Turning the Page

I'm not a person that likes making pre-season predictions. Even if I did enjoy sooth-saying, I wouldn't bore you with my stupid opinion here. I'd just make some wagers and try to fatten my wallet. It's such a crap-shoot anyway, players go down with injuries, teams overachieve or tank inexplicably...what's the point? I guess it could be satisfying to successfully predict a player's resurgence...or flop, and some of it is based on good analysis of previous years' stats, like a pitcher's BABIP. But, it's just not for me. Many experts will make their picks known, so go check those out if you're into it.

I prefer to savor the drama that unfolds for me over 162 glorious games. Now, it's 2010. The horror show of 2009 is fading from the rearview mirror. Pitchers and catchers, that most magical of phrases, will be reporting in two days. Spring isn't just a mirage in the desert that is winter anymore. It's now tantalizingly within reach. In a couple weeks, actual games will be played on sun-warmed ballfields in Florida and Arizona.

On March 20, I will no longer be a Spring Training virgin. I'm going to my first Spring game in Lakeland this year. I'll see our boys take on the Phillies. I'll be drunk on sunshine and baseball. The sight of my Tigers in the Old English D will only intoxicate me further. Don't let your jealousy get the best of you here. I wish I could take every Tiger fan with me. Every fan deserves to be there to end the baseball fast that lasted four long months.

On a side note, Ernie Harwell continues to be our voice of baseball. Although the inoperable cancer is taking its toll on his body, he decided to keep writing a column for the Detroit Free Press as long as he is able. I look forward to that column every week. I plan to savor every word.