Lacking a cute watch or any knowledge of how to actually use iCal, I'm telling time this year by the presence or absence of baseball on Red Rolfe Field. Luckily despite an April Fool's snowstorm to the contrary it is now officially springtime because the Dartmouth baseball team had its home opener on Wednesday (its earliest ever). Someone should tell the collegiate track world about said change in seasons the men's and women's track and field teams just participated in an invitational titled the Snowflake Classic.
Baseball games are a defining theme of Spring term. Even once it's finally warm out, the Green taunts us, daring unwitting students to repose on its wet and mucky surface, which will not switch from quicksand to solid until May. Baseball, on the other hand, is a steadfast friend and offers an excellent excuse even for a non-fan to spend a couple of hours outside. It is the antithesis of miserably cold Dartmouth football, that beloved institution which keeps fans frozen to their seats until ultimately disappointing them far too often.
Yes, Dartmouth baseball is a winning program. The team has been the reigning Ivy League champion for the past two years and is poised for a three-peat in 2011. The squad is talented and boasts depth in pitching and in hitting already this season we've seen a record-breaking 15 strikeouts by Kyle Hendricks '12 in just seven innings against Army, as well as a four-homer day by the team this past Saturday.
But while the academic term has just started, the baseball season is already approaching its halfway point. Just 13 more home games, and the season will be over by the start of May. Just 13 more chances to get a sunburn or to hide under an umbrella in a warm rain, but that's still O.K. because April showers bring June NCAA tournament games. Essentially, although Dartmouth's small stadium inspires a fun and laid-back atmosphere in the crowd, these April games make up the meat of the season and are absolutely crucial to the team's postseason dreams.
Right now I can focus my love of baseball on the Big Green, because in terms of the marathon that is the Major League Baseball season, spring is the time when games are just joyful and don't mean that much. For instance, the Yankees tend to be relatively weak for the first few months of the season while the Red Sox jump out to a quick head start but New York has won four times as many pennants over the history of the clubs. "Spring ahead, fall back" and like clockwork, the glory of the Sox tends to dim by the time October comes around.
Some New York reporters were excited this weekend about how the Yankees got out to such a strong start by winning their first two games. Realistically, this analysis can't predict anything baseball is all about the long haul, and I won't be jumping to any conclusions about the MLB season for at least another month. I will, however, take the opportunity to talk some trash when New York and Boston face off next weekend. There's always time for rivalry.
Next weekend, baseball will be home, as will several other Big Green teams, and the forecast is rainy but warm. I'm going to suck it up and hang out in the rain, because I shouldn't admit this I was so pleasantly surprised to see baseball starting in Hanover that I didn't even know about it until I happened to see the game from an elliptical overlooking the field. It's spring finally! so take me out to the ballpark.
