A quick observation and roundup before I head out down the street to watch the Brewers face Jake Peavy and the Padres in Maryvale ...  

When you bum around spring training for a few weeks, you gain a new appreciation for the little things in baseball. I realized this on Thursday as I watched Rockies manager Clint Hurdle rap out grounders to his infielders while simultaneously talking to the coaches and players who needed to catch a quick word with him.

It wasn't the biggest of tasks, no, but I always enjoy seeing managers leave the confines of their offices with a fungo bat or a bucket of balls for batting practice. I'm not exactly sure why, either, but I think it has something to do with recognizing how baseball is a game of routine and that even the highest guy on the totem pole isn't immune from having to do mundane tasks, game after game, day after day. 

A quick dash around the baseball blogosphere ...

• Might want to hold off on Jay Bruce in your fantasy drafts. The Reds' super phenom will start the year in the minors. [Reds Insider]

• Even the manager of the Yankees helps his son break in his mitt. [NYT — Bats Blog]

• Don't know what good this will do you now (or ever, really) but here are Eric Byrnes' NCAA picks. [Nick Piecoro]

• Paul Lo Duca writes the manual on how to burn a bridge. [Federal Baseball]

• Need some salsa with that sushi? Dustin Pedroia has you covered. [Center Field]

• If you want Extra Innings in HD, your only option is again DirecTV. [Biz of Baseball]

• The difference between two-seam and four-seam fastballs, as confusingly detailed by Jake Peavy. [Gaslamp Ball]

• Curt Schilling breaks down Boston's "boycott" and it seems as long as the team's flight to Japan. [38 Pitches]

• James Shields will take the mound for the Rays on Opening Day. [Rays Report]

• Does putting Juan Uribe on waivers make sense for the White Sox? [South Side Sox]

• Gregg Olson is going into the Orioles Hall of Fame. [Roch Around The Clock]