Pitchers & Catchers

Pitchers and catchers.

Catchers and pitchers.

Probably the three greatest words you could hear this time of year.

Spring training is upon us, and the Boys of Summer are gearing up for a long, looong season.

Right now in Pennsylvania, spring is still pretty far off. In fact, thanks to Al Gore, it sounds like winter is about to start this afternoon, circa 1 PM.

However, just the knowledge that an 18-wheeler carrying more gloves, bats, helmets, sunflower seeds, cleats, cups, and caps than you could possibly imagine is heading down to Clearwater, FL, and that any day now I will be watching the news and see grown men in red pinstripe warm-ups leisurely having a catch, or stretching their hamstrings, or jogging around the outfield wall in the warm Florida sun, is enough for me.

Sure, I may be shoveling snow this afternoon, and I may be doing so for the next 3-4 weeks. But the ball has officially started rolling. Nothing you can do about it now. Cobwebs are being dusted off as we speak. Batters will gradually get their timing back, and the pitchers will start increasing their pitch count. The new guys will start to find their niche and the roster will start to come together. Then, before you know it, it is March 31, 3:05 PM, and Harry Kalas is welcoming us all to Citizens Bank Park for the 2008 Home Opener of the National League East Champions.

While I may be dealing with wintry mixes and cabin fever, I know that my local ballclub, those Phightin' Phils, are getting ready for opening day.

And that is enough for me.

Because more so than a calendar, or some groundhog up in Gobbler's Knob, when I hear the words 'pitchers and catchers,' I know that spring, though it may not have necessarily sprung just yet, is certainly around the corner.