It's almost that time of year

You know, no matter how dark the prospects of the next season look, I always get excited to read that the pitchers are throwing at mini-camp. On top of that, John Russell is officially issuing his first, "I'll talk to you, but I'm not actually going to say anything," quotes of the 2008 season.

"Another nice day," manager John Russell said afterward. "We had a good workout and a good opportunity to talk about some of the things we're doing. Very productive."

and

"Ronny's not going to be treated any differently than anybody else on this team," Russell said. "Everybody's expected to be accountable, and that goes for Jason Bay, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez and Adam LaRoche. I'm not going to make this special, huge effort to pound on Ronny Paulino. He's a professional. He knows what we're going to expect."

Baseball's almost here!