ON DECK: Officially Yuman

I think I'm officially a Yuman.

When I first got here it was 108 degrees and I wasn't used to that. Now I'm watching soccer in 45 degrees, and while I'm certainly used to it, I'm finding myself bundling up a little more than usual.

Soccer's a game, much like football, where they don't really cancel games because of weather. It can be rainy, muddy, windy or snowing, they'll play on. The last two Kofa game's I've been to it's been in the low 40s and one of them had howling winds full of dust. I think I ate more dirt that night than I have in my whole life combined.

“You gotta play in the cold,” said Kofa head coach Jamie Nicewander. “We're the only outdoor sport in the winter here and it might not be cold to a lot of people, but we're Yumans. We're freezing right now.”

And while I'll take this dry cold over the dry heat (and I'll definitely take it over rain), I'm looking forward to the warmth of spring training.