The baseball off-season can be surprisingly fun to follow when it's at its best. Rumors flying everywhere, players making up their mind where to play -- it's enough to give even fans of losing teams hope. Who will we get? Will the team be better this season? It's an endless game, and it helps us hardcore baseball fans get through the lonely winter months.
↵At the same time, there's a downside to the off-season: there's so little news happening, that even little stories get blown up into huge deals. Take Hanley Ramirez's move to third base. Ever since the Marlins signed Jose Reyes, there has been rampant speculation that Ramirez was dissatisfied with the idea of moving to third base, and that he was going to make a stink about it. It's been an ongoing saga that won't leave.
↵Now that Spring Training has started, though, hopefully this story can be put to rest. Ramirez took some grounders at third yesterday, and from all reports, he's mentally made the adjustment and is ready to roll at third base.
↵↵↵↵"I never said that I'm not going to do it," Ramirez said after taking ground balls at third base for his first time a Marlin. "I'm happy to be here." (Miami Herald)
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So now can we stop talking about it? Please? It'll definitely be interesting to see how well Ramirez transitions to third base, but considering he's played a tougher defensive position his entire life, he should be fine defensively at third. Give this story another month or so and it should be gone.
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