Can Spring be Far Behind?

Mark February 14th on your calendar folks. No, I'm not talking about Valentines day either because I would think all you guys should have that date ingrained in your psyche and if you forgot then your wife or girlfriend will probably kill you in your sleep anyway.
I'm talking about the first day of baseball spring training. Now that we have the unpleasantness of the NFL safely behind us we can turn to the sport that every fly fisherman should love.....baseball.
I've always looked to Super Bowl Sunday as the first indication that winter will eventually end, even though this winter seems endless. Although the teams are in either Arizona or Florida where even the winter temperatures are warm at times, it still invigorates me and gets me thinking about the warmer weather,insect hatches and the Deschutes.
Even in this day and age of inflated contracts and over inflated cap sizes due to steroid use I love baseball! Always have and always will.
I've always said that the football season is just a way of filling the time between the end of the World Series and the beginning of spring training.
I like tho think that spring training is much like fly fishing. You begin with high hopes and optimism. Sometimes your hopes are dashed but sometimes you meet with success. Hey if you succeed only one third of the time in baseball you are considered a star! I succeed about one third of the time in my trout angling endeavors so what does that make me? Of course my steelhead fly fishing success or I should say lack of success would surely put me back in the minor leagues.
So as the players head to the sunshine of Florida or Arizona I am anxiously awaiting the sunshine and warmth of my favorite trout haunts. I am anticipating a great season because even if I do not hook many fish I know that just being out in the sunshine will be enough.