Something Fenway this way comes

Spring Training has begun. While I am a die hard Patriots fan it is Baseball that rules the sporting world in this house and New Englanders that we are this means the Red Sox. My ability to follow the team and even a game changes with each passing season, last year I saw nary a pitch but saw Toby roll over and grab his toes many times. Husby paid a little more attention but still was not as invested in the game as he generally likes to be. This year he has news updates going directly to his Iphone so he is well plugged in.

Listening to PBR the other day I heard an interesting piece of baseball news. A woman has pitched in batting practise at spring training for the first time. The division of sports into male and female fields has never particularly bothered me, even during my feminist years, but I found this interesting. What happens in spring training does sometimes stay in spring training as chances are we will not see her face in the major league parks unless as a paying fan.

Like the warm up before a workout we know what the players hope to gain from spring training, she hopes to be a pitching coach some day, but exactly what is it that we hope to gain from our observations?

We get to see what everyone has been doing in the off season - are they ready with guts or for glory? This year it seems that our boys in red were not slacking in the off season and are trimmer than the past few years. We see a well adjusted team, Ortiz playing catch with his son reminds us that baseball may be the heart of this team but that we are not a team of automatons (cough cough yankees cough cough) and neither success nor finances have wrought that on our heads in recent years. We also get to put markers on returning players and rookies. Who is likely to fade out this year, will Varitek retire? Who is going to shine - do we have any newbs to keep an eye on or are they all going to remain sold backbenchers this year, pitching in when needed but little else?

I get my baseball news mostly from Husby and he is excited this year but since I have a son now it may be worth my while to start understanding this game of his father's a little more. To keep up my cool mum exterior, to be the mum with the best cookies in town and the most up to date stats! So forgive me as I occasionally slip away from my crafting and into the more baritone world of bases and hot dogs.

Go Sox!