Spring Breeds Optimism
Chris Perry (image via Mike DeSimone)
Chris Evans (image via TheWolverine.com)
Something a little different from me this week. I decided to combine some of my thoughts about the spring game with some recent Michigan Football history. Hopefully you enjoy.
Spring training in Major League Baseball breeds optimism. It doesn’t matter if you root for a team like the Mariners, who haven’t been to the playoffs since their brutal 2001 ALCS loss to the Yankees or the Cubs, fresh off their heroic World Series championship. The day when pitchers and catchers report to camp is a sacred day on the American sports calendar. Spring training in baseball breeds optimism because all the teams have the same record, and the stories of the season have yet to be written. All of the role players from last year could potentially blossom into stars, and the team could take the next step and take control of its division.
College football is quickly catching up to Major League Baseball in terms of spring-time optimism. In the vast expanse of months between the last bowl games and the opening of fall camp, college football fans have precious few events to mark on our calendars. There is so little going on during these months that National Signing Day has grown into a 12-hour extravaganza on the various ESPN networks.
More importantly, however, each team’s spring game has become appointment television for the devoted fan. Taking after the idea of spring optimism, I’ve created a short list of my more optimistic thoughts after watching the spring game.
