You can tell Braves catchers Eddie Perez, left and Johnny Estrada are fired up about the season. AP

It's right around the corner, you know. We're talking baseball (as the song goes, Willie, Mickey and the Duke). If you're like me, baseball always sneaks up on you, as the NFL ends and the NBA hits its post All-Star blahs. And now Spring Ttraining games start this week. Think of this as your Spring Training checklist -- nine ways to get ready for the 2005 Major League Baseball season.

1) Get a new cap. Every year, a few weeks before Opening Day, I get a new Braves hat and wear it throughout the season, wringing it between my hands whenever Bobby Cox leaves a starter in too long. By the end of the season, it's as worn out as I am, so I retire it and start fresh the next season. Note to Major League Baseball: Please stop trying to bleed our pockets dry by making so many horrible caps. Thanks!

2) Fantasy Baseball. I just got my first invite for a fantasy league. Time to buy one of those $9.99 guides to bluff my way through the draft. The only tip I can give you is that Jake Plummer should be a serious contender for MVP ... or not.

3) MLB Extra Innings. Go ahead and order it now. The package is a bit pricey, but it's worth every penny if for no other reason than to hear Vin Scully doing Dodgers games live from the West Coast while you drift off to sleep.

4) Buy new spikes: I learned this week that Cox is the only manager in baseball who still regularly wears cleats in the dugout. My wife gets a little angry when I wear them around the house -- something about hardwood floors and scratches -- but I think they're worth it to really get in the mood -- for baseball, that is.

5) Simulation. Last Thursday I bought EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2005 (with Manny Ramirez on the cover), and the Owner Mode is so compelling that I was up until 5:30 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning trying to generate enough cash to build an upper tier on the new Braves stadium I designed and built. This game is hard, but not too hard, and has me thinking baseball 24/7.

6) Clean the couch. I spent so much time on my couch last season that at one point the floral pattern transferred onto the backs of my thighs. I already sent the pillow covers to be dry cleaned for this season. Or maybe I'll order one of these.

7) Find your guys. I'm not a Mets fan, but if Andres Galarraga makes the team, I'll be tuning in to check on him. There are players like him all around baseball -- the feel-good stories of guys who have overcome remarkable odds to make it to The Show. Spring Training is when we hear about them. The regular season is when we root for them.

8) Buy tickets now. As fun as it is to watch baseball on the tube and flip between a dozen games, nothing beats going to the park, squeezing in next to sweaty strangers, hoping for a foul pop and, most memorably, just being a part of something bigger than yourself, if only for a few hours.

9) Hate the Yankees. Come on, is there anything more American than hating the Yankees? Greatness sucks, unless of course it's your team that's beating the crap out of everybody else.