Jeff: I LOVE LAMP!

Happy Valentine's Day to all, even though I think it's one of those contrived Hallmark Holidays that force people to show affection and not be spontaneous or romantic. And yes I'm single and will spend my evening watching the Canucks/Wild game and a probably-disappointing-Lost episode. So in the contrived and forced spirit of love, let me talk about what I truly and openly love (and not in a John Amaechi kind of love)most in the world of sports today:
PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TODAY!!
Thats right, as you sit there in sub-zero temperatures (or for me rainy and 50 degrees again), know that in sunny Arizona and Florida the boys of summer are checking in! It's times like this when I realize how much I LOVE baseball. It's that time of year when everyone's an optimist (well unless you live in Kansas City, Tampa, or DC) because if things break right this year maybe, just maybe, your team can be a contender. My Mariners? A long shot in a weak division but anything's possible. If nothing else I've got King Felix Hernandez, who actually came into camp in shape this year. Last year he was getting Young Doc Gooden comparisons before showing up to spring training with a body that looked like David Wells- if he had eaten Bartolo Colon and John Kruk. This year? He looks like ripped! He's muscular! It's like he actually cares about his conditioning and work habits and might even try to live up to all of his hype! (I'm going to pretend that even though he's from Venezuela and spent all winter down there, and even though the highest percentage of baseball players that have been caught using steroids have been latin, that he's doing all of this naturally). So bring on the Young Doc comparisons, and restart the Felix vs Liriano debates, because the King has returned!
For you Twins fans there's a lot to love here, other than the Liriano injury and your fine elected officials approving a Twins stadium WITHOUT A FINALIZED DEAL ON THE LAND!!! And you wonder why fewer and fewer people vote these days? But on the bright side Mauer's resigned, Morneausy's got at least one more year and hopefully longer (unless, you know, he wanted to sign as a free agent with the "hometown" M's next year), and the pitcher and bullpen on the planet returns intact. Seems to me like they've got enough cheap options in the rotation behind Santana to make a run. Being in baseball's toughest division? Well we'll save that for another day. For now, rejoice because spring training is almost upon us!