Bet you never saw it in blue before

To affirm that hope springs eternal, as the thermometer dips to 2 degrees F, a New York City/Right off the Bat HQ record for any February 20, teams are assembling to begin Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues training. Yesterday and today!

(Of course, as reported in this blog the World Cup perdures down under.)

The Sporting News has already gone out on a limb (maybe), predicting great things for the Chicago Cubs to end a 106-year championship drought. Theirs is a young, fast, and scientific team managed by the ultra-competitive Joe Maddon, who moved on from Tampa.

No matter the temperature, we know at least somewhere in North America it will be a long, hot summer. The aforementioned New York City, for example, is home to a couple of major-league clubs that are short on offense and questionable in various departments of pitching.

It’s even before early, right? I (Evander) kicked off the season by purchasing the 100th edition of Who’s Who in Baseball, the bible of baseball that I’ve been collecting almost since my baseball beginnings. After reading the anniversary-edition foreword by Marty Appel, I’m not quite sure this is the 100th year of publication. Though, theoretically, this also is “the book to settle all arguments.”

Whatever. Disbelief is suspended and hope springs….