Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, February 16, 2007, Washington Post

Baseball Questions Spring Eternal

This week is important for all of us who are in love . . . with baseball. That's because pitchers and catchers from all the major league teams report to spring training.

Spring training is when players go to Florida and Arizona to get in shape for the season. So newspapers and TV sports reports are filled with pictures of ballplayers stretching and playing in the warm sun.

Spring training has been around almost as long as professional baseball. In the 1870s and 1880s some teams trained around New Orleans, Louisiana, while others played in Texas, California and Arkansas. Eventually, most teams set up training facilities in Florida. Today, teams that train in Florida play in what's called the Grapefruit League. Teams training in Arizona make up the Cactus League.

These days Florida and Arizona cities compete to host teams, and thousands of fans travel to watch spring training games. But in the 1880s professional baseball players were considered roughnecks. A Jacksonville, Florida, hotel allowed the Washington Senators to stay there only if the players promised not to mingle with other guests or eat in the same dining room.

Whether it's the old days of baseball or today's game, every spring training camp brings up the same questions about players and teams. Take a look at the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles this year.

Will injured players come back? Nick Johnson, the Nationals' star first baseman, broke his leg near the end of last season. The Nats need Johnson to come back strong in 2007.

Was last year's star rookie a fluke or the real deal? Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit .287 and knocked in 110 runs last season. He should be the team's best player for years to come. Nick Markakis hit .291 for Baltimore. The Orioles are hoping that he will be a star outfielder.

Who is this year's hot rookie? If Johnson is not ready to play first base for the Nats, the job might go to rookie Larry Broadway. With that last name, he sure sounds like a star.

Does a veteran player have another good year left in him? Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora hit just 16 home runs last season. My guess is that, at 35 years old, Mora will get worse, not better.

Is there a big winner among the pitchers? The Nationals are desperate for starting pitchers. They need John Patterson, who has been terrific at times, to stay healthy and pitch well every fifth day. The Orioles are hoping that young Daniel Cabrera (age 25), Adam Loewen (22) and Hayden Penn (22) will improve under pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

Spring training is as much a part of baseball as the bat and the ball. It's a promise that, under all the ice and snow up north, spring -- and baseball -- are not far away.