Starting To Get It...

From my past posts you can probably tell I didn't understand the hype about spring training... until now.

Today I watched Red Sox Spring Break Live. The sportscasters described the weather as a jealousy-inducing, sunny 74 degrees. The way that sun was shining on the perfectly green field as the players stood in a circle doing group stretches brought me back. I could practically smell the rubber from my high school track.

My favorite time of year is summer, but nothing is better than those early spring days with really warm afternoons that provide a glimpse of the nice weather to come. Whenever I am lucky enough to be outside on such an afternoon, I become nostalgic for my old track days. I even start to feel that beginning-of-the-season feeling when your legs are still fresh, when you haven't had any disappointing finishes, when you are confident that this year you will win races and break records.

I imagine the players are feeling the same way. From what I have read, newcomer pitcher John Lackey is really excited about playing for the Red Sox, meeting his teammates, and getting down to work at camp. Who knows? Maybe Lackey is even thinking about his high school track days too. When commenting on the depth of the pitching staff and the competition that might result. "...it turns into a kind of a relay-race kind of thing -- you don't want to drop the baton from the next guy."

Now that I can relate to.