Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training

Baseball…is…so…close…

I had been thinking of trying a cold plunge even before Maura made it cool. Modern life can feel so damn crushingly monotonous sometimes, prompting us to seek out all kinds of ways to shake things up. And cold plunges, at least, don’t have the negative externalities that many of the other half-baked mid-life crisis solutions seem to come with (plus they reduce inflammation!)

There’s even a pond not far from my house where I’ve seen other people take the plunge. I could be there in three minutes, dunk myself in, and come out with a renewed sense of vigor and a clarity of spirit.

Except that I can’t, because the pond has been completely frozen over for going on two months now. This, I know, is a good thing. Ponds in New England are supposed to freeze in the winter. We’re supposed to be so cold on February 11 that a drizzly, forty-degree March day seems like paradise. Winter is supposed to suck so that we can fully appreciate summer when it comes. Ultimately, then, I’m glad that we’ve returned to some semblance of normal seasonality around here this winter.

But now where am I supposed to get that spiritual clarity from? Spring training photos and video clips will have to suffice, I suppose.

Red Sox pitchers and catchers reported to Fort Myers today. The next two weeks are, IMO, the best part of spring training. We who are still encased in ice with salt stains all over our foyers are suddenly given a glimpse of better days to come. Pitchers throwing long-toss in the outfield. Infielders ramping up in the batting cages. Retired legends chilling on golf carts and wearing baseball pants and spikes, not because they need to, presumably, but because it just feels great to walk across a diamond in spikes.

So as we wait for whatever the hell is going on with Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado to wrap up, let’s see what the boys are up to down south. Pictures and videos of spring training clips are slowly trickling up to us, just like the sun itself. Bask in it. This is the good stuff.

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Here we go, folks, the first shots of Garrett Crochet throwing baseballs in a Red Sox uniform. And would you look at that, he’s already throwing breaking stuff!

And here’s last year’s new pitcher, who, confusingly, is also this year’s new pitcher.

Garrett Whitlock the reliever is kinda new. Now let’s aim for Garrett Whitlock the healthy reliever.

Either these guys were all paid to wear bucket hats, or they just really like bucket hats. Interestingly, bucket hats are a regular part of the cricket uniform [Ed. note: that’s not interesting, Dan], so maybe that’s on the agenda for Theo’s next rule changes.

Seriously, imagine how much more fun it would be if Alex Cora had to argue with Mark Wegner with this thing flopping on his head.

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Though wearing any kind of hat would ruin the looks Masa and Wilyer have going here.

And Masa doesn’t need any headgear at all to lace some soft toss in the cage.

Speaking of sartorial choices, has anyone else considered the possibility that Craig Breslow was born in a quarter-zip?

Oh hell yeah! It’s dramatic, slow-motion walking season, baby!

That’s all for today, folks. Baseball is coming, stay warm. (Or, you know, jump into a frozen pond or whatever.)