I heart Spring Training.

• Posted by motle on February 9th, 2008 filed in MLB Banter

I love spring training.

Well, not really.

If you think about it, spring training is rather dull, and the exhibition games are meaningless.

Who has had the best spring training record the last three years?

Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Baltimore, of course.

Pointless.

What makes spring training so lovable is it means baseball season is almost here (this week!). The hardest time for any baseball fan is the off-season.

Why is spring training so great?

Here are some reasons why:

• Optimism – It’s illegal to be pessimistic in spring training.

No matter who you are a fan of, you can’t be pessimistic.

Every spring brings new hope. Hey, on opening day, they’ll be tied for first. And anything can happen in baseball.

Reasons for fans of traditionally bad teams to be excited:

New managers for some teams means new optimism.

• Position battles.

Every year, the rosters on most teams are pretty set, but every team – good or bad – has a position or two that players are battling for.

• Daily reports during the dead time in sports.

Why every baseball fan truly loves spring training. After a four-month off-season (five for non-playoff teams), it’s good to hear about baseball in the news again.

Hey, it’s hard to fill SportsCenter with Spurs/Suns highlights.

• Contract disputes.

While this might not be an enjoyable part of baseball, it certainly is interesting.

• Rookies. They give every fan hope.

Ranging from rookies who have shown their potential who will be counted on for their teams to compete..

• New faces in new places – arguably the best reason of all.

I love spring training. But not as much as opening day.  I can’t wait.