“For, lo, the winter is past
The rain is over and gone
The flowers appear on the Earth
The time of the singing of birds is come
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.”
Ford C. Frick Award winner Ernie Harwell used to recite that poem at the start of every Tigers season. It would seem to have nothing to do with baseball, but I’ve always been struck by how Harwell made it ring so perfectly. Spring might not be here on the calendar yet, but spring training is well underway — meaning that Opening Day is just around the corner with the promise of a new season.