Booing Alex at Spring Training

Sitting here listening to the pre-game show for the Royal's opening Spring Training game, I noticed a common question popping up in most of the interviews I'm hearing: "Does Alex Rodriguez belong in the Hall of Fame?"

My answer: Duh.

This shouldn't even be considered a serious question. The guys talent is off the charts. His numbers don't say he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, they shout it. I looked up "no-brainer" today, and the definition was Alex Rodriguez is a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The hangup for many people is his recent confession to having used performing enhancing substances from 2001 to 2003, while a member of the Texas Rangers. It is very easy to forget that at that time in Major League Baseball, there was no rule against that practice. According to the rules of the day, he did nothing wrong. How can you punish him for that?

I heard that there was a mixed reaction in the crowd today when he came to bat for the first time. Some cheers, some boos. I suppose that this is to be expected. You can boo if you want. But let's try to keep this whole situation in its proper context.

First Day of Spring Training Games

I have recently noticed a few signs of Spring: the weather has been warming up; the trees in my yard are budding; and birds have begun their migration back to their summer homes (as evident by the increased amounts of white globs streaking down various surfaces of our car). But for me, today marks Spring's most powerful promise: the first day of Spring Training games.

If you have been following your team in the off-season, today is a very big day. Teams have made trades, signed free agents, released and promoted ball players, and today we finally get to see the new version of the Royals, Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, or whomever else on display. For my team, the Royals, I'm excited to see if Mark Teahen can actually handle second base. I'm excited to see how the additions of Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp can bolster the lineup. I'm excited to learn if Alex Gordon and Billy Butler finally break out and become the Major League hitters the experts have always said they will be.

Another exciting aspect of this season's Spring Training is the second installment of the World Baseball Classic (baseball's version of the World Cup). Many stars will soon be leaving their respective training camps to represent their countries in this international baseball tournament. I cannot understand why I hear so many "baseball fans" disparage the WBC. I love the idea, and the drama that played out on the field in 2006 was incredible.

I just saw that all WBC games will be streamed on ESPN360.com, for those of you fortunate enough to have it (having access depends entirely on who your internet provider is; my provider, at&t, does participate, which means I'll be able to watch). Play begins March 5 when Japan and China meet in round one. Team USA's first contest is against our neighbors to the north on March 7, at 2:00pm EST.

So between Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, it looks like their will be plenty of baseball to keep us occupied.