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OK, first things first: I unfortunately have to call a false start on the Roy Halladay hot rod C-a-C. The sight of the Phillies pitcher leaving spring training in such high style was so cool that it went out on Yahoo's front page and a bunch of humorless people and way-too-literal gearheads flooded our l'il competition. I apologize to anyone who had a good submission lost among the tidal wave of confusion and indignation.

The good news is that we can resume having fun because there's almost zero chance of Tony La Russa's visit with Jim Leyland at the Detroit Tigers camp on Tuesday reaching the general population. The former Cardinals manager is in talks with MLB about a job but has been spending some of his retirement oohing and aahing at what Jimmy Smokes has to play with this season.

So have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?

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The request we're sending to bloggers of all 30 teams this spring is a simple one: What are the 10 best things about being a fan of your favorite team? What features of the franchise have you excited for opening day and what keeps you coming back year after year?

Over the next few weeks, we'll give each of the 30 teams a day in the spotlight, showcasing the icons and traditions that make each big-league hamlet special. Up next is our pal Jim McLennan, the proprietor of the great AZ Snakepit.

Let's get the obvious "best things" out of the way. You know we're the reigning NL West champions. You know Justin Upton is one of the most exciting players  in the game. It's hard to argue it's a marvelous time to be a D-backs fan, with a good team now and, as we'll see, reason to look forward to the future.

So here, in no particular order are a few other nuggets, from the obscure to the renowned, that are part of the pleasures of Arizona fandom.

1. An amazingly fan-friendly organization: You might already be aware that team president Derrick Hall is a giant among executives. To add to that story, the night before his cancer diagnosis was announced, he hosted a Tweetup at the park for fans. It was just a silly little social media get-together, and given the circumstances, no one would have blamed him in the slightest for blowing it off. But he didn't, and you'd never have known he'd recently received a life-threatening diagnosis. That says a ton about the man, and how much he values his team's fans.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman (right) wants to apply the lessons of Jeremy Lin to his team. (AP)

TAMPA — Like the rest of New York City's sports fans, Brian Cashman has gone Linsane for Jeremy Lin. And he's more than simply entertained by the unexpected rise of the New York Knicks new point guard. Cashman, who spoke with ESPN Radio's Michael Kay on Monday, wants to apply the story of Lin's success to the New York Yankees.

"It transcends the sports world," Cashman said.

The players have been watching, too. Joba Chamberlain has said Linsanity reminds him of the hype during his own rookie season. CC Sabathia has seen a bunch of Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Top pitching prospect Dellin Betances, who stands 6-foot-8 and played high school basketball in Brooklyn, chatted excitedly with visitors in the Yankees clubhouse about Lin's most recent games.

As Yankees' GM, Cashman wants the team's fringe players to learn from Lin, too:

Señor Buster .. Olé! (Getty/BLS illustration)Of all the early news coming from San Francisco Giants camp, Buster Posey being instructed to avoid any and all collisions at home plate probably ranks as the biggest.

The news, of course, is not surprising after Posey missed most of 2011 after his infamous run-in with the Marlins' Scott Cousins. But it's noteworthy in that Posey's migration to first base is not yet upon us (though the 24-year-old catcher acknowledges it's probably inevitable).

It also gives me a chance to do a bad Photoshop of Posey as a Spanish matador since every interaction will start with him coming out in front of the plate and fielding the ball before attempting to tag the runner trying to take the run behind him. The "swipe tag" strategy is nothing new, but it's going to add an interesting element to Giants games as the team sacrifices a few runs for a healthy backstop.

And, as Peter Gammons noted on Twitter on Tuesday morning, it's not as if Posey can't learn to make it work. Carlton Fisk famously adopted the

Are gummi worms performance enhancers? (Big League Stew)

TAMPA —The New York Yankees would prefer if closer Mariano Rivera pitched forever. But since nobody is capable of that — and Rivera himself hinted Monday that the end of his career will come sooner rather than later — it makes sense to plan for a future when somebody else is saving games in the Bronx.

That's why the Yankees are seeing to it that the young fan in this photo is ready to join the major-league roster when his time comes, which probably will be September 2035, plus or minus, according to GM Brian Cashman. A clean blanket, "Protect This House" T-shirt, fitted Yankees cap, what appear to be animal crackers and gummi worms — Future Joba has been given all of the tools a young ballplayer needs.

And what about other Yankees youngsters, like right-hander Michael Pineda? How did they look during their first official spring workout?

Rick Santorum has a story about wet pants and Kent Tekulve. (AP/Getty)

I have to say: The headline for this Rick Santorum-Kent Tekulve post really sells itself.

So with that said, I'm not going to write too much about this clip of the former Pennsylvania senator/GOP hopeful namedropping everyone's favorite Pittsburgh Pirates closer in a bid for votes at a Republican function on Saturday night.

Just sit back and enjoy as Santorum manages to brilliantly work "warm sensation," "huge wet spot," "Mr. Tekulve, I'm so excited to meet you" and "take your pants off"  into the same soundbite. It's not quite Ted Kennedy's "Sammy Sooser-Mike McGwire" quip, but it's up there.

A.J. Burnett throws at Pirates' camp. (US Presswire)Baseball is back! Here at Big League Stew, we'll take a quick dash around the league each morning in an attempt to keep you updated on all the springtime storylines.

• Forget Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. The ballplayer causing the biggest double takes with his new uniform on Monday might have been A.J. Burnett. Donning a canary yellow batting practice jersey, the newest Pirate talked about fresh starts and being able to bat full time for the first time since he was a member of the Marlins in 2005. It remains to be seen if the change of scenery makes a difference, but Burnett tells the New York Daily News that he may have listened to too many people in the Yankees organization after his stats went south.

[Related: A.J. Burnett's time in the Bronx was, well, interesting]

• Erik Malinowski's in-depth Deadspin piece on the 20th anniversary of "Homer At The Bat" is guaranteed to burn thousands of Facebook pages and Twitter feeds today and for good reason. My life has been irrevocably changed knowing that Ryne Sandberg was the show's original choice for second base.

• If there's any drama over Cole Hamels' contract situation, it will be allowed to spill over into the regular season. The Phillies pitcher, who's set to become a free agent after this season, told reporters that no deadline has been set for a possible extension.

• Justin Verlander is tooling around Tigers camp in a new $200,000 Mercedes AMG SLS.  But will he take it north once spring training ends? It's a brave man who chooses to drive an import in Detroit.

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The request we're sending to bloggers of all 30 teams this spring is a simple one: What are the 10 best things about being a fan of your favorite team? What features of the franchise have you excited for opening day and what keeps you coming back year after year?

Over the next few weeks, we'll give each of the 30 teams a day in the spotlight, showcasing the icons and traditions that make each big-league hamlet special. Starting our second week is Ricardo Marquez, a big Angels fan who's campaigning for a spot in the MLB Fan Cave. Please cast your vote for him here and follow him on Twitter (@iblogbetter)

1. We were here first: Contrary to popular belief in Los Angeles, the Dodgers were not the first professional baseball team here. The Los Angeles Angels have actually been playing ball here since 1892, or 1903 if you want to get specific when they first joined the Pacific Coast League.