There is a moment that comes right before the climax. One that precedes the grand finale. It arrives just before the moment everyone is waiting for, and while you don’t often expect to be so moved by it, it usually sticks in your mind.

When you picture your wedding day, you’re likely imagining the vows or the first kiss, maybe the first dance or when the doors close on the honeymoon suite. But, I’m here to tell you, the moment you’ll remember most is the one just before all of that. When the chapel doors open and you see the bride (or groom) for the first time that day; that’s the moment you’ll remember most.

The moment when you turn in your last high school exam is better than the one when you walk across the stage.

That moment is the day pitchers and catcher report for Spring Training. You’ve been dying for baseball season and the first pitch of Opening Day, but when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, that’s the chapel doors and the final exam. It’s the moment before the moment.

It’s the last crack of thunder before the storm breaks. The drive to the office before your big interview. The opening credits of the summer blockbuster.

That, is Pitchers and Catchers.

You haven’t been waiting for this moment in particular, but this moment is the one that tells you the big one is coming.

So as the planes land in Florida and Arizona and players unpack their belongings over the next few days, we’re all arriving at the moment before the moment. Our long offseason journey is nearly over. It’s not over, but almost.

We’ve made it, fellow baseball fans, to the first step in recovering from the long terrible winter. Baseball is almost back. The first day of the rest of your life is today.

Happy Pitchers and Catchers, everyone. We missed you, baseball.