Beating the Baseball Blues

The baseball season ended over a month ago and I've been trying my best to stave off the withdrawal that usually kicks in as soon as the glow of the World Series begins to fade. Since hibernating until spring really isn't an option, I've been avoiding the Baseball Blues by

> paying attention to off-season trades and signings. There are too many to list, but the biggest transactions for the local teams have happened in the last few days. San Francisco bolstered its pitching staff with Matt Morris, Steve Kline and Tim Worrell, but weakened its clubhouse by dropping J.T. Snow. Meanwhile, Oakland grabbed Milton Bradley, the angry outfielder, from the Dodgers, who obtained Bill Mueller and Sandy Alomar Jr. yesterday.

> keeping an eye on the World Baseball Classic. The inaugural event, which seems to be Major League Baseball's response to the sport's removal from the Olympics, already ran into a snag. Yesterday, the American government told organizers that Cuba wouldn't be allowed to participate. The Soxaholix have a great entry on the controversy. If Cuba can't play, maybe Trinidad and Tobago will get the spot instead.

The event is MLB's attempt to promote the baseball globally. By having superstars represent their "home" countries, organizers hope to attract a large international audience. With players divided by nationality, it's interesting to see how many of today's stars aren't homegrown, which is why I seriously doubt that the U.S. will make it beyond the first round of play. I predict it will be Japan and Venezuela fighting for the title.

> watching Ken Burns' Baseball. His PBS documentary covers the entire history of the sport and is roughly eighteen hours long. Fortunately, instead of showing all eighteen hours in one go, Burns breaks it down into nine two-hour "innings". So far, it's been brilliant and enthralling and I can't get enough of it. I'm currently watching the Fourth Inning, which covers 1920 to 1929, the decade when Babe Ruth made his permanent mark on baseball.

If I can pace myself, I might be able to stretch the five remaining innings out until baseball starts again. By that time, not only will I have a better understanding of the sport I love, but I'll have also beaten the Baseball Blues.