From a Times Insider column by Terence McGinley headlined “Before the Games Count, a Baseball Writer Is in Full Swing”:

Tyler Kepner, the national baseball writer for The New York Times, thinks of the baseball calendar — and his job — as having four seasons: spring training, the regular season, the playoffs and the off-season. The playoffs are the most exciting season. But spring is the most fun.

Unlike other professional sports teams, which typically hold training camps near the cities where they play, Major League Baseball teams gather in just two places — Florida and greater Phoenix — to prepare for competition. For reporters like Mr. Kepner, the concentration of players and clubs is a field day.