Hope Springs...

Pitchers and catchers have reported to their spring training sites. The final free agents are settling their contracts. Most Major League Baseball teams are finalizing their rosters.

As I look outside my window I see nothing but snow. It's piled taller than my ten year old daughter in places. I feel like a resident in Narnia before Aslan's return, always winter and never Christmas. It seems that the bleakness and grey skies will never end.


But, pitchers and catchers reported. Spring is coming and with it, hope.

That's the beauty of baseball. It runs from February through October. It's part of the rhythm of life. Baseball has a rhythm. Three game sets typically offset by a day, six on, one off. It's rhythmic.

The pitching rotation gets set and you can figure out when your favorite is pitching based on who is throwing today. It's rhythmic and it brings hope.

When the pitchers and catchers report it is a sure sign that winter is on the wane and spring is coming. Spring brings new life and that new life is a resurrection.

When you hear the pop of the ball in glove and the crack of the bat, you know winter is over. You know that each day brings new warmth and life. The silence of winter is broken by the rhythm of the pops and cracks.

Baseball.