This winter has been very mild and it’s often felt very spring-like.  But real spring is almost here, and that means that baseball is on its way.  Teams in Japan and the US have begun playing exhibition matches in preparation for the 2020 seasons.  It’s always a happy time of year when baseball starts, even when the games don’t mean anything.  As I’ve mentioned so many times in the past, baseball is such an important part of the year for me, and I plan on spending the better part of the next month watching as much baseball as possible.

It’s one of my dreams to take my family to the US for spring training.  Major League Baseball teams train in either Florida or Arizona, both located in the south where the weather tends to be much more mild around this time of year.  At spring training games, families can have picnics beyond the outfield wall while enjoying games in a much more casual environment than that of a regular season game.  The atmosphere looks great and one of these years I would love to head back and check it out for myself!