Are We There Yet?

As the fog and chill in northern Illinois sets in, this terrific cache of photographs from past Spring Trainings will help warm me until March. Via The Daily Beast.

"A St. Louis Cardinals player's spiked foot coming out of sliding pit during spring training drill at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 5, 1955."

"A view of St. Louis Cardinals players during a spring-training game against the New York Yankess at Crescent Lake Field, in St. Petersburg, on March 10, 1955."

"The spring before these two had a historic home-run race that electrified America, Mickey Mantle, left, and Roger Maris of the New York Yankees did a little bench warming as they visited the spring-training camp in St. Petersburg. Feb. 25, 1961."

"Jackie Robinson, first baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers, returns an autograph book to a fan in the stands, during the Dodgers' spring training in Ciudad Trujillo, now Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, on March 6, 1948."

"Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies runs hard for home plate with hair flying as he scores the Phils' first run in an 11-1 win over the New York Mets at Al Lang Field on March 25, 1979."

"First baseman Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants stands at the batting cage waiting his turn to hit, circa mid-1970s, in spring training in Phoenix."

"March 1960: Members of the St. Louis Cardinals stretch  at Al Lang Field."