The interesting thing is we've got a lot of returnees, but not a lot of them have had seasons at the Diamond. Offensively, we all have to [readjust] because it does play so much different. Where it really magnifies is your defense in the outfield.

Those were some of the best seasons that we had. Hopefully the same trend will happen again this year.

An early spring started one morning in March with a swarm of sudden, glassy, bird cries, and then the cool jewelry of primrose and violet loosened themselves in the dirt. Then summer burst into the world like a gorgeous car accident- opening eyes all over our bodies in the brilliant light. Fall- the smell of pumpkin guts, sluttish and unsweetened. Until winter fell all over us like pieces of heaven, glazed with oxygen or ether, hitting the grounder in small, cold shards. It was like a year in Eden where no Eve had ever lived.

We've been to Four Seasons a few times, but we've never won there.

None of the shows we've done in the last two or three seasons could have been shown on air back in 1997.

Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come