It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year
This is the time of the year where I am the most happiest, with spring just around the corner and hearing the best sound in the world, pitchers and catchers report. Spring Training starts for major league baseball and a new season brings hope to fans everywhere in seeing their team hoist the Commissioners Trophy at the end of the season.
Most fans will gaze from afar at this wondrous time of year as their teams prepare for the 162 game titanic struggle, fearful of letting their imagination run with the successes and failures in this early part of the season. Some fans may venture down to the placers where their teams are hosting Spring Training and catch a few early rays of sun with a little baseball sprinkled on top. They judge returning players to see if they have improved on their trade as well as scouting the development of the players of their minor league systems to see how the young talent compares with the old. Of course, the teams will not listen to this early inputs from fans but yet fans still have opinions as if the team’s well-being directly affects them. To the fan, their input strengthens the bonds between them and the team and to baseball as a whole. Fans don’t view themselves as just baseball fans they view themselves as Mets fans or Giants fans. Their identities are directly involved with the teams they live and die with.
Spring Training was originally created to have teams playing before the season to help prepare them for the season ahead. Teams would pay lesser competition to become game ready and slow move up the US from the south to where they would start their seasons. Then the teams started to play each other eventually forming leagues where they play each other for a month to gain competitive experience. Currently, there are two leagues that teams play in the Grapefruit League in Central Florida and the Cactus League in Central Arizona. The Cactus League is the newest of the leagues and many teams have started to move out there to avoid the overcrowding of the Florida area. Inside these leagues teams play not for a competitive edge but merely to help their players either develop or return to their previous seasons shape. There are no playoffs for these leagues as many games see four to six pitchers in one game that may or may not be in the best shape. Some games can also end in ties.
In the end this is the time of the season where dreams and hopes are the highest. Fans know that the season hasn’t started yet and the season’s outcome is far from decided, however they still have that little kid before Christmas morning feeling where they envision great things for America’s pastime and their lifelong home team. Popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks are only a month away however, and I can’t wait.
