Spring Training on the Web
19 February 07
Pitchers and catchers! And now third basemen and center-fielders and the rest head to Florida or Arizona for the annual ritual called baseball. Here are some links to warm your desk with promise of summer’s pasttime.
- Major League Baseball’s spring training site has plenty of upbeat offerings about the new season and some video interviews with players and managers.
- CBS’s Scott Miller runs down dozens of spring training stories, evaluations, and predictions (Barry Bonds will apparently open the season on the disabled list).
- SI presents big questions (Who will be the Red Sox closer?) for the season and its top story lines.
- ESPN ignites my hopes in the Phillies, hopes that will surely be crushed by October. They’ve also got Peter Gammons punditry.
- USA Today runs down the American League and offers some lists including five players with something to prove (A-Rod).
- Baseball America has some free content about up-and-comers including a piece on the last draft holdout, Diamondbacks pitcher Max Scherzer (Agent: Scott Boras), and a list of top prospects.
- Baseball Musings includes a weird chart about the height of players.
- The New York Times Bats blog features old-fashioned spring reporting on the quirks of the local clubhouses. Witness Juan Padilla’s card tricks.
- After that, go back and read Roger Angell’s spring training pieces in Game Time. The leisurely pleasure of another season set against the dugout chatter of old timers will surely get you ready for opening day.