Harumph.

Spring training is almost over and I've got to say that I haven't felt particularly inspired by this team. So I figure, I'll dump my complaints here in the hopes of being able to move on.

1. This David Ortiz retirement tour is going to annoy me. It's so tacky. Hasn't David been accused by certain people in the past of thinking that he is 'bigger than the game'? Shouldn't these individuals be deeply offended by the idea of a I'm-David-Ortiz-look-at-me parade? And what about poor San Diego? They haven't played at Petco in almost ten years, do the Padres have to pretend that David means anything to them and does David have to pretend that the Padres mean anything to him? And how much bric-a-brac does one man need? I'm embarrassed for him, even if he doesn't have the good sense to be embarrassed for himself.

2. Angry Dustin Pedroia isn't doing it for me. I used to love the kid but either I've moved on (Mookie Betts is both quippier and so much prettier) or bitter isn't a good look for him. Today he told Rob Bradford: "It's hard around here because people's expectations are results based" as if that's different from almost any other profession out there or even remotely true. You're a coder who's code is consistently buggy, that'll get you fired. You're a doctor who kills nine out of ten patients, that'll get you fired. You're an accountant who gets caught misstating expenses, that'll get you fired. You're a fast food worker who enters customers orders wrong, that'll get you fired. You're a journo and you dig up a big story but then it turns out that it was all lies, that'll get you fi-- wait...no...that one'll get you hired at 'EEI. Major league baseball player, sports writer, and meteorologist, pretty much the only professions where the results from how you do your job don't actually matter.

I feel better.