You know it's early in Spring Training when the pitcher is wearing number 88 and the center fielder has number 96 on his back. That was the case yesterday when the Orioles hosted the Yankees and the teams played to a 0-0 tie in nine innings.
But the first cuts are tomorrow and soon those football type numbers will be assigned to their Single or Double A homes. The first cuts are probably not too hard for the manager but may be the first time some of the younger guys have ever been cut. Last season on a spring training trip to Arizona we were introduced to several young players outside of a Scottsdale restaurant. They were with a couple of guys who had their spots on the team nailed down. We chatted for a few minutes and the new guys said goodbye. The next day they were cut. This year they are back again, non-roster invitees.
This is the time of year when the new guys play their hearts out and the veterans play four innings and head for the golf course. A time for everything. Even 0-0 tie games.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
The First Game
Yesterday ESPN broadcast a spring training game between the Tigers and the Braves, my first of the season. Spring training is baseball in a minor key. More relaxed, with fans lounging on green hillsides, taking in the sun. Players with strange names getting a chance to play for a couple of innings before being designated for assignment. Running, stretching, fielding drills.
But spring training is, above all, promise. The veteran who is finally healthy. The team that spent the winter trading and signing players who will play brilliantly and lead them to the championship. The perennial losing team with just the right chemistry. The kids coming up, who have never heard of Duke Snider, each a Rookie of the Year.
And all this is true until Opening Day. Until the losers start losing and the winners find ways to win. Until the phenom can't hit a curveball. Until the critical injury and the grinding schedule and the clubhouse grumbling and the dugout temper tantrums take their toll.
But until then, all through March, everyone is a winner with a chance to go 162 and 0. And so begins our love affair with baseball begins once again.
But spring training is, above all, promise. The veteran who is finally healthy. The team that spent the winter trading and signing players who will play brilliantly and lead them to the championship. The perennial losing team with just the right chemistry. The kids coming up, who have never heard of Duke Snider, each a Rookie of the Year.
And all this is true until Opening Day. Until the losers start losing and the winners find ways to win. Until the phenom can't hit a curveball. Until the critical injury and the grinding schedule and the clubhouse grumbling and the dugout temper tantrums take their toll.
But until then, all through March, everyone is a winner with a chance to go 162 and 0. And so begins our love affair with baseball begins once again.
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