No, I haven't sold out to Hallmark, Kay Jeweler's, Jared Galleria of Jewelry, or Russell Stover's. I haven't turned in my Man Card (or my I'm Always Right Card, for that matter!) after 3+ years of marriage and decided that rom-coms are now my favorite movie genre. And I definitely haven't been perusing the romance section in Barnes & Noble (which is so unfortunately placed right next to my Sci Fi/Fantasy section).
Nope. The reason Feb. 14th, 2011 gets Best Day of the Year status for a different reason. I'll give it to you in four words:
Pitchers and catchers report.
Ah, the sweet sound of baseball...
I can hear my wife rolling her eyes right now, but it's true. One of the greatest things about baseball is the anticipation of the start of the season. I may be in the minority since the NFL has taken over as America's favorite sport, but it just seems like there's no other sport where the proverbial hope springs more eternal than baseball. This probably has to do with the fact that baseball cornered the best schedule timing of any sport in America. There is nothing like the middle of winter to make you want to look forward to something. ANYTHING. In the midst of dreary browns (if you're further south) or heaps of dirty snow, here comes baseball, tantalizing us with visions of bright green grass under a warm summer sun.
And so, year after year, even if you're a Pirates fan, Spring Training is the best time of the year because anything is possible. There's always the discussion about this prospect making a big jump, or that veteran coming back from injury to make a contribution. Baseball is the ultimate optimist's sport. Even though inside a lot of us fans begin the year knowing deep down our team is not winning the World Series (and although optimistic for my Brewers this year, I've suffered through enough bad years to put myself in the us of that category), the talk in Spring Training always centers around things like, "Well, if SoAndSo can just bump his average up by 20 points" or "You know, WhatsHisFace would be a great player if he could just improve his glove a bit." The talk always seems to end up with someone saying something like, "Well, I know it's a long-shot, but if we get a few breaks, I think we could make some noise!"
(Of course, baseball is also the sport of the Big 4 that has the longest season. So, when we're all wrong in Spring Training, we baseball fans have months and possibly HUNDREDS of excrutiating games to suffer through before having any hope again. But that's a post for July when the Brewers are struggling.)
I also love that pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training before the rest of the team. Obviously, it makes sense - the catcher is clearly the most important member of a baseball team, with his responsibility for calling pitches, setting up the defense, working the umpire, taking the hard collisions at home plate, and more - all while being a full-time batter and baserunner. Oh, and pitchers have something to do with the outcome too. So it makes intuitive sense that pitchers and catchers report early to get some extra work in and build the chemistry they need before the rest of the team.
Sense aside, however, I love the symbolism of it. At it's heart, baseball is a simple game. It's throw and catch. 2 guys with gloves and a little ball, playing catch. This is why Field of Dreams reduces most grown men to blubbering - such a simple thing as playing catch with your dad evokes incredibly strong memories. For hundreds of guys making more money than I will probably ever see, today is the day they show up and start playing catch with their teammates again. There's just something about it that exudes hope - so much more than running sprints in the gym, hitting the blocking sled, or shooting hoops.
And that's why February 14th, 2011 had a big red circle on my mental calendar.
Now excuse me while I go buy my wife some more flowers so I don't have to sleep on the couch!
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