After today, we can take one ticker off of our metaphorical, or potentially literal, countdowns as the equipment truck leaves from Boston heading for sunnier skies. Truck day is always the first step towards baseball season, as it opens the door for pitchers and catchers to report, position players to report, and finally for exhibition games to start. It has always been a much bigger tradition in Boston than anywhere else, but it’s exciting all the same. The arrival of the truck means that spring training will start about a week from now, and that means that reports will circle from Boston media centers saying who’s in the “best shape of their life” and who will be ready for Opening Day.
Feb 21, 2012; Fort Myers FL, USA; A general view of Boston Red Sox spring training at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Like Opening Day and the start of exhibition games, Truck Day is a time of optimism in baseball. How could you not be optimistic after four months of nothing, seeing legitimate reports about your team everyday? The beginning of the baseball season is one of the happiest times of the year, and Truck Day gets us one step closer.
In just a week, we can forget about being the GM’s for our teams and return to being fans– which is much more gratifying anyway. In less than three weeks, we can watch the Red Sox play spring training games in their beautiful facility, JetBlue Park, a wonderful replica of Fenway Park. Truck Day is nothing alone, but it signals the beginning to the best time of the year.