buy me some peanuts and cracker jack

It's snowing here today, so the concept of "Spring Training" seems a little elusive to me this morning. But even as I type away here in Colorado, my team's pitchers and catchers are arriving at the ballpark down in balmy Tucson, climbing out of their fancy cars, slapping each other on the backs after months of vacation, and clamoring towards the locker rooms...

BASEBALL SEASON IS HERE AT LAST!!!

Man, just typing that sentence makes me crave a really greasy hot dog and some heat-lamp-mutated nachos, not to mention the blue skies, the sunburn, and the sticky stadium seats. Few things in life are as enjoyable as a day at the ballpark -- especially when it involves a miniature plastic batting helmet filled with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and candy sprinkles. And that's just spring training at the little minor league ballpark -- don't even get me started on the garlic cheese fries at hte major league field!

But lest you think I'm really just obsessed with food, there are SO many things I love about baseball. The camaraderie with complete strangers in the seats next to me, the leisurely glory of the slow-burn sunshine, the rousing chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the seventh-inning stretch, the computerized condiment races (why don't they ever let mayonnaise compete?), the individual music to introduce each player at the plate... but you know what I love best? No commercial breaks! The action of the game is never interrupted so superficially. It's over when it's over. No time penalties, no shot clocks, no two-minute warnings. And there are so many variables, literally anything can happen! From the obvious big things like the number of players and the size of the playing field, to the minute details like the direction in which the grass is mowed and the placement of the pitcher's fingers across the ball seams....

What more can I say? Toss it all in a big ballpark blender, top it off with those garlic cheese fries, and you've got the greatest game ever! Let the opening day countdown begin... 44 days and 4 hours till first pitch! Anyone care to join me in Denver on April 3rd? :-)