Who Needs a Groundhog?

I was never really sure what the groundhog was telling me anyway. There seems to be two options. Either we have six more weeks of winter, or we have an early spring. In six weeks, it will be March 16^th. The fist day of spring is March 20. So, wouldn’t March 16 be an early spring? What does that mean when the groundhog predicts an early spring? Earlier than March 16^th? Or is the groundhog taking tips from professional weathermen and giving a prediction that can’t be wrong. Sort of like when they predict, “Up to an inch of snow, or more.” Pretty much covers everything, right? So, a groundhog isn’t going to help me figure out when spring is coming. Thankfully, I have another method to help me out.

Pitchers and Catchers reporting.

Bingo. If Spring Training is starting, it must be spring. Right? In fact, this year some players are already down in Fort Myers. So, I guess we had an early spring after all.

This is easily my favorite, and least favorite time of the year. On the one hand, it’s getting close to the time to talk about baseball again. It’s only ten days before I can see pictures of actual Red Sox players going through their workouts. It means that the season is almost here!

But, it also means that the season is over a month away. It means I’m going to have to listen to a month and a half of Spring Training “reporting.” The news is lacking, but the reporting is not. Dustin Pedroia batted sixth in an intrasquad game. Is he being punished? Is he struggling? Ellsbury didn’t play as expected. Is he hurt? Is he soft? It will be excruciating.

But, it will be progress. There will be baseball in the air again. There will be pictures of players in bright sunshine on grass fields.

It will be an early spring.