It’s the day before opening day and the Blue Jays are about to start it all up with the promise that a new season brings. Most of the Winter’s snow has melted and my shovel remains leaned up against the porch wall like a sentry with no enemy to beware of. Even still, as I look out on to my yard, the bare trees and the brown lawn make me long for warmth and green of summer.

I think of a Saturday in late June last year. The weather was pitch perfect, a clear blue sky, a few cotton ball clouds and a light breeze…perfect. Mowing the lawn that day was a joy. I put away the mower and grabbed a patio chair and placed it under the maple. The cool shade, the breeze and the smell of the fresh mown grass filled my senses and lifted my mood.

I sat in the chair with a cold beer and slipped off my sandals, the grass felt cool and soft against my bare feet. The radio was tuned into the game and in the distance I heard the murmur of another lawn mower. The Blue Jays are up in the top of the second and the announcer`s voice was heightened with excitement, I leaned forward in my chair as he yelled “…and there she goes. A three run shot.” I sat back, took a sip of beer, closed my eyes and listened to the sweet drone of the game. It went back and forth till the Jays won it with one in the ninth.

That day I thought of all the winters waiting for the snow to melt, the leaves on the trees to bud, the grass to get green and baseball. Baseball was then and, is now the harbinger and the promise of something that could be new and hopeful. This season, more than any in recent memory, brings true hope for the Blue Jays.

I take the snow shovel from the porch and put it back in the shed. After digging through patio furniture, the hose and rake I pull the lawn mower out and clean it off. It`s not too early to do this, after all tomorrow is opening day for the Blue Jays.

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