What Spring Means To Me...

[DOUGHBOYS]

I really wanted the subject to be-
'Worst Springs-VMart, Sizemore, or Slinky?
But, through my own idiocy, I could not tie Slinky to a story, so I acquiesced with the 'coming back from spring break, term paper' type subject....

Here is what Spring means in real baseball-

1. New spring rules....
The Red Sox can't drink after they punch the work clock.
Only in America could reporters ask if the workers were upset by the new rule...

2. Spring losses of weight....
CC Sabathia has lost weight. He's lost weight every spring since becoming a Yankee.
He should weigh next to nothing by now!
What's not written is that he gains it back.
A Man after my own Doritos!

3. Spring means best shape of your life....
Now, Nelson Cruz is in the best shape of his life, joining many others.
Last year in spring, Cruz was working on a' new way to run' so he wouldn't get hurt.
Yeah, that didn't work out well either...

4. Spring signings avoid October departures...
Spring is the last chance for teams to sign players before they go to other teams.
Last year, the Cardinals didn't get it done with Albert.
All in all, it turned out pretty well for them.
Still, I would have liked to have seen what they could have got for Albert had they entertained thoughts of trading him at the deadline.

5. Spring means the Cubs and Mets already have no chance at a World Series...
The Mets are running on fumes.
The Cubs have Theo Epstein with one of those 'long term plans'.
Which essentially means for fans, 'We are really gonna suck for a couple of years at least'....or until we get rid of Soriano's contract...
Epstein is counting on Cub fans to come to games out of habit this year.

6. Spring is a time for apologies...
John Henry apologized to Carl Crawford for saying that he didn't think the Red Sox needed to sign him.
Henry apologizes for being right?
In the meantime, Crawford accepted the apology, never apologizing himself for making Henry sorry that he signed him.

7.Spring is a time for fastballs to be faster and for balls to come off the bats like rockets....
Carlos Gonzalez reported to camp 20 pounds heavier (Hey, it's spring, it's all muscle) and is 'hitting rockets' in batting practice.
Ooooh, rockets in batting practice!
Not once, ever, have I heard that somebody is hitting dribblers in batting practice.

8. Spring is a time for lineup changes....
Ichiro is moving to third in the lineup.
I remember last year, it would gall Eric Wedge to have his leadoff hitter up with runners on second and third, only to have the opposition walk Ichiro to get to the next hitter.
In his mind, hitting him third will stop this nonsense.
But, Wedge solved the problem without knowing it.
By leading off Chone Figgins, he has severely lowered the chances of ANY player being in scoring position when Ichiro comes up.

9. Spring is a time for finding a team....
Before spring training, players like Roy Oswalt, and Damon, and Guerrero could let teams know which team they were interested in. Now, they are under the proverbial underpass holding a 'VETERAN- Anything will help' handwritten on a cardboard sign.

10. Spring is a time for new positions....
Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, and Mark Trumbo are all trying their hand at third base.
Third base has become the new right field in where to try and hide bad fielders. Unfortunately, teams forget that a player has to be still somewhat athletic to play the position.
For Ramirez, a natural spot since he never played shortstop well.
For Cabrera and Trumbo an experiment that will probably end with them back at first base or dh'ing, or worse, injury.
As fantasy players, we don't care.
Get your 10 games in, that's all we ask.

Here is a look at Spring for fantasy players....

1. Spring means around 50 drafts already....
That's 750 different drafts.
And still, nobody has it right yet....

2. Spring means hope 'springs' eternal...
We've all got a chance.
From Lindy down to the Yahoo Kid, we all have a chance.

3. Spring means a countdown....
Thanks to Glenn, we know exactly how many days till our first draft.
I have a personal countdown for when the actual season starts.
By the way, has baseball ruined 'Opening Day' or what?
We've got Japan games and a night game, together with a staggered start of games during midweek.
Baseball has public attention for three events- Opening Day, the All-Star game, and the World Series.
They're screwing with one of them in Opening Day. A damned shame.

4. Spring means new rules....
I will not miss the streaming of pitchers one bit.

5. Spring means one less place to play....
I don't use the word much, but it works in this case.
Fu** you, WCOFB!

6. Spring means drafting with and seeing are other 'geek like' friends...
The only ones that really get us, are others like us.
It's nice to know that we can meet others who know what a BABIP is.

7. Spring means that a player has another chance...
For years, we've drafted a player we just know will have a breakout year.
We now have another chance to repeat that mistake.

8. Spring means baseball magazines...
A few years ago, I found that none of these publications were telling me something I didn't already know.
Still, I buy one or two. It's a rite (right) of spring.
Baseball is close, and this is a sign.

9. Spring means spring training games....
Every year, a utility player like Greg Gross has a monster spring and it gets a chuckle out of me when players like Gross, are selected as high as the 15th round.
We all watch these games looking for certain things.
Or....sometimes we just watch, because it is baseball.

10. Spring means the best four words....
For a baseball fan, the best four words are, 'Pitchers and catchers report!'
For the fantasy player? Easy!
YOU'RE ON THE CLOCK!

[OaktownSteve]

Dough, I appreciate all your good stuff here. You're like a bar piano player. You find a lot of good songs and hit a lot of good notes.

I've been thinking about spring too. For me I think of Yuma, Arizona. From about 1974 through 1986 or so, I spent five days every March in Yuma watching the Padres at Desert Sun Stadium.

The Padres trained in Yuma from 1969 until I don't when. Yuma is a pretty easy drive from San Diego for a fan, but it's a haul for a major leaguer on bus from Phoenix or Tucson where the rest of the Cactus League trained. A bordertown. They had drive thru liquor. Trucks stopped.

It was me and my brother and my mom and dad, my mom's two baseball crazy brothers (one drafted by the Pirates in the early 60's), their wives (my aunts) and my six first cousins. We stayed at place on the main drag called Stardust Inn that had a big neon sign and a putting green out front. You could check out putters and balls. It had shufflebord..you had to check that out too. It had a pool with a diving board and hot tub called "The Roman Plunge." A lot of the people in "The Plunge" had cocktails. Sometimes the Padres stayed there and we met them. Sometimes the visiting teams stayed there and we met them. (Trying to remember the Cactus League in those days I have: Indians, Cubs, A's, Giants, Mariners, Angels (who came from Palm Springs, of all places)).

At the games they sold hot dogs for a quarter starting at the 7th inning. During the game there were beer guys with tin washtubs around their necks filled with ice and beer: Bud, Coors, Coors Light, Bud Light. There's a lot of military in Yuma and there were a lot of self-proclaimed Jarheads getting blasted. My uncles were always blasted. It was usually 80 degrees. That desert sky pale and going on forever. If you've ever seen a desert sky in the American West, you know what I mean. Cirrus clouds, jet trails, bone dry.

A really high percentage of fans came away with foul balls. Especially kids.

The place for breakfast in town was a place called Chester's Chuckwagon. Everything on the menu came with pancakes.

After the game, the gates to the field opened up and players signed autographs on the field. And because it was Yuma and nobody was there, the players wives and kids played on the field with us after games. On the big league field. It feels like a million years ago, in so many ways.

Desert Sun Stadium had aluminum bleachers, like mid-tier college baseball seating. There were maybe 700 people there. To see: Gaylor Perry, Rolie Fingers, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Randy Jones. And also Enzo Hernandez, Billy Almond. Heck they had the B squad and the minor league guys in a shitty, open complex behind Desert Sun. I can remember watching Juan Eichelberger throw a bullpen. I'm nine and and I'm just standing there watching the guy throw a bullpen. Million years ago. The irony of spring is that it's also a time to remember.

[OaktownSteve]

one other little thing. Baseball is so great for expressions. He struck out. He got to first base. We knocked it out of the park. Extra innings. Ad nauseum seriously.

While Thanksgiving comes in fall so that we can give thanks for what's been, baseball comes in spring so we can give thanks for what will be. Another thing comes in spring (dyed egss...connect the dots) that has to do with faith.

"Guy woke up on third base and thinks he hit a triple." A great baseball expression. It means, don't be the douche bag that takes this for granted. We're talking about fantasy baseball. It's fun. If you're talking about it, then you probably have enough to eat. And the promise of things to come. That's the spring thanksgiving.

"I love my team. I don't want to jinx it, but I love my team."

-You...April 1, 2012

[DOUGHBOYS]

Beautimous stuff, Steve.
It brought back some memories for me.
Seeing Reggie Jackson on a college road trip to Arizona. While we thought we were living like kings in that hotel, Reggie could be heard complaining about staying in such a horrible place.
Seeing son of former Los Angeles shortstop, Maury Wills, Bump, playing at Arizona State...You had to root for any kid named 'Bump'
On the road with a traveling softball team for first games of the year heading for Las Vegas and hearing 'Center Field' played on the radio

Then, there was Ollie Brown.
Ollie Brown would have had fantasy players pulling their hair out and wasting high draft picks.
He killed the ball at lower levels and had a grand spring training. He played right field and would succeed Felipe Alou in right field as the guy who would be next to play next to Mays.
There was even a song written about him and it spawned a nickname for Brown.
Downtown Ollie Brown.
Of course, he fizzled. And when a prospect fizzled in the 60's, they weren't passed around from team to team for five years hoping for a re-birth like now. They would simply, disappear.
Ollie Brown, and others like him are the epitome of spring. A time for hope. A time to buck the odds. A time where my team is just as good as your team and in my mind, better.
A moment in time, where all the work has been done and all that's left is to prove yourself on the field.
Most of us, will end up like Ollie Brown.
But for now, we are all Willie Mays.

[OaktownSteve]

Beautimous stuff, Steve.
It brought back some memories for me.
Seeing Reggie Jackson on a college road trip to Arizona. While we thought we were living like kings in that hotel, Reggie could be heard complaining about staying in such a horrible place.
Seeing son of former Los Angeles shortstop, Maury Wills, Bump, playing at Arizona State...You had to root for any kid named 'Bump'
On the road with a traveling softball team for first games of the year heading for Las Vegas and hearing 'Center Field' played on the radio

Then, there was Ollie Brown.
Ollie Brown would have had fantasy players pulling their hair out and wasting high draft picks.
He killed the ball at lower levels and had a grand spring training. He played right field and would succeed Felipe Alou in right field as the guy who would be next to play next to Mays.
There was even a song written about him and it spawned a nickname for Brown.
Downtown Ollie Brown.
Of course, he fizzled. And when a prospect fizzled in the 60's, they weren't passed around from team to team for five years hoping for a re-birth like now. They would simply, disappear.
Ollie Brown, and others like him are the epitome of spring. A time for hope. A time to buck the odds. A time where my team is just as good as your team and in my mind, better.
A moment in time, where all the work has been done and all that's left is to prove yourself on the field.
Most of us, will end up like Ollie Brown.
But for now, we are all Willie Mays.

I know it's a cliche, but if you love baseball, you really do have to make a couple of trips to spring training. It's baseball, which is already pretty slow and low key for a professional sporting event, slower and lower. It's like it's quieter somehow and you can hear the sound of the game itself (bats and gloves popping) rather than the show around the game (exploding scoreboards and "walkup" music blaring).

[Winston's Empire]

2. Spring losses of weight....
CC Sabathia has lost weight. He's lost weight every spring since becoming a Yankee.
He should weigh next to nothing by now!
What's not written is that he gains it back.
A Man after my own Doritos!

5. Spring means the Cubs and Mets already have no chance at a World Series...
The Mets are running on fumes.
The Cubs have Theo Epstein with one of those 'long term plans'.
Which essentially means for fans, 'We are really gonna suck for a couple of years at least'....or until we get rid of Soriano's contract...
Epstein is counting on Cub fans to come to games out of habit this year.

- Good stuff Dough! I always love the Best Shape of His Life and Lost Weight news articles for PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES!

- As for my lowly Cubs - Laugh all you want now fella's, but hope does spring eternal in Wrigleyville and better days are ahead of us... We just need to get through this next decade or two of rebuilding At this point, I can only laugh!

[rockitsauce]

Doughy, I do believe you have some competition

Good STUFF Steve, I had heard there was ST in Yuma, but it still amazes me, I mean we lost the White Sox, DBacks, & Rockies to PHX b/c these frickin' prima donnas didn't want to make the 90 min trip down I-10 to Tucson. How in the hell did anyone get talked into playing in YUMA ! ! ! YUMA ! You are rt Steve, it must seem like a million yrs ago.

I recall Jermaine Dye being one of the more vocal crybabies. It's not enough that the goddamn superstars never left PHX to begin w/ (even when we had ST here)....Bonds, Vlad, Ichiro, you could get lucky w/ pitchers b/c if they're scheduled to pitch, they pitch. Overall though, I miss it.....a lot

Next yr I hope to just take a wk off and rent a car/hotel and watch a gm/day in the blob that ate AZ

[OaktownSteve]

The other thing that spring means to me is the return of baseball to the radio. I prefer baseball on the radio to tv. I hate being chained inside to the screen. While listening to baseball on the radio you can: work in your yard, barbque, work on your car or wash it, play baseball with your kids, sit in your back yard, sit in your front yard, sit anywhere outside, go to the gym, go for a run, go for a walk, make a meal, do a crossword puzzle. You get the idea. It's always there, gentle and never necessarily insisting on your full attention the way tv has a way of doing.

I have the XM satellite so I get all the hometown broadcasts too. Among other things, it's like a mini-road trip to get the different feel and the flavor for the broadcasts. Who there announcers are and who sponsors their ads. There's a different feel east to west and mid-west and south. There are some really great voices out there. Scully of course. Denny Matthews for the Royals is excellent. A couple of the all timers are gone the last few years from Detriot and Seattle and Philly and they are missed.

[DOUGHBOYS]

So true, Steve.
I listen to XM broadcasts too. Nothing better. I can supervise at a softball park and hear a player bitch in one ear about the umpires while listening to Tampa and Atlanta broadcasters doing the same in the other. And nobody can complain about umpires like Tampa and Atlanta broadcasters, it seems they always conspire against those two teams.

The Cleveland broadcaster rises in voice to almost a scream when an Indian does well.
White Sox radio guys balance Harrelson and the tv side. They are quick to jump on a White Sox player when mistakes are made.
The Houston guy, Milo Hamilton, is retiring after this year....five years too late. Sometimes he forgets that he is supposed to describe the action to us and that it is a little more important than fitting in those ads.

Whether we like them or not, they're like old friends. They paint the picture. Unlike tv guys who are describing something we saw too.
April is the best month to listen. Every team is in the thick of it. Every player has the chance to have that special season. The broadcasters themselves, are fresh and ready for the new year.
It's a splendid rite of spring. One that no other sport shares. Basketball is inside and starts during winter. Football starts the season as the grass turns from green to brown. Spring and baseball is a marriage that has lasted over 150 years.
And like most fans for most teams are thinking, this spring will be even better than the last.

[Navel Lint]

So true, Steve.
I listen to XM broadcasts too. Nothing better.

I don’t have XM, but a friend of mine does. I was listening for a couple of minutes and something sounded strange to me, but I couldn’t tell what it was. And then I finally realized……. the sound was perfect …….. no crackles.

I live just far enough away from Chicago that I get a good, but not great, signal from AM 1000. Listening to the Sox at night is like throwback radio for me. I usually don’t get the same sensation from the Cubs broadcast because WGN 720 seems to have a better signal, at least in my area.

If I really feel like I want to put my ear up to the radio and strain to listen, I try to tune in the Brewers. I can only pick them up at certain times when the clouds are just right and the signal bounces out to me.

[Schwks]

Steve and Dan: two guys whose writing deserves to be enjoyed by a larger audience. Just came across this thread...could not paint or photograph better pictures.