Hope is made of wood and leather

I know this is a "football city" but anyone who likes sports has, on some level, felt the hope that arrives with spring training each year.

Beginnings are filled with optimism. There is something reassuring about a new season beginning again, particularly one which will be there - day after day after day - for the next six months.

When I was a beat writer covering the Yankees, I dreaded spring training because it meant six weeks away from home. Yet even then, it was hard not to appreciate the inherent energy that comes with pitchers and catchers, groundballs and the first few rounds of batting practice. There is romanticism in all of it.

Baseball is filled with intriguing storylines this year, starting with Barry Bonds' near-certain ascent to the highest peak in the record book. He is 22 home runs away from passing Hank Aaron and when he does it will be one of the largest debates in sports history. Then there's the never-ending sagas with the Red Sox and Yankees, not to mention the first season in over a decade that the Atlanta Braves won't be defending a division title.

Here is the true magic of baseball: Spring is barely here yet summer seems feels like it's already upon us.