The start of spring training brings so much hope.
Seeing reporters spend all last week blowing up Twitter and Instagram with photos and footage of pitchers and catchers reporting and position players arriving at camp early gives a tangible reminder that baseball season is upon us.
Whether it’s seeing how in-shape Matt Kemp is or how out-of-shape and joyful Bartolo Colon is, those first few days allow the imagination to run wild.
In a little over a month, you will actually be able to get home from a solid day of work, turn on the television and find your favorite big league team in action. And for now, everything is going to go great.
Your pitcher is going to have a Cy Young caliber season. Your new offseason additions are going to send you over the top. No player is going to get injured and no one will enter any slumps.
At least, that’s what you tell yourselves.
While none of that will likely happen, this is the time of year to get your hopes up. Believe that your favorite team’s optimism is warranted. Enjoy how everyone gets along and everyone is excited to show up for 7:30 a.m. infield workouts. Because soon enough, the dog days will be here.
Braves fans, get ready to see the new park and the fruits of the rebuild beginning to present themselves.
Matt Kemp greeting #Braves third-base coach Ron Washington pic.twitter.com/2YSVQyzQHu
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) February 14, 2017