Ramping of Red Sox reports sparks remembrances of springs past

Hallelujah and amen: the snow may still be falling, but Red Sox spring training is well nigh upon us. The volume of media reports from Ft. Myers is steadily increasing, and phantom sights and smells and sounds are filling the mind’s eye and nose and ears of anyone who ever has been there him/herself:

The green fields and blossoming flowers … the crack of the bat and the pop of the ball … newly-mown grass and newly-dampened dirt … hugs and laughter and cries of recognition on both sides of the chain-link fence …

All of baseball must have been thus 100 years ago, for the intimacy and timelessness of the setting could not help but lead to the emergence of a National Pastime – a term that itself captures the communal spirit of the experience. It’s not the National Sport, or the National Game, but rather the nation’s favorite way to ‘pass the time’ – and especially this early in the proceedings (camp doesn’t even officially open until next week), everyone on hand seem content to ease into the routine.

Sure, there are concerns about David Ortiz’s consistency, Mike Lowell’s mindset, and how six starting pitchers will slot into five spots in the rotation. But the time has not yet come to explore and argue and agonize over all that. For now, it is enough to know the sun is out, the temperature is moderating, and baseball again is being played … in Florida, at least, and in our own reminiscence.