cubs WGN radio broadcasts are getting a new voice. Keith Moreland who played with the team for quite a few years (and was immortalized in song by Steve Goodman) and has spent quite a few years polishing his broadcasting credentials in TX with the Longhorns.
I look forward to hearing him again (he’s done a guest broadcast here and there).
I hope he does a good job (I’m sure he will).
With the Cubbies…who knows…he might even get a chance to play again!