For the second day in a row and the third time over the past two weekends, all three “local” teams’ games are being broadcast on the radio and as nice as the weather is in Chicago this afternoon, it can’t compare with the Valley on a Sunday afternoon.

My friends and relatives are tired of hearing me wax poetic on the delights of weekend Cactus League games. Tuesday afternoon games are delightful, and weekend crowds are a little overwhelming, but a Sunday or Saturday afternoon is different as it feels like cheating the system. Even snowbirds run errands on the weekend and traffic in the west valley always seems worse on Saturdays, one can pretend they are enjoying the benefits of not having to work.

Even though I haven’t been able to enjoy the games outside, rather I listen in the car (with the windows down) and pretend I’m sitting down the first or third base line. Even in March I’d rather listen to any sporting event being played outdoors. The thought of listening to an NBA game when it’s nice outside repulses me. To the best of my knowledge, none of the three crews have drifted into NFL talk.

In the past five years or so, I figure most everyone has been forced to go to a local urgent care-which I equate with the NBA on the radio (especially when the weather is nice). At least with urgent care you don’t have a Van Gundy or PJ Carlesimo blathering on.

And unlike Bulls broadcasts nobody is talking betting.