A baseball state of mind

There is a week left in the regular hockey season.

Soon, "April Madness," also known as the Stanley Cup playoffs, will be in full force.

But, for once, I'm not thinking about which 16 teams are going to be fighting for Lord Stanley's Cup and who will be playing golf in Canada.

It's early April and I'm in a baseball state of mind.

Before I went nuts over men who play games with a stick and a puck, I lost my mind over men who play a game with a bat and a ball.

Then, as now, my team of choice was the New York Yankees.

I don't think I need to tell you how I felt last year when the Yankees lost the World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I was upset, but not that upset.

The Yankees vs. D'backs series was one of the most exciting Series I have ever watched. I was on the edge of my seat on every pitch.

Besides, the Yankees weren't playing those darn Atlanta Braves, which would be a different story.

If they had lost to Atlanta, not only would I have been upset -- I would have been in mourning all winter, no lie.

Being the true Yankees' fan that I am, I feel like it's okay for the other baseball teams to "borrow" the World Series trophy for a year. (Just not the Atlanta Braves, sorry.)

It's now 2002 and the Diamondbacks had all fall and winter to show off the trophy to the good folks throughout the state of Arizona.

It's time to bring it back where it rightfully belongs -- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York.

But seriously people, I'm going to enjoy watching "America's Pastime" whether it be in person or in front of my television.

I might get excited about seeing a great hockey goal, save or even a really good hockey fight, but put me in the bleachers with 18,000 or so of my closest, and not so closest, friends cheering every homerun, no hitter, or a come from behind baseball win, and guess what? I'm in seventh heaven.

To adapt a phrase from that Billy Joel song -- I'm in a baseball state of mind.