By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

It’s less than a week into the baseball season, but since that’s really equivalent to about a half-month, that shouldn’t stop rampant overreaction. After all, we’ve waited long enough and it looks like we might have to hurry before they take it away.

Here are some things I like and don’t like.

I liked the Washington Nationals put gold numbers on the back of their jerseys on Opening Day. I’m no Nationals fan, but it’s their World Series title and they have earned the right to show off.

I don’t like how the hitters seem to have a hard time catching up to 95 mph. The thought was that the pitchers would struggle and even though there have been some blowouts, I’ve seen lots of overmatched hitters.

I like that it’s the last week in July and the Baltimore Orioles are still in the playoff hunt!

I really don’t like this announcer thing they’ve got going on. Radio and TV broadcasters aren’t traveling with the team and some clubs aren’t even having them call games at home. On Sunday Night Baseball from New York last week, the ESPN announcers were in Connecticut, California and Georgia. And you can tell. They step on each other constantly and really don’t tell us anything we don’t already know. They might as well be in my living room. Unless they see it on the monitor, they can’t see who is up in the bullpen, what the defensive alignment is or whether the runner on first is off with the pitch. And yes, I know all the reasons whyit’s being done this way ; I just don’t like it.

I like the cardboard cutouts of the fans mostly because I don’t like looking at a sea of blue seats behind home plate.

I don’t like FOX trying to put computer-generated fans in the outfield. That’s trying too hard.

Let’s just hope there continues to be more to like and dislike.

By TEDDY ALLEN/DesignatedWriters

There were a couple of other things that we knew we’d do on this special annual trip. One was go to the Pavilion and ride all the rides. It was kind of a big deal. Neon and music. All those lights. Salt air. The Swamp Fox at the time was the world’s largest wooden rollercoaster and might still be.

Then one night after supper we’d have Painters Homemade Ice Cream on Murrells Inlet. The sign let you know there was parking in the rear; most of the time, it was needed. I was a homemade chocolate or homemade vanilla guy but they had it all, including peanut butter. And cherry. It was all just so, so good.

To put it in the proper frame of time back then, Painters was basically The Beatles of dairy.

My little sis was there this week with her family, a trip fueled by nostalgia; I wonder if she got a pixie haircut before she left home? She says it might be her last trip there because she wants to go other places. Life’s funny that way: there was a time when we didn’t want to go anywhere else.

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