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It’s February. We’re just 13 days away from Pat Vendittes and Aramís Garcías reporting to Arizona for the start of spring training. But wait — wasn’t it just January? Wasn’t it just December? Where did the time go? Am I the only one for whom the month both went slowly and quickly?
There have been -5 free agent signings all off-season, and while that’s great for the balance sheets and smug fans of smart executives, it has made for a tremendously dull few months since the World Series. Now, for those balance sheets and smug fans, that’s a feature, not a bug. The smarter, more restrained, and innovate teams are — the more profit and ego stroking! MLB doesn’t need off-season drama or intrigue to maintain interest — it doesn’t need fan interest to be profitable at all!
We’re in a post wins and losses world. Baseball has a cut of all gambling on the sport now and it has two lucrative national TV contracts as well — attendance, interest, and veterans are wholly unnecessary now. That will be an interesting developing angle to watch — or not, if that kind of stuff bores you. Certainly, it doesn’t seem like it’s a healthy thing in terms of the league’s future if ownership has decided that fans can “take it or leave it” when it comes to the product and 30 teams trust that fans will root for laundry even if a third or half of that laundry is tanking or not bothering to compete.
But spring training means hope! And February means we’re that much closer to spring and warmer months. Much warmer months because of our destructive new climate patterns, but still — it won’t be so rainy and cold.
Oh man — this should’ve been a positive post to kick off a new month! Okay, here it goes: baseball is drawing closer. Baseball is nearly back baby. It’s good again. Awoouu (wolf Howl)