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Since 2008, I've been creating a new baseball-themed illustration each year on the occasion of the start of Spring Training, celebrated on the day that pitchers and catchers report to camp-- the idea being that pitchers need a little bit longer to get ready than the hitters (and they can't do much of anything without their battery mates behind the plate.)
This usually takes place in mid-February. But in early December, as negotiations began on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB owners locked out the players, and the start of Spring Training was delayed. The two parties recently came to an agreement, so all our favorite players are now hanging out in Arizona and Florida, stretching and running drills and getting ready for the season to start next month, only a week or so behind the original schedule. But there was never an official "Pitchers and Catchers Report Day" like usual this year, so I've decided to squeeze this annual tradition in before exhibition games start up tomorrow.
I love baseball because I always have, because I was raised in a family that loved baseball and in a geographic spot that gave me easy access (both in-person and on the radio) to one of the game's most storied teams, the Cincinnati Reds. I watched a lot of losing teams in my formative fandom years (ages 13-26) and so I learned how to love the game without any expectation of "winning it all" or a "pennant chase" or... what exactly is a "World Series" anyway?
One thing I ❤️ about baseball is that even the worst teams win 60 games a year. Your team can be a disaster and still put on a hit parade on any given day. If being a fan is supposed to be fun, this seems like a big plus in baseball's favor that doesn't get discussed much.
— Elizabeth Metz (@finestmuffins) April 17, 2018
The Reds, after years of futility and rebuilding, made the playoffs in 2020 and were in the hunt for a playoff spot for most of 2021. And yet they're currently being dismantled for parts. The whimsical and colorful illustration above represents how the start of a new season usually makes me feel (momentum! stardust! POSSIBILITY!) But there's a 65% chance another beloved favorite will leave my team in the time it takes me to type this blog post, so I'll go ahead and also share a slapdash sketch from a few days ago that more accurately represents my feelings about baseball circa March 2022:
Author Vivian Kirkfield holds a contest each year called "50 Precious Words." It does what it says on the label-- challenges writers (especially us picture book folk who are always chasing after profound brevity!) to write a complete story using no more than 50 words.
You can view all of this year's entries here. I've thrown my hat in the ring for the first time this year. Mine is below, with a bonus illustration to spice things up.
Last year for my annual spring training illustration, rather presciently, I drew a couple of kids playing indoors.
