Spring is in the Air...

I realize that spring is over a month old now and that April showers bring May flowers and also flowering weeds. We need rain and also some great growing weather and I have to say the most folks dislike the cold but when a heat wave hits us before we are ready for it, we get a little testy. Or maybe we really are never completely happy with the weather because we can’t control it.

Another thing we can’t control is how our favorite teams perform. We always have high hopes for our local baseball team some 60 miles from Snoqualmie Pass but when they get shut-out with no hits and the pitching goes south, we can only bring on the optimism and say, “Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint!” But as with all marathons the best way to win is to keep it close and sprint when the finish line is near.

I’m not an idiot. I know that the King County based baseball team is still a year or two away from any kind of contention for a playoff spot. The youngsters need to improve and they also need to stay healthy. Any bat in the lineup that can actually touch a baseball needs to be productive especially when there are runners in scoring position. When they can have consistency and bear down in key situations then and only then will we see winning streaks and winning series. That sure fell apart when Cleveland and Chicago came to town, though.

This team will need to find itself and it starts with Chone Figgins at the leadoff position in the batting order. He will need to become a guy who can get on base consistently as in any way possible.

WSU had their highly anticipated spring football game with Coach Mike Leach at the helm last Saturday. The atmosphere was more in tune to a regular season game than a spring scrimmage and that is what the Cougars really need, a fan base that is excited again.

How the Cougars do this fall is anybody’s guess at this point in time, but the players should have gotten a little excited when they saw the fan base show up at Albi Stadium in Spokane. These Spokane fans need to really appreciate this game played in their back yard.

From what I’ve heard the Cougars will be able to score points this fall the only question is how many they give up on the defensive side of the ball, which is where they will need to win games. Scoring points has never been a problem historically. But there have been just a few teams that have been extremely tough when it comes to defending. Hopefully a strong summer of weight work and conditioning will make a big difference come September.

On Saturday, the Eastern Washington Eagles will hold their spring game on the red turf in Cheney. After winning the National Championship in 2010 the Eagles fell on hard times with an unbelievable amount of injuries to key players on offense and defense.

The bad news is that losses are usually the result when young, inexperienced players are thrown in the mix. The good news is that those players gained valuable field time that will help in their growth as football players.

Being a fan means having the knowledge of what your favorite team is going through. Just because the Eagles had a lot of returning players returning in 2011 doesn’t mean anything until the games are played.

Now the coaching staff can only make things happen when all of the ingredients are in place.

When you are short on ingredients there is a good chance the dish may not turn out to perfection. And five times last season the dish was a little off.

EWU has a great nucleus of receivers coming back this fall. They just need the solid arm to get them the ball especially since Bo Levi Mitchell; the Walter Payton award winner has wrapped up his senior season.

The Eagles will also need to find the right combination of running backs in order to keep defenses honest and give the QB a chance to make big plays happen. I’m confident that EWU can make another trip to the playoffs where we know anything can happen.

It all starts with spring and the great anticipation of good things to come.

Let’s hope that when September rolls around the Mariners, Cougars and Eagles will be performing at top notch levels.