It’s hot in Florida.
That’s no revelation, but man, standing on the turf outside the dugout, wrapped in the humidity of inland Florida, the sun bearing down on neck and arms with no barrier save the occasional wisp of cloud – it’s pretty hot. Some might say miserable.
But out on the field – around the base paths, behind home plate, on the mound and in the outfield – players and coaches alike are running, jumping and swinging around like a bunch of kids playing in an air-conditioned McDonald’s Playplace. They’re pumped to be out there in the middle of a hot day, pumped to be sweating out water faster than they can replenish it from the coolers in the dugout, and most of all, they’re pumped to still be playing baseball.