Baseball is Back! Well, almost...

It's a Whole New Ball Game Players Report in One Week! For die-hard baseball fans, here are the current and upcoming key dates: Feb. 1-21: Arbitration hearings Feb. 18-March 2: Players report to spring training March 2: Spring training games begin April 4: Regular season opens: Yankees-Red Sox Maybe it's the kid in all of us, but there's something magical about baseball, Springtime, robins chirping and furry rodents peeking out from beneath their hibernation burrows. As the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio once said about opening day,

You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.

Of course, Joltin' Joe hit the nail right on the head. Something wonderful does happen. Grumpy old men smile. Ladies who could care less about any other sport become enthralled with the physique of a home run hitter. Little kids gape in awe of their heroes. Some of us even cry, the sport brings back memories of friends long gone, splendid days of youth. Baseball makes us all young again. Whether we hate the Yankees or love the Red Sox, our team is our pride. The joy and agony (for Cubs fans, that is) endures wars, famines, technology, politics and even Facebook. It lifts our spirits and transcends the day-to-day. It has, over the span of many years, become a permanent fixture in the culture of America. It is love and poetry and chaos and drama all rolled into a lazy summer afternoon. It is the best we have, even in the worst of times. Here's to another great season. Play Ball! Soon!