Dying Over Here: Let's start the season already!

The 2010 Phillies, befitting a two-time defending league champion with very little roster turnover, has had a blessedly quiet Spring Training so far.  No new, major injuries (knock on big plank o' wood), minimal position battles (fifth starter?  one or two bullpen spots?).  Frankly, it's been hard to find stuff to write about.  And that's a good thing, kids.

The team is 10-7 so far this spring.  Good, and barring a huge string of losses to close out the Grapefruit League schedule, probably good enough to preclude the usual run of "They aren't ready to play when they come north!" articles when the team gets off to its obligatory slow start to the regular season next month.

One bad inning against the Yankees the other day aside, Cole Hamels has looked very good, certainly better than he did last spring.  Roy Halladay, his last start excluded, has been dynamite.  When all is said and done, however, no one is really going to know until the rubber hits the road just how "ready" this team is... particularly the bullpen, where small spring sample sizes and degree of difficulty facing minor leaguers and other bench players late in games, make meaningful conclusions difficult if not impossible.

Is this an article about nothing?  Sort of.  Can we all agree that we're ready for the regular season to begin?  Absolutely.