“Why can't you be romantic about baseball?”

This is a legendary quote from the movie “Moneyball,” and the Cincinnati Reds are making the most of it here in spring training.

For those who don't know, pitchers and catchers were reported last week, and position players are added this week.by Tuesday, all MLB players will participate in the camp. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, baseball is coming!

And for the Cincinnati Reds in particular, some spring training tactics involving their catchers already seem to set the tone for midseason. (Related article: Three-time World Series champion Pablo Sandoval aims to return to MLB)

If you've played baseball before, you know that there are only so many ways you can practice. Most teams, which don't start spring training games until Saturday, are finding interesting ways to acquire some players.

The Reds have chosen an interesting method to improve their catchers' skills when tagging runners, but instead of using actual runners for fear of player injury, they use something like this: ..

Stuffed pig. And it's not just a stuffed pig, it's a stuffed pig tied to a rope.

Check it out.

No stuffed animals were harmed during the production of this film. pic.twitter.com/9MU30ERqF1

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 19, 2024

baseball without context pic.twitter.com/vJVN0wvQWZ

— Cut 4 (@Cut4) February 19, 2024

I think it's very necessary to show this clip in conjunction with what the Reds are doing.

What Cincinnati is doing may be a little silly, but it's very “baseball stuff” and something that smells like fresh spring air…something to be excited about that America's pastime is coming back soon. Or…something that makes you ask…

Why can't I feel romantic about baseball?