Do The Freddy!

Even more so than the bobbin' along of the red, red robin, the reporting of pitchers and catchers to baseball spring training announces the arrival of spring. When I was a big baseball fan (as every little boy my age was growing up), just the thought of baseball Opening Day was enough to get the spring juices flowing. Yes, I would even follow the scores of the not-so-meaningless-to-me Grapefruit League games, trying to prognosticate the success of my fighting Phillies and beloved Yankees.

My first word associations with baseball today conjure modern dilemmas like steroids, free agency, and Barry Bonds. I don't care much anymore about the sport until September, when the pennant races begin to rev up and wind down. But I still get a kick (as these pitchers and catchers do), of the annual dumb publicity photos that show the early birds "working out" before the position players arrive.

The players all seem to be performing a weird dance, like the 1963 Freddie, initiated by the groovy guys from Manchester, England, Freddie and the Dreamers. What do you think?