Has Spring Sprung?  It Is That Time Of Year!

We all know that as the calendar turns, so do the seasons as well as the sports seasons. As an avid sports fan, the year kicks off with the Super Bowl, followed by MLB Spring Training and then March Madness, then the MLB season starts and finally The Masters kicks off. That is the sign to me that the weather is warming up and it is approaching the most exciting time of year!  

This year was extremely unique because baseball almost didn’t happen. We were staring down a lockout by the owners but both sides came to an agreement and the season starts later this week. If you are a Tigers fan you should be very excited! This team, as rebuilt, is loaded to make some vast improvements from the last handful of seasons. They have the pitching, young bats that are maturing faster than expected and they added some key free agents in the offseason. They filled the organization void of a shortstop with Javier Baez and a key pitcher in Edwardo Rodriguez. The best part about both of these players, I believe, is that they are great signings because they are still in their prime and they didn’t overpay for them. With so many shortstops on the market they could have spent a ton more money to get a couple other players but I feel this was an amazing signing. Spencer Torkelson, their number one draft pick from a year ago, is set to break camp with the big team so it looks like first base will be locked down for quite some time. Unfortunately, Riley Green, their talented outfielder who should have been up with the team last year, is hampered with an injury so he will have to wait to get with the squad this season. But the sky is the limit with this kid so keep an eye out for both youngsters to make some noise this season. This team might not win the division this season, but they will win a wild card spot. Mark my words! [Editor: Hope you marked Turbo’s word about the outcome of the NCAA Men’s Championship.]

So, I know that a lot of folks might have been turned off of baseball with the lockout. I get it. No one wants to hear about millionaires arguing with billionaires. But when you take a second and look at the landscape of baseball, it is healthier than ever. There are more young superstars that are doing things we have yet to see be done or doing things that haven’t been done in years on a daily and weekly basis. There are young hitters, young pitchers, and heck a dude that does both at a super high level on display every night. Growing up there were only a few players that most people gravitated towards but in this day and age there seems to be at least one player on EVERY team that even the normal baseball fan can get excited to watch.  

So as the calendar approaches spring, I always get excited. My softball season starts, golf courses open, and sports take full stage so even though baseball starts, which is my all-time favorite sport, I get excited for everything to do outdoors. My goal for everyone reading this is to do at least one outdoor thing per week, watch one sporting event a week, and talk at least an hour a week about sports. Here’s to a magical spring my friends!

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