With bromides, bluster and a bit of hope, the Yankees begin anew

So, yesterday afternoon, with "Britton" trending on Twitter, who here didn't feel the terror? 

In a normal time, it would mean that Zack Britton reported to Tampa in a cast, or as a woman, or with a tumor the size of Tom Cruise and the message would be: Don't worry, everybody, he'll be back by Columbus Day! Instead, "Britton" popped up due to a tweet from Domingo German, which was like the Pentagon mobilizing over this new threat from Gorilla Glue.

Baseball has begun. 

So, today, let's set aside our fears over the bullpen, our concern for Miguel Andujar and our bewilderment over the fate of Gardy. Let's wish warm winds upon all those in the cold, and let's welcome the first baby-step of normalcy after a long, dark nightmare, which surely is not over.

But, dammit, baseball has begun.

Listen: 2021 won't boil down to autographs and baby-kissing. We'll face infuriating mishaps and daily controversies. The Yanks look like a good team in a weakened division, and our world series drought has become jinx-worthy, our owner's looming legacy. The Dodgers are baseball's premier team. We're not even a consensus runner-up. (Worse, that distinction may go to the Mets.) 

Still...  baseball has begun.

So, yesterday, Britton was dishing on German, who had tweeted cryptically - not for his first time - about his future, then deleted the tweet, raising ques-  aww, you know what? I'm not gonna sweat tweets this year... so, Britton ended up denouncing domestic violence, which is fine, righteous, important... but it's also a layup. He might well have said he thinks that he will never see a poem as lovely as a tree. 

And with that, baseball has begun...

My last pre-pandemic event came 11 months ago, in Sarasota. The Yanks were playing the O's, and "Coronavirus" was trending. We went to the game, taking selfies with giant Corona Beer posters, swimming in a viral sewerage pond - no masks, no social distancing, we might as well have licked the the toilet handles. Next day, Trump announced the lockdown. We caught the next flight home. Since then, nothing has been normal, except that I no longer fear house arrest.

Baseball has begun.

So, enough waxing. How about Red Thunder! I predict 35 HRs, 100 RBIs and .265. How about you? Only reason I ask is... 

Baseball has begun.