Batter Up

Spring is just around the corner. Hooray ! I'm a little tired of being cold and shut up in the house except for brief periods of time. Time to clean up the grill and get those chicken wings barbecued.
Spring training has begun and the New York Yankees are looking good as always. Can't wait for opening day and another season. Baseball is the only sport I truly get excited about. Batter Up !
As with every new year the various teams make acquisitions and trades. It is always fun to see who will go where. The amount of money being spent is enormous. It really boggles the mind to think about it. Millions spent to maybe,possibly,could be increasing your chances of fielding a winning team. As the owner I can't imagine committing myself to these multi million dollar contracts knowing the player may get injured before the season even starts. It has to cause a lot of nail biting.
I am not a person that remembers players stats and specific games. My memory just doesn't work that way. I couldn't tell you what teams were in the World Series on any given year. My focus is always on this season. All the others are the past. With each spring comes new life and a chance for another victory. Even the Boston Red Sox can win a world series,although rarely.
Something I have always been aware of but never gave any thought to was the age of the players. For some reason it struck me this year. The Orioles signed a one year deal with Vlad Guerreo for 8 million dollars. They did voice some concern about his age. He is getting old and they hope he can still perform. He is ,drum roll please,36. Thats' right 36 and practically over the hill. Maybe the fact that I will be 58 this July has something to do with that. I'm thinking I need to sign a new contract before the twilight of my career turns to darkness. Major leaguers play into their forties,sometimes. There are always exceptional people but as a rule when you reach your late thirties in baseball you are pretty old. Baseball is a young mans sport. Your reflexes aren't what they used to be. I know at my age when I play ball with the Grand son my mind and eyes see the ball and direct me to it but the body doesn't follow quickly enough. It is a strange sensation.
As much as I enjoy baseball and admire the skills of the players it is difficult to imagine being 36 and people talking about how old you are. Of course you would take solace in the fact that you are very wealthy ( or least should be) and enjoy some level of fame. To be 36, making 8 million for this year and wondering if I will have a job next year,now that would be a quandary for sure. What to do. Maybe I should just go ahead and buy that car dealership now. But I also know if it where me my attitude would still be, there is always next year. Batter Up.