As another February winds down, we are again confronted with spring training. Yes, baseball season is here again. Just the sound of the word “baseball” conjures up patriotic feelings for most Americans and an overwhelming majority of sports fans.
There are so many high hopes for the majors this season and it’s easy to see why. Just think about how the last one ended. The St. Louis Cardinals won a great seven-game World Series, once again frustrating the Texas Rangers. The Rangers made their second straight trip to the Fall Classic, but were once again sent away via the hands of the National League.
What happens when the Rangers have to once again compete with Albert Pujols, this time in their own division? What will this season hold for the Rangers and the newly acquired Yu Darvish and the recently-relapsed Josh Hamilton? Keep your televisions on and radios tuned in.What about the rest of the majors? The Boston Red Sox, for one, have had a terrible off-season. The fallout from one of the biggest September collapses in MLB history is still evident in Bean Town and the off-season stories haven’t helped much. Getting rid of manager Terri Francona and general manager Theo Epstein have left the Sox in state of flux and wondering whether or not they will be able to compete with the Yankees. The Yanks, on the other hand, have their own problems. What will happen to the team during this season as all of their star players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter put yet another season under their belts?
What about National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun? Braun just won his appeal of suspension of 50 games for testing positive in October of performance-enhancing drugs. The Brewers will be hard-pressed to find somebody to replace Braun if his legal thicket isn’t resolved by the start of the season after already losing Prince Fielder to the Detroit Tigers. Braun will no doubt play this season, but how will his previously perfect reputation fair?
Many questions follow us into this season and there are so many more that have yet to be asked, let alone answered. Sports lovers may not be looking forward to the questions themselves, but the great moments to answer them. Hopefully, this season will be just as good as the one we just came from.
