The sounds aren’t the same during the spring. The parks are small so the crack of the bat gets swallowed up in space. The light is different. The games are not played to be won. But it is still baseball and for some, that’s enough.
Enjoy it.
[Photo Credit: CBS News]
REALLY????
What time what time???
Now. Another George Tribute. Way to start the season. Oy god. This is what Doc Ellis would call "high school Charlie horseshit."
[2] Get it out of the way now, rather than Opening Day. But yeah, this is going on way too long. Play ball!
One of George's daughters really got his looks, huh?
3) This is the Yankees, where the self importance never stops!
The best part of the off season is not having to listen to M Kay.
[4] My mother has been screaming that for 15 minutes.
BASEBALL!
Chien-Ming Wang got fat
Yay, baseball!
Colon has been fat for as long as I can remember, he's not going to lose the weight during spring training.
Colon's changeup looks pretty good.
Okay, this is boring already
[13] Grouch!
It's baseball!
Green grass, sunshine, short sleeves, guys trying to hit baseballs!
Howard looks positively svelt.
[12] That's his fastball...
;)
He has power, that Howard.
[16] :)
Fuck.
I thought that was gone.
There was a time that was out, no question.
It doesn't feel like baseball until kay greatly misjudges a routine fly ball
[19] Or Swisher...
Colon has decent velocity, but his control needs work. I haven't seen him pitch winter ball, but if he can get his control together, he can be a serviceable pitcher. There certainly are worse options to fill out a rotation.
[9]
"Chien-Ming Wang got fat"
Its March and that's the comment of the year.
[22] yeah, remember Snacks is just a phone call away.
Nice to see baseball. I got insanely jealous of Swisher after that interview - hanging out in a t-shirt; palm trees; millions of dollars; playing baseball for a living; getting driven around in a golf cart; laughing. Oh yes - laughing.
Nice dive!
Oh good, it's Schlitter.
[0] wow, that's a really great photo! it's too bad the person who shot it doesn't get individual credit.
it's 70 degrees and sunny here in hotlanta...
They don't do extra innings in ST do they?
I was able to take a nice hour nap during the game, which is what makes ST games so great. If this was the regular season, I couldn't induce a coma with heavy doses of medication during a game.
[28] not to one up Ya,thelarmis, but it was 73 in Birmingham with a nice breeze.
I listened to the 9th inning on the Yanks broadcast in my car and enjoyed myself despite the loss. Thank goodness for John and Suzyn and the sound of summer. Go baseball and go Yankees!
Oh and after this tough loss, fire girardi! ;o)
I really really really missed baseball..but why is spring traingin so long? Do they really need 6+ weeks?
Steinbrenner tribute..my god, sometimes it IS hard to be a Yankee fan...
[32] It's really always been this long...even back to the early part of last century. In fact, with the later starts to the season, it was often even longer. Teams might start assembling in late February, train for most of March, and then barnstorm up North for about two weeks. Of course, that was probably childs play compared to most players' winter jobs.
[31] nice, evil! hey, i might be playing a festival in b'ham, mid-may. if so, i'll letchya know. mayhaps, you and the boyz can come check it out...
[32] yeah man, i was thinkin' that before. 32 games is waaaay too many. i almost think they'd do their 'private practice' a little longer and way fewer games.
there's a gray strip across the top of my page now. has my tag on the top left of it and a search engine on the top right. it cuts into the viewing page. i guess the changes are commencing... UGH! : /
[33] yeah, well whaddya know about spring training, anyway?! ; )
that article you wrote was really great, man!
and, yeah, i just rousted from an hour nap. needed it. had an earlier gig today and am soon headed out to play another one...
[34] yo thelarmis, how's it going man? I've been out of the loop as WordPress won't accept my comments from my office computer. I'm glad the new site is coming soon so I can contribute more banal baseball observations and jazz references! Have a great gig!
[33] I imagine it gets real boring for the veterans down there now, unless they really do need all the drills to get in shape..I just don't see how a professional athlete can get "out of shape" in just a couple of months..
[36] You eat a lot of junk you're normally not supposed to, drink a lot of beer, take a vacation on exercising and HEY HEY HEY... actually, I don't see what keeps the average athlete from defying all of their seasonal regiments during the winter. Average, mind you; a star or superstar player has plenty of incentive to stay in peak physical performance, but even they can get rusty during the off-season when they are not usually competing. An average player could be happy that he's getting more money in one season than most see in a lifetime and not drive himself to be above average; performance and condition-wise. Just speculating...
[37] Hmm..interesting...I guess I just thought that most athletes are obsessed about staying in perfect condition as their body is their paycheck (Bartolo and Baron excepted!)
Having never been anything but a stringbean 6footer with no athletic ability, I just can't relate...
[38] Reading "The Last Boy" will make you realize how amazing Mantle wsa and how pathetic you are, Jazz. ;>) He was blessed with a great body (after a sickly childhood), cursed with horrific injuries, and then abused himself with partying and poor rehab efforts, and yet he STILL put up those amazing numbers.
BTW, you know how I travel, Bro. So if I am alive to see your son hit a baseball, I will consider myself lucky.
However, I did 12K today and some hills. Longest run in awhile, so I am on the right track.
Damn, I missed this. I've been traveling and my schedule is all farblonjet.
I'm in Chapel Hill. Doesn't some Banterer live here? Maybe rbj? Nice, I like it. No wintry mix here, for sure.
[36] In the old days when they had to hold down jobs, ST was really about getting back into shape. Today, however, all of the games are probably more about business than getting ready for the season. The amount of money made by teams during Spring Training is pretty significant.
[41] Nope, I'm in Toledo. We got 26+ inches of snow this February, which is more than even Cleveland. They get lake effect snow, we don't.