It's Time for Baseball

You look outside, and you see Winter. It is Winter, in fact. It's cold. It's damp. It's dreary. For weeks now, that's been most of what you get. Some days it's 50 degrees, and you say it feels fine, but then it's 30 the next time you're outside. You're waiting for it to end.

Well, today is your lucky day. Pitchers and catchers begin workouts in Clearwater for the Phillies today, and the end of this dreary season is fast approaching. In a couple of weeks, actual baseball games will be on, and you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. The long, dark Winter is over. Spring is here, whether it is officially or not.

Today is a holiday to me, every year. I'm excited that the best professional sport in America is back. I'm excited that the Phillies rebuild is entering a new phase. Young talent is here. There is hope again. I'm looking forward to games at Citizens Bank Park, again. 2008 is long ago, but there is reason to have hope. Soon, the smell of Bull's Barbecue will drift through the right field air, and the weather will be hot. I'll have myself a Victory Beer in hand, and life will be all good. Even a bad day at the ball yard beats anything else.

For the record, my prediction at this time is the Phillies go 70-92, and finish 4th in the NL East.