The Dog Days of Spring Training

As we officially enter the purgatory known as the "dog days of spring training" it's hard not to become antsy. We can hear the sizzle of an upcoming season, but long to taste it. Whoever said patience is a virtue had to be a baseball fan around this time of year. With opening day less than two weeks away, everyone-fans, players, managers, and sportswriters have grown tired of the monotony of spring training. How many wind sprints can a player run and bullpen sessions a hurler throw? How much fine-tuning can a hitter before his calluses form calluses? Or, how much can fans discuss the probable Mets fifth starter and the identity of the 25th man before turning blue? How many stories written about the upcoming campaign? It's time to Play Ball, for keeps already. Why does it take 30 practice games and seven weeks of training for the players to deem themselves game ready? For instance, a pitcher only has a finite amount of innings in his arm why exhaust the...