Spring?
Spring?
Today, March 21st, is the First Day of Spring. Despite what the groundhogs (plural, we consider both Punxsatawny Phil and the more proximal prognostications of Staten Island Chuck) predicted --an early Spring-- it appears that nature and the schedule of the Vernal Equinox are not in sync.
Yesterday was a cold day. Today --the first day of Spring-- a colder day.
These groundhogs are lucky not to be employed by corporate types who would make them suffer through the performance review process. They'd be on probation, or perhaps out the door by now. Of course, the concept of corporate types interviewing for replacements offers some entertaining possibilities.
- Where'd you work before?
- At the Podunk Zoo.
- How long were you there?
- As you can see on my CV, nine years.
- Did you see your shadow this year? And how is the weather in Podunk today?!
According to those who seem to most accuractely forecast the weather around here, tomorrow will be better, 21 degrees warmer. So it will break into the 60's. But then they warn that it will dip back down for a few days.
There are a few other "First Days of Spring" of note: the day that Pitchers and Catchers report to early camp, the actual opening day of Spring Training, and then the most important day of all, Opening Day at the Big Ball Orchard in The Bronx, the cathedral and home office of Baseball, Yankee Stadium.
The past two or three Opening Days at Yankee Stadium have been bone chillingly cold. One year we even had to perform sacrilege, and leave before the end of the game. When it is too cold (like less than 30∞) to hold the pencil and keep score, leaving early is justified. Other than that (or a cell phone call of a personal emergency requiring one's immediate presence) there is no reason at all to leave until the last out has been made in the top of the 9th, or until the Yanks have scored the winning run in the bottom.
Spring is truly sprung when one can attend the game without a jacket or overcoat, keep score without worrying about frostbite on one's digits, and the only crack to consider is not that of bones breaking after a slip on the ice, bit rather the joyous sound of the crack of the bat.
Opening Day at Yankee Stadium is a mere 12 days away. We're hoping Spring gets here by then, if not sooner.
