I hope that when I told you I’d be at yesterday’s game at Port St. Loosey Goosey, you didn’t think you’d be getting up-to-the-minute coverage.  That was never going to happen.  I mean, this isn’t CNN.  If you recall, there was a time when people used to get the paper once a day, and that was their only source for news.  They seemed to be OK with that.  But I suppose they also elected Herbert Hoover to be their president back then, so  it was a fundamentally flawed time period.

But, still, for better or for worse, that’s how I do my exclusive coverage.

In any event, next time you think it makes sense to plan a trip in late February or March that doesn’t in some way involve spring training, think again.  Because you’re wrong.

It’s been years since I’ve gotten to experience the intimate and casual atmosphere at a spring training camp, and let me tell you; ain’t nothing better.  (Except maybe the fiercely competitive and super charged atmosphere at an October ballgame.)  There’s just something exhilarating about watching baseball from a stadium so small that you know you could theoretically yell something at a player and have him hear it.  If you’re me, this also triggers your unfortunate impulse to yell things you shouldn’t at inappropriate moments.

Fear not; this is an impulse I have under control.

I was able to come early and watch the players take batting practice from the field.  And let me just say it now and for the record: Daniel Murphy is the player to watch.  He’s solidly built, has a serious swing, and every time he takes a crack at a pitch, he does it like he’s got some kind of personal vendetta against the ball.  There’s a certain combination at work there-talent, focus, grit, and intensity.  It’s written all over everything he does, and it’s undoubtedly a winning combination.  His stats for his brief stint in the majors at the end of the 2008 season speak to that.

But it’s not just that he has all the raw elements-he also has a solid work ethic.  When Murphy determined that he could use a little extra help in the field, he decided to be proactive.  So he showed up early to spring training-twelve days before pitchers and catchers early.  Which I like.  It shows that he subscribes to one of my most valued principles: The Principle of Try Your Hardest.

The word on the street still seems to be that Ryan Church will be starting in right and Murphy will be part of a platoon in left.  But that’s all right.  Murphy’s young; there’s time.

Meanwhile, the Castillo-Reyes batting experiment seems to be going well.  From his very first at-bat, Castillo had his second  productive day in the leadoff spot.  He opened with a single, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ollie Perez (yeah, Ollie in the two spot–weird), and went home on a Reyes RBI groundout. As for Reyes, he homered from both sides of the plate from the number three spot–a solo shot as well as a grand salami.  I’m sure he’s slightly annoyed with himself for his accomplishments as they only help to solidify his new spot in the lineup.  Well, not really.  I’ve never seen Jose Reyes look annoyed with himself.

Especially when he hits a home run he’s pimping.