It's above freezing, it must be spring!

It's warming up, very slowly. By warming up I mean it's generally above zero during the day. If you don't have to wear gloves to walk home, it must mean spring is round the corner. Hopefully. The weather forecasters are still talking about four weeks to go. At least the snow has pretty much gone for now...

One sure sign that this freezing hell is almost over is the start of the baseball season. It started yesterday. In Japan. The Japanese love baseball and have a thriving league, so this isn't about expansion, just making money. It's the American Dream on tour. 

The season properly starts next week. Toronto get to start with an away series at the Yankees, followed by the Red Sox - the World Champions - at home. This is not an easy way to begin the year. But hey, it's a long year. At least my tickets for opening day are in the bag - and it's the Rogers' box for me (that would be the owner's box, HA!). Weird way of watching a game though, surrounded by Toronto's rich elite supping cosmos and downing oysters. Baseball is all about the beer and hotdogs - but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!

Now UK readers (and, to be fair, many Canadians) don't really get the appeal of baseball. It is, after all, rounders. But that's not fair - baseball is much more than that. It really is a great game - no, it is! It's also part of America's psyche, part of what makes it tick. That's why there was so much fuss about the steroid-taking report earlier in the year. It was as if America itself was in some way being violated by it. Only America could investigate a sport at Senate level - it would be like football being investigated by the House of Lords. Not that bad an idea, actually... 

So, take me down to the ball game and let's play ball!