Spring Fever
Friday, warm temps and a baseball agreement have got me feeling good. If only my phone would quit it with the winter weather advisories.
Thoughts for the day
It’s Friday and all is right in my little corner of the world.
I got a spiffy new haircut, and as I look out the window, the sun is shining and the temps are knocking on the door to 60 degrees. Never you mind the Northeast is preparing for a “bomb cyclone,” the weekend is here and spring is just around the corner. That means it’s almost time to break out the sticks and spoil some good walks.
That also means it’s almost time for baseball, and whaddya know? Major League Baseball and the Players Association reached a deal. Pitchers and catchers report Sunday — only a month late — and Opening Day is less than a month away. Way to go, boys! I won’t take back what I said about y’all, but we can pretend I didn’t say it out loud.
I’m sure this era of good feeling will be short-lived, as a Phillies fan I’m prepped for disappointment. I’m sure we’ll miss out on all the good free agents and have yet another September to forget. But, for now, all things are possible.
The Six
No. 1
Play ball! After a lot of stops and starts, Major League Baseball and the union have a deal, and we should get a full slate of 162 games. Spring training will start almost immediately, and Opening Day is set for April 7. The Athletic has all the deets.
No. 2
A winter storm that looks to put a damper on my spring fever — dubbed Winter Storm Quinlan by The Weather Channel — will dump snow from the Plains and parts of the Midwest and South into New England this weekend. The Weather Channel anticipates it will ramp up into a "bomb cyclone" as it moves up the coast. That doesn’t sound good.
No. 3
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug” and the Ukrainian government “evil” in a video obtained by WRAL News Channel 5 in Raleigh. When contacted by The Hill about the comments, his office pointed to a Reddit thread claiming America is being sold on propaganda to draw it into a war with Russia. The Hill also reports Cawthorn was one of only 17 representatives who voted against banning Russian oil Wednesday.
No. 4
ABC News reports on how the International Space Station is caught in crosshairs of geopolitical tensions as new sanctions threaten peace on board the ISS. U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei is set to end 355 days in space in just three weeks — in Kazakhstan in a Russian spacecraft. Now, the head of Russia's Space Agency (a Putin ally) is threatening to leave Vande Hei behind and detach Russia's segment of the space station, remarks that caused an online spat with former astronaut Scott Kelly (brother of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly). Russia had announced plans to pull out of the space station as early as 2025 prior to the current conflict.
No. 5
Good read by Shanin Specter for Smerconish.com: The Path to Peace in Ukraine
No. 6
Sometimes, someone else says it better than you ever could, and the lede to this story about the legendary Denise McCluggage joining the Motorsports Hall of Fame is one of those times. From Autoweek:
“Denise McCluggage’s whole life was spent doing things women weren’t supposed to do. In an age when the proper thing for a lady was to marry a strong man and have perfect children while her husband worked, Denise decided to race cars instead.”
Quote of the Day
"Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug. Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies." — Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.)
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About
Christopher Six is a passionate advocate of community journalism with more than 30 years in the media, corporate communications and marketing. An award-winning designer, columnist, illustrator, photographer and newsroom leader, he is a respected voice in journalism ethics. A veteran reporter, he has created and taught news writing seminars for community colleges and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
Editor’s Note
Pick Six is published most Mondays-Fridays. Sharing of stories does not equal endorsement, however, personal thoughts and commentary on those stories are 100 percent my own.