Cannon Firing Line
Be A Kid Again
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

Although it may not be popular in some circles, some of us love baseball. If that is heresy, then put us among the heretics.

I may have found a way for you to join our club.

Go to spring training. Quit talking about it, stop whining and knock it off your to-do list. As a popular marketing slogan puts it, just do it.

Believe me, you won't regret.

Admittedly, you may not have the same access media has in Bradenton, yet it should not get in the way of your pilgrimage.

Fact is, having spent nearly a week in Bradenton, I spent a good bit of that time wondering what it would be like if so many of those who have given up on the pastime had a chance to hang around McKechnie Field. And while the whole media thing gets in the way of looking at things as a pure fan, there was still room for considering what it would be like if you were there - and for a moment, at least, put so much of what bothers you about the game aside.

The good news is that it's very easy to do. First, it's spring. That should wake you up right off the bat. Second, it's spring in Florida. Unless you're one of these zombies who digs it when all the blinds are down in your house, the sun and breeze makes you feel like a human being again.

There's the coziness of McKechnie, which is every bit the setting you see on television. Beyond that, the realization that the fans there want to be there creates a buzz based mostly on just liking baseball. You can feel it and that's a good thing.

Don't forget the access to the players, and relaxed way things go on down there; it contrasts quite a bit from when the job part of the game grinds them down.

But most importantly, there's that feeling of being a kid. It's unavoidable. Put all this together, smell the grass, and it not only makes you feel that kid inside you again, it practically takes all you have to not run on the field with a glove.

Feeling like a kid again is not a bad thing. It's good. And it's there for you.

Just do it.

Ellis Cannon's SportsLine Pittsburgh" airs weeknights, 6-8 p.m., on FM NewsTalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 on KDKA-TV.