Hope Springs Eternal

The Rangers open up with a new regime tonight. The Mets open up their Grapefruit League schedule. Optimism abound.

Wade Redden has been signed to be our power play quarterback. Nik Zherdev has been acquired in a trade and should be one of our top goal scorers. Markus Naslund has been brought on to be our top line left winger. We have high expectations for youngsters Brandon Dubinsky and Nigel Dawes. It starts tonight.

It's a clean slate. Forget what happened the last few months. It's a 21-game sprint to make the playoffs. While they do count, consider the next three games an abbreviated pre-season. Who will make the team? Who will be the go to guys late in the game? Who will be on the power play? Should be a fun week.

Down in Florida, the Mets will be in actual game action. A 30-100 season from Carlos Delgado. Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo wreaking havoc at the top of the order, with on-base percentages pushing .400. Game over with a lead after 7 innings. Oliver Perez finding consistency. Johan Santana with 20+ wins. Ryan Church and Brian Schneider making that Milledge trade lopsided in our favor. What a great time of year.