Signs of Spring

The countdown is well into the single digits, only 64 days to Opening Day. Pitchers and catchers report in a mere two-and--half weeks. (Someone asked me why Pitchers and Catchers Report is such an important holiday on the Baseball Geek's calendar; I told her it's like Ash Wednesday, the first day of the long period that leads directly to the Big Day.)

Last Thursday evening I popped the Special Red Sox Edition with Extended Ending DVD of Fever Pitch into the DVD player, watched it again Friday evening, and now I'm primed to Think Baseball.

I'll also be Talkin' Baseball soon. Sent out the first ping to members of my fantasy league to see who's interested in another round. This will be our 7th season. Got seven yesses so far (out of a possible 12) and lapsed member who says he's sitting out one more season but expects to be back for season #8. (Yeah, I know as a Red Sox fan I should think Yaz when I see the number 8, but loving catchers the way I do I have to think Bill Dickey.)

Met with my mentor yesterday and we spent a good portion of the appointment talking baseball. He, of course, is a Red Sox fan and turns out he was at the late season Binghmaton game when Anibel Sanchez was pitching. We talked about Theo and Coco Crisp and pitching prospects, and a little about my program so that we could fill out my next contract. (I had been asked, when it was first announced that Theo was returning to Boston, what I thought he would be doing. I said director of player development until they can ease him back in as GM. Looks like they skipped that cumbersome step. Thank Mays.)

One of the things I had to do for this appointment was write a paper on baseball literature for credit by evaluation. I spent an entire Saturday, 13 hours straight, writing A Brief Survey of Baseball Literature, a 24 page paper. I pulled a lot of it from the lecture I do on baseball lit for the Baseball in American Cultural course, put it on paper and expanded on certain areas, but I kept thinking, "Oh, that's another book I should have included, where can I add it to the paper?". Considering I have baseball books filling (or at least taking up a majority of) seven bookcases in four different rooms, not including the ones that are stacked on the floor next to my bed and ringing my desk chair, this paper is only the tip of the baseball lit iceberg.

When I picked up my mocha this morning Go Coco! was inscribed on my cup. R was working the other window, but that never stood in the way of baseball talk.