Forgive me for a possible overreaction, or for getting swept away by naivete and my own biases, but the beginning of Spring Training is such a refreshing occasion that I can hardly contain myself. Acknowledging that the first Spring Training game is essentially a 15-year-old taking a spin around the neighborhood, today still provided a look into what we could see on the road for years to come. But above all else, baseball’s return is more about easing our abandonment, knowing that we’ll have this comforting blanket to drape ourselves in until October.
These Mariners being designed to suck also means that Spring Training carries a slightly heightened importance.