Right now we are all fed up with Ole Man Winter. Even those of us who love the beauty of a winter wonderland, count skiing and sledding among our favorite sports activities, and can think of nothing more romantic than snuggling up with our sweeties in front of a warm, roaring fire, while sipping a mug of hot cider, or cocoa have pretty much had it with the snow, ice, slush, chuck holes, and sub-zero temperatures that have made up the winter of 2013-14. For all of us that believe that we are living in an eternal frozen nightmare that will never end, I am here to tell you that relief is on the way. The light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared. The first true and most dependable sign that spring is really on the way: Across Florida, Arizona, and Southern California professional baseball training camps have opened for that most American of seasonal rituals, spring baseball training.
Even as I write this, young men are gathering in Pirate City, the training complex of the Pittsburgh Pirates that is located in Bradenton, Florida on Tampa Bay. At McKechnie Field, these young warriors and sly old vets are performing calisthenics, hitting fast balls in the batter’s cage, shagging pop-ups and grounders in the grass, and throwing stitched horsehide orbs at lightning speed to get themselves physically and emotionally prepared for professional baseball. It is important to note that some of these young men will be heading to Indianapolis when the regular season begins to become members of our 2014 Indianapolis Indians baseball team. The Indians’ current affiliation with the Pirates goes back to 2005 and has been a relatively productive one. “Baseball America,” the top publication of baseball prospect rankings, has named the Pirates as having the number one farm system in professional baseball and the Indians are certainly a part of that. The Pirates reached the post-season for the first time in 20 years with a talented young squad made of a number of players who played as Indians.
In four weeks the regular season begins — Thursday April 1st. The Indians will open at Pawtucket against the Red Sox and will play seven more road games before their first home game on April 10th against the the Norfolk Tides. Last year the Indians posted an 80-64 record with a .556 percentage which was enough to win the International League West title and a trip to the playoffs. The playoff run was short lived but it gave hope for a successful 2014 season. The Tribe’s front office was the recipient of the Bob Freitas Award, given to the most effectively run operation at each level of minor league baseball. The Indians were the Triple A level winners. Dean Treanor returns for his fourth season as the Indians’ manager. Treanor will be joined by pitching coach Tom Filer and hitting coach Jeff Branson. All were part of the Tribe’s success last year.
I plan on being in the stands at the Vic on opening night come April 10th with a giant diet Pepsi, some Tribe fries, and a jumbo hot dog to watch the Tribe pummel the Tides and celebrate the beginning of spring. It’s an image that’s helping me face the latest blast of snow and freezing cold.
The Indians will be playing their 112th season of professional ball. Founded in 1902 as part of the American Association, they are the second oldest continuously operating franchise in minor league baseball history. Professional baseball has been played in Indy since 1977, so come on over to the Vic and celebrate 128 years of professional baseball in Indianapolis!
DWTS 2014
Just heard that Olympic Gold Medalists Charlie White and Meryl Davis, along with record setting distance swimmer Diana Nyad will be among the celebrity contestants for the upcoming 18th season of “Dancing With the Stars.” It should be a lot of fun to see these talented athletes and the other contestants compete for the mirror ball. Another reason to look forward to spring!