Baseball time

As some may be aware, the MLB recently became the fourth of major professional sports organizations to launch their own personal network. Much to my surprise and excitement, the channel is currently being offered as a part of my basic cable package in Kalamazoo (who knows how long this will last).

Over the past couple weeks, I've checked what was on occasionally. For the most part, it's been "classic games" — flashbacks from the 2008 season. But two weeks ago, the network aired the Caribbean World Series. Of course, not knowning any players of having an interest in teams, I casually watched all week.

When I told a friend about this, he made a somewhat obvious suggestion.

"You're just ready for warm weather," he told me.

While he may be accurate to a degree, I can't totally agree. There's something about the game of baseball that, although not considered to be my favorite sport, captivates me. Maybe it is the warm weather. Or perhaps the calm rumbling of a stadium. It could also be the relaxed atmosphere, the smell of hot dogs and the cracking of the bat. I would also suggest the conversations with peers in between pitches.

Just throwing it out there, it didn't hurt that I had the chance to interview third baseman Brandon Inge, pitcher Fernando Rodney, bullpen coach Jeff Jones or outfielder Brent Clevlen when they came to WMU's campus for the Winter Caravan several weeks back.

Whatever it is, there is something about this game that I'm ready for.

It's been another hard winter. But it seems (as is does every year) that the talk of baseball and Spring Training brings a sense of optimism. I mention this because today is the first day of full workouts for the Detroit Tigers. Exhibition games begin in just one week.


This week is considered midterm week. By next Tuesday, I will take two big tests and turn in a
another challenging paper. On top of that, I have what seems a whole stack of errands to take care of outside of the classroom.

Normally, I think I would feel stressed beyond belief. But with the thought of the new season and the "warm" weather today (39 degrees is now considered pleasant), I'm full of optimism today.

I know it took me a month to get another blog entry, but I've created another one as well. That will be a little more in-depth and centered on the Tigers. You can check that out at http://feldfiles.mlblogs.com

Either way, let's hope that spring arrives sooner, rather than later.