Sunday, March 17, marks Day 33 of Diamondbacks spring training. And, inevitably, it appears we have reached the point when players have had it with backfield drills and exhibition games, and are yearning for games that actually count.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said on Tuesday that he was beginning to sense exactly that.

"We ran some high intensity bunt plays today," Lovullo said. "I loved what I saw and the guys got after it. We had actual bunters, and we did a lot right. And I could tell they did it really well for about nine minutes, and then they got a little bit bored. When I start to see that, I think they're ready for the next challenge."

The case for shortening spri...