OK, no more football. Not a big fan of basketball or hockey so I am looking forward to baseball.

B

games start around the first of march

Pitchers and catchers report for the Seattle Mariners in 10 days. Position players are required to report no later than Feb 22, IIRC. Most teams start the same time, or within 1-2 days of that.

Not a minute too soon, IMO. My hometown Mariners made some really interesting moves this offseason. Felix and Cliff Lee as 1-2 starters, and if he's healthy, Bedard might be worth something for a change (although not likely to start until May at the earliest). Ichiro leading off with Chone Figgins playing third and batting second. Milton Bradley could be the sleeper pick of the year if he stays happy.

With Griffey leading in the clubhouse, very good manager and GM, and good team chemistry, Bradley stands a chance of doing well in Seattle. Seattle baseball fans are very knowledgeable and much more receptive to their team overall than a lot of places. Plus, some of the coole stuff to do in Seattle is nearby to Safeco Field, and the clubhouse and other facilities at Safeco Field are top shelf.

Seattle's pitching and defense should be stellar if everyone stays healthy. Generating offense may be a problem, however. They do have plenty of gap and singles hitters, however, which suits Safeco Field very well. There are no cheap home runs in that park.

D'oh! Coole=coolest.

Spring ?

If I had to be retrained every year to do the job I get paid to do, i would have been let go years ago.

For 1/4-1/3 of the guys on most teams, it's a chance to make the roster or at least make enough of an impression to make it to AAA and have someone monitor their progress closely, as a prelude to being called up when the right time arrives. For the rest, it's mostly just a time to get into shape, get used to the necessary routines, get acquainted with new staff and new players, etc. Most veterans think Spring Training could be reduced down to about a weekend, with boredom being the biggest problem. One exception is pitchers, who usually go through a process that builds up arm strength, hits a dead arm period, then they recover and get ready for the regular season.

#6 BTW, as an attorney, I'm required to get training every year (well, every three years, but if you tried to do it all in one year, it would just be insane--old days required 15 credits every year, now it's 45 every three years).

I've found some of that to be very helpful, even though I work hard to stay updated on changes in the law. However, I could satisfy the requirements by studying subjects far outside of my own practice and it still qualifies. Also, watching a trial with very good attorneys at work can teach any litigator a great deal...yet earns us zero credits. Go figure.

It just irritates me when the "professional" athletes that need to stay in shape come in looking like they do when they come back in for the season. On the continuing education side though, you should get credit for attending trials that are better than reading a book or document and taking a exam. Practical is so much more educational. It hopefully helps on reduced insurance premiums though. Some insurance company's give continuing education credit.