Baseball Spring Training

[Bannermania]

EEEEEEE!!! It's almost here! The cold air is clearing, the days are warming up. Spring Training is almost apon us.

Pitchers and Catchers are reporting to their clubs over the next few days, and Infielders and Outfielders shortly after.

Just so you know how big this part of the season is, here is an article from Dan Shaugnhessy

Here we sit in the great gray middle of February, the dead zone on the annual professional sports calendar. The Super Bowl is in the rear view mirror, the NHL has taken a break for the Olympics, and all the big gyms are dark during the interminable NBA All-Star break.

Help is on the way, my friends. Pitchers and catchers report this week. There will be baseball.

Boston is my hometown and we anticipate pitchers and catchers the way teens look forward to getting their first car.

Start with "Truck Day.''

Last Friday outside Fenway Park fans gathered and television crews assembled to watch the loading and launching of a giant green van filled with baseballs, bats, mitts, helmets, golf clubs, baby carriages, sanitary socks and everything else the Red Sox will need to get through spring training. Sox pitchers and catchers report to the ball club's minor league complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday and the first workout is scheduled for Saturday, but "Truck Day" is Boston's official Groundhog Day.

Six more weeks of winter. It will stop snowing. It will get warm. The ground will soften. There will be baseball.

It's fashionable to mock metaphor-overloaded stories of baseball's annual rites. Boston's fascination with Truck Day has been ridiculed as a "Pink Hat Holiday" and indeed sometimes the themes are a little sappy and stretched. I'm not sure it was necessary for Wally the Green Monster to make an appearance to wave goodbye to the equipment truck and the notion that "Truck Day" has its own sponsor was a little off-putting.

But we need baseball. We need the sight of Red Sox pitchers and catchers bursting out of the clubhouse and doing one ceremonial, grueling, lap around the minor league complex at the end of godforsaken Edison Road.

The rest of the article is here...


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/dan_shaughnessy/02/15/spring.training/index.html

 

[Meat77]

Man that's come around fast! Although given that the Indians have managed to trade away basically every player with talent over the last 2 seasons I think this year will be like any other for them...

 

[Bannermania]

As long as you guys have Grady, you have a chance.

 

[Meat77]

Well yes, Grady Sizemore is clearly the best player on the team now. But given the fact that we've traded two Cy Young winners in consecutive seasons and are relying on a guy coming back from a season out with injury (Jake Westbrook) and another who had an absolute meltodown before getting sent back to the Minor Leagues last year (Fausto Carmona) to be the 1 and 2 starting pitchers you can see why I don't hold out a lot of hope for the coming year.

 

[Bannermania]

lol. Considering how well CC pitched last year, it's incredibly devistating I'm sure.

On the other hand, you could be the Red Sox, and have John Lackey, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. icon_thumbs_u

 

[Meat77]

On the other hand, you could be the Red Sox, and have John Lackey, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. icon_thumbs_u [/color]

I think the salary of any one of those three matches the entire payroll of the Indians

 

[Bannermania]

lol. Or the Marlins.

So stoked we signed Beltre. And V-Mart wants to stay on for the rest of his career. Who would want to leave Boston? Unless your Roger Clemens..

 

[Meat77]

V-Mart is very loyal - he never wanted to leave the Indians either :cry:

 

[Bannermania]

And he gets to learn from the BEST. V-TEK!

 

[pennywisealfie]

ugh boring old baseball season. cmon football hurrrrry up!!!

but while its on, GO CUBS!!

 

[Bannermania]

ugh boring old baseball season. cmon football hurrrrry up!!!

but while its on, GO CUBS!!

Baseball is far from boring. Maybe because you like the HAPLESS Cubs, then that could be the problem.

 

[pennywisealfie]

Yet I go for the Raiders in football and yet can't wait for it to start. :P

 

[Meat77]

Yes, the JaMarcus Russell era must bring you such joy...

 

[Bannermania]

Yes, the JaMarcus Russell era must bring you such joy...

Kerry Collins was better than him.. WAIT A SECOND. SAVE IT FOR A FOOTBALL THREAD. NO HIJACKING MY BASEBALL THREAD!

 

[Meat77]

Sorry - I should make some reference to Alfonso Soriano or something!

 

[Bannermania]

Sorry - I should make some reference to Alfonso Soriano or something!

Always good. Or Carlos Zambrano.

 

[Meat77]

I like Carlos Zambrano...as a batter in the CC Sabathia style!

 

[Bannermania]

He's okay. He's no LESTER.