Shark-fishing, strike zones, and mayflies

I know March is supposed to come in like a lion, but it's currently -3° in Lansing (with -11° wind chill!).  That's roaring a bit too frigid for my tastes.

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Nobody gets the best stories like my friend Alexis Brudnicki, and she homered again on Friday: "Robson, Reeves hoping to hook shark."  Tom Robson and Mike Reeves are excellent prospects for the Jays at pitcher and catcher respectively, both of them could become 2014 Lugnuts... and their goal this spring training is, yes, to land a shark.

It's my nightmare:  the Harrisburg Senators' new batting practice cap is a mayfly. It's cartoonish and lovable; the real thing looks like this.  Oh, you can think whatever you'd like, but it's my unshakable opinion that mayflies are a (nonbiting, harmless) scourge at any stadium located near a river. During my first trip to Quad Cities, I was confused as to why our broadcast booth windows were sealed shut, and then the dark clouds of mayflies arrived like a plague off the Mississippi River.

"The Tribe should retire Chief Wahoo Once and for all," the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes in an editorial. Count me in agreement. (Look at that damning picture, too!)  

A new study concludes, based on evidence between 2009-2011, that the strike zone gets smaller with two strikes on the batter. For all of those pitchers who suspected they were getting squeezed: You were right.

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At the office, we're trying to finish up everything this week for the team magazine. On Thursday night, I head briefly down to Dunedin, Florida, and Toronto Blue Jays Spring Training camp, arriving back in Lansing on Sunday.  After that, it'll be time to gear up for single game tickets, the team media guide and the incoming season!

Maybe the snow will have melted by then...

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I love posting a video somewhere in the blog, and this struck me as the best sports video of the weekend.  Paula Creamer earned her win: