Let the Games Begin

I’ve watched a lot of spring training baseball today. I started off with my beloved Yankees who tied with the Orioles 6-6–I hate ties and this is coming from someone who likes and watches a fair amount of soccer. Then I watched the Twins christen their new ballpark, Target Field, with a loss to the Cardinals (it was great seeing Rod Carew, a favorite non-Yankee from my childhood chatting it up with the Twins dreadful announcers) and now I’m winding down the day with a pre-season game at AT&T Park with the Giants hosting the A’s.

As I write Jon Miller is droning on in the background and it’s like music to my ears. I had only known Miller as Joe Morgan‘s better half on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball until I went to AT&T Park for the first time several years ago. (loved that stadium although it was a tad chilly; did you know that big Coke bottle houses a slide? Great fun!) They pump the Giants radio broadcast into the bathrooms and it was a little unnerving to hear Miller as I sat on the bowl, but not nearly as unnerving as listening to Suzyn Waldman under the same conditions at the new Yankee Stadium. However, I digress… this is the time of year when I’m actually glad to hear one of Michael Kay‘s repertoire of grandpa stories (I mean really the vast majority of his audience is NOT tuning in for the first time so you think he could mix it up a bit). And I always enjoy the velvety smooth voice of Ken Singleton, my favorite of the new guard of Yankee announcers.

Anyway, I did manage to make it outside on several occasions to enjoy a very beautiful sunny early spring day here in the big city. Lots of Yankee hats bobbing about and little guys throwing around the ball. I even watched a four-year-old boy soundly smack a Wiffle ball off a plastic tee much to his dad’s delight. Baseball is all around me and I’m ready for the season to begin. I hope CC has a great game against the Red Sox on Easter Sunday, but if he doesn’t, well we know how it all played out last season.

That’s the thing about baseball. It’s truly broken into two parts and really, after the All-Star break is when it all happens. However, I’m ready for some baseball that counts. Let the games begin!