Afterall, this Web log is named for the Stray Cast, which has snapped off the end of the outdoors column in the Sun-Times on Wednesdays since April 2, 2003.

Here's today's:

With Braidwood Lake reopening, thoughts turn to open water and baseball by the numbers: Say the magic of 5.1 times Starlin Castro's age and .217 times Gordon Beckham's. (Hey, it's spring training for me, too.)