I'm going to tell you right off the bat that I'm not going to post a wrap-up every single day, but with pitchers and catchers and an actual workout, today seems like a proper occasion. And because this is the first ST wrap-up of the year, understand that these wouldn't be possible if not for the tremendous work being done by those on the ground. Geoff Baker, Shannon Drayer, Greg Johns, Larry LaRue, Kirby Arnold - these are the sources. I'm just a guy who offers commentary with bad words in it. Our media takes good care of us.
- If there was a big story of the day - and, to be honest, there really wasn't, save for the fact that baseball players were working out again - it was Erik Bedard throwing pain-free in the bullpen. He's thrown a few of these pain-free bullpens, now, and he claims to be feeling great, absolutely 100%. Which is wonderful, and I have no reason to believe he isn't telling the truth, but, well, we'll see. It's encouraging to know that he'll be going at the same pace as everybody else and has an excellent shot to begin the year in the rotation. He isn't behind schedule yet. We'll take this on a day-by-day basis.
An angle a few people chose to explore after he was done throwing was just why Bedard elected to re-sign rather than chasing more money somewhere else, but I guess by spending so much time in the dugout, Bedard's been able to develop a better relationship with his teammates and the fans. Those same fans who wouldn't let up on Bedard for being so fragile, mind you. Either Erik Bedard is the world's greatest forgiver, or he just assumes he likes the fans but hasn't been paying attention.
Bedard was much more deliberate in his bullpen today than you'd expect of him in a game, by the way. Josh Bard said that "nobody smart" is going any faster or throwing any harder at this point. There were reports that Nate Robertson, Michael Pineda, and Denny Bautista were working fast and/or throwing hard. - Aside from the fact that he can't really walk yet after hip surgery, David Aardsma claims to be in the best shape of his life. Jack Wilson's in arguably the best shape of his life as well, having reportedly dropped 12 points and strengthened his legs. And that's it. Those are the two guys in the best shape of their lives. What about everyone else? These guys don't take their jobs seriously.
- Another story of the day, naturally, was Eric Wedge, and the intensity that follows him around like a shadow. He called a brief meeting today and informed the team of a few rules, one of which being that no one's allowed to wear earrings on the field. I can't find any evidence that this'll have an effect on anybody, but any list of rules that doesn't include a rule against Felix's haircut is woefully incomplete.
- In a daring maneuver, Greg Johns opened Spring Training by devoting one of his articles to Josh Lueke. The picture you see now isn't the picture that was originally published with the article. The picture that was originally published with the article was this one. I think they made the right call.