Jamie Mottram's Sports Blog - www.misterirrelevant.com

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow, which feels too early but is fantastic nonetheless. To add to your fill of Spring Training reportage, head over to the stat-minded and outspoken site Many Go; Few Understand where our pal J.P. will be eyewitness blogging from the Cactus League. For a taste of what to expect, here are two gems from this spring's opening salvo:

"One of the things I will be observing is which players and managers are getting [bleep]faced in the bars after the practices and workouts. This is an excellent indicator of future performance. For instance, in 1996, I was sitting at the bar in the Sugar Shack in Scottsdale, right next to Giant's skipper Dusty Baker. He was so hammered he couldn't even remember who his starting shortstop was supposed to be. When I informed him that the Giants had traded for Shawon Dunston in the off season, he literally fell off his bar stool, but rallied to buy another round. The Giants went on to lose 94 games that year. Coincidence? Of course not..."

Observing whether the catcher and the pitcher get along is essential also. A couple of years ago, I noted Brett Tomko shaking off A.J. Pierynski's signs early in ST. I thought, "Man, that Tomko is a dick. You don't show up your new catcher like that in ST; you throw the pitch he calls and if the batter jacks it, you discuss it after the game." Sure enough, Tomko and Pierynski feuded all year."

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