Elephant Rumblings: ‘Hope Spring Eternal’

Baseball is back! | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images The phrase ‘hope springs eternal’ was first published in 1732 by Alexander Pope in his poem “An Essay on Man”; more than one hundred years before the New York Knickerbockers played in the first professional baseball game in 1846. But in my mind, this p

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The phrase ‘hope springs eternal’ was first published in 1732 by Alexander Pope in his poem “An Essay on Man”; more than one hundred years before the New York Knickerbockers played in the first professional baseball game in 1846. But in my mind, this phrase always comes to mind as major league baseball teams take the field for the first time each spring. Because no matter how the previous season ended last Fall, be it heartache, celebration or an act of mercy, the new season brings hope, anxious

anticipation, and the joy of a clean slate. This season is no different for me, except maybe the hope for a fun A’s season is based in more reality than dream state.

My favorite baseball author is Joe Posnanski, author of the daily publication JoeBlogs, as well as the terrific books “Why We Love Baseball,” “The Baseball 100”, and “The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America”. I start my morning reading his blog along with my colleagues’ posts here on ‘A’s Nation’ sometimes even before checking in on my fantasy team. A few days ago, I read his American League Preview piece where this was published:

Once again, I found myself agreeing with Posnanski’s analysis. Of course, that was before the opposing teams have amassed thirty-three runs to the A’s four in the first four spring training games. Our feelings diverge in assessing the A’s pitching staff. While I don’t see a Cy Young Award or a 20-game winner, as if there will ever be another one of those again*, on this roster, I’m optimistic that this team will solidify into a pretty good group of starters. So I’m thinking this staff will be better than just shaky.

Today, our A’s take on the Texas Rangers, and American Leage West rival at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, AZ. I’m loking forward to a great second outing by Jack Perkins and an awakening of the A’s bats. As I said, hope springs eternal.

*The last 20-game winner for the American league was Justin Verlander in 2019 and Spencer Strider in 2023 for the National League.