Spring training, at least as I recall it from the 1990s, is the best thing about being a baseball writer.
There's a comfortable rhythm to the work, an easy camaraderie among colleagues, a freedom the regular season's grinding pressures won't permit.
It's a welcome hiatus from the cynicism this profession fosters, a time when unhurried stories about untested talents can be lathered with optimism and hope.
All the hard work is offset by the warm days and the cold beer.
Baseball writers and spring training were both new concepts in 1889, when the Phillies spent two preseason weeks in Florida.