A New Baseball Year Begins

As a fan and tourist, I find Spring Training incredibly reinvigorating. The strong sun, the warm weather, the easy pace of the games, they all seem like the first rehearsal for spring and summer. It doesn't even matter which teams are playing -- which for explains why my first game of the year matches the Red Sox against the Marlins.
There are old friends in new places (above: Juan Pierre, back for a second tour of duty with the Marlins) and familiar names already in game face (below: Boston's Jon Lester)
And even a new contender in the over-the-top ballpark treats department: say hello to the Miami Dog (a spicy footlong nestled up against pulled pork on one side and a Cuban corn salsa on the other).
Happy New Year, indeed!

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