This past week was a special one to families all across San Francisco. Little old ladies with their pink plastic bags made their way home from the grocery store and prepared feasts that make you wish you had an Asian family. The kids received red envelopes filled with green. And the San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. Happy New Year everyone!!!

On Wednesday, World Series Champions Madison and Co. made their way to Scottsdale, Arizona to officially commence the 2015 season of spectacular mediocrity. As we all know, that is the deal we struck with Beelzebub--win the World Series in even-numbered years, miss the playoffs in the odds. Third-place and a sub-.500 record, here we come! Or, or, or this is the season that our boys bring home the hardware in a repeat, setting it up for next year's three-peat? Hey, it's February and spring training just started — dream with me.

A full report on the current squad will be coming once the rest of the players arrive in Scottsdale on Monday. There have been some changes to our Giants. Familiar faces are gone, new faces are sure to appear. We'll get into all that later. Just know that right now, in the desert, Madison and Matt and Timmy and Huddy and Peavy and the rest of the boys are pitching real-life baseballs into the real-life mitts of Buster and Hector and Susac. That thought should put the smell of grass and leather in your nose and a smile on your face.

Baseball is back. Happy New Year, San Francisco.

P.S. Bruce Bochy was admitted to a Scottsdale hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest. He underwent a minor procedure and will be fine.

P.P.S. For those of us who remember the Giants in 80's and 90's, we lost one of the legends. This past Sunday, Wendell Kim, the Giants third-base coach from 1989-1996, passed away. Wendell played baseball at CalPoly Pomona and signed with the Giants in 1973. Though he never made the big leagues, he did play at the AAA level before becoming the manager for several Giants minor-league teams. But most of us will forever remember him as the littlest Giant, standing guard at his box by third-base, waving home Will and Barry. Rest in peace, Wendell. You were, and always will be, one of our favorites.