3:26 p.m. EST, February 18, 2013
Isn’t this supposed to be South Florida? The temperature at the Ed Smith Stadium Complex on Monday morning was 36 degrees, which apparently is not far from being a record low for this time of year.

Not expecting much sympathy from the great white Mid-Atlantic area, but there’s a reason why people come down here this time of year and it’s not to strike the layered look on Siesta Beach. Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the week and eventually reach my preferred personal comfort level, at which time all will again be right with the world.

In the meantime, it’s fair to continue to debate whether these unusually low temperatures are the result of global warming, er, climate change or just the natural fluctuations that occur from year to year. I’ll go with the natural fluctuation theory, since I’ve seen cold snaps like this down here several times over my 34 spring trainings.