I’ve got a good feeling about this.
Spring is getting closer. The weather is getting gradually warmer, though lately Mother Nature seems to be messing with the thermostat on a daily basis as if it were a big joke.
Good one, Mother Nature.
Even so, I am confident the warmer weather will be here to say very soon, and that means only one thing.
Baseball season nears.
America’s pastime is one of my favorite sports, and I can’t wait to cheer for my favorite teams.
In the big leagues, I back the best team in baseball — the St. Louis Cardinals.
In fact, I am named after the 1986 relief pitcher for the Cardinals, Todd Worrell, who won a National League Most Valuable Player award that season.
Obviously I am also a fan of the Wichita State University Shockers. I have already attended one victorious game at Eck Stadium this year, and it was fun.
Sadly, though, one team I have fond memories of watching won’t be back this year. The Wichita Wranglers have left town.
I remember as a young lad when my family would attend the games with various members of the extended family.
We cheered vigorously, and my family proved their consuming prowess when they dominated a hotdog-eating and beer-drinking contest.
This victory was rewarded with a free stay in one of the skyboxes in Lawrence Dumont Stadium.
Those were good times, but like I said, I have a good feeling about this time of the year.
After all, as the former Wranglers settle into a brand-new facility in Arkansas, a new team is getting acquainted with the lovely Lawrence Dumont and its captivating view of downtown Wichita.
The Wichita Wingnuts now call the Air Capital city home, and the first pitch of the season takes place at 7:05 p.m. May 7 at Lawrence Dumont.
That baseball battle kicks off a five-game series against the team from Sioux City, Iowa.
I probably won’t get to attend the home-opener, but I am going to try to make the May 8 game.
The Wingnuts aren’t a major-league farm team like the Wranglers were, but it should still be fun to watch them play.
I’m hoping I’ll make unforgettable memories with the Wingnuts like I did with the Wranglers, and I hope the team performs well in its inaugural season.
Of course, promises of baseball fun aren’t the only reason I have a good feeling about everything right now.
It’s a leap year, and superstitions say this is a positive omen. Supposedly any venture or project a person starts on Feb. 29 will be quite successful.
And that is why I have a good feeling about things.
Lately I’ve been worried about what I’m going to be doing after I graduate this May.
It’s a nerve-wracking time, really, but I suddenly seem to have a sense of calm.
I attribute this to the magic of the leap year.
The silly, superstitious side of me believes everything is going to work out because of one extra day on the 2008 calendar.
This truly is a special year.
Not only is it a leap year, but this Easter is the earliest since 1913.
So here’s the big question I face: Should I buy a baseball cap or an Easter bonnet first?
Decisions. Decisions.
