Counting down the days

In between working on my trial court memo and finishing my group research project, I've managed to notice that pitchers and catchers report to spring training next week. At least that's what Alli and the Washington Post tell me, so I'll believe them. I am very, very excited that the Nationals will start play in RFK Stadium in April (against the Mets for the exhibition opener and the D-Backs for the regular season home opener... what could be better?). As I'm sure you could imagine, the local media is covering the team quite a bit already (although the coverage could diminish once the season starts; the Nats still don't have a TV or radio deal in place yet. Apparently they do not want to rush into things). Tony Kornheiser is ripping the team while other writers speak highly of the game and the team. Thomas Boswell wrote of the "beautiful friendship" D.C. will soon have with the team.

Baseball seems to bring out the best in writers. Even though the game seems to have more historical scars than the other major sports in the United States (the Black Sox scandal of 1919... Pete Rose... the 1994 strike... the current steroids scandal... shall I continue?), its ability to rebound is remarkable. Writers write amazing prose to describe the game.. Can 't you pucture the stereotypical article about the green grass, the smell of the glove leather, etc? I love it. I love how the game brings out such good feelings in people. I love how it brings hope. I love how in the depths of winter, a person can look to the calendar and see when spring training starts and hold out until that magical day when a person can see highlights of their team basking in the sunshine of Florida or Arizona. I love how more than any other sport, it moves with the calendar and marks the beginning of each season. I am a baseball fan and will always be a baseball fan, first and foremost.

And with that in mind, I must quote Field of Dreams:

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.