Alright, enough with this “winter” nonsense.

Even amid the excitement that is the Winter Olympics, I can’t help but think of warmer times – summer days when it feels like the sun actually has an effect on the weather. You know what days I’m talking about.

Baseball season.

So you can imagine how excited I am that this week marks the official beginning of the 2006 Major League Baseball season. Yes, in only two days pitchers and catchers will be reporting to their respective spring training sites in Florida and Arizona.

As the season approaches, every team has question marks that they hope will get worked out in the next month and a half. The question marks that end up as exclamation points are usually indications of good things to come; the question marks that remain questions after March don’t bode well for the teams and players involved.

So with that in mind, I present five musts for individual teams and Major League Baseball in general to have success in the upcoming season:

1. Players must stay healthy during the World Baseball Classic. It’s a great competition that fits the mold of the Olympics, with players representing their home countries. But it’s also a huge health risk. To basically jump right into heavy competition after a winter-long break can lead to injuries that may not occur in normal spring training.

Spring training, while still a competitive time, is basically a warm-up for some of the game’s superstars. Guys like Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez don’t have to fight for their spots on the roster. But nationality can be a stronger allegiance than the name of the team on the front of your jersey. If Mike Piazza suffers an injury playing for Team Italy, the San Diego Padres might not be so patriotic next time.

2. Johnny Damon must produce in the Big Apple. Damon was the biggest, and one of the only, acquisitions the free-spending New York Yankees made in the offseason. He’s coming to New York from their ever-so-hated rivals – the Boston Red Sox. It doesn’t need to be explained about the relationship those two teams have with each other.

So the pressure on Damon is going to be great. New York, as Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez can attest, is a tough city to feel welcome in if you’re struggling. Add in the fact that Yankee fans have held disdain in their hearts for Damon before, and it could be a rough year for Damon if he doesn’t put up some numbers early.

3. The Toronto Blue Jays must compete for the playoffs. After dropping major cash on free agents A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan, they’re obviously ready to make a push at dismantling the Red Sox-Yankees perch atop the AL East. They’ve got the talent to do it now, too. There’s no excuse not to be in contention in late August. Anything less will be a disappointment after the offseason spending spree.

4. The Cubs must stay healthy. Every year for the past five decades has been the Cubs’ year. With the additions of Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones, this year is no different. On paper, they’re as talented as they come. But, as Cubs fans know all too well, paper is only paper. The Cubs need to stay healthy for an entire season. If they can do that – as much as this physically pains me to say – they’ve got a shot at a ring.

5. Major League Baseball must make progress on the steroids issue. Last year they started cracking down, issuing 10-game suspensions for testing positive. After the season, the owners approved a new policy that will administer a 50-game suspension for a first-time offense. The penalties are in place -now it’s up to the athletes to stop using steroids for good. It’s tarnishing the image of our national pastime. And if it doesn’t go away, a lot of loyal fans might.

On second thought, this “winter” isn’t so bad. In fact, I think I can feel spring right around the corner.

Nathan Grimm is a sophomore in ALS. He can be reached at [email protected].