Preparing for rebirth

So it’s that time of year.

Lent has begun (see Kathleen A. Mulhern’s “Lent FAQ” at Patheos).

It’s time to plan out the garden and plot out the plot.

And in Florida, grown men practice fielding bunts, working now so they can play later.

While some teams begin spring training with exciting new free agents or rookie phenoms, my beloved Mets didn’t upgrade much from the team that finished 77-85 last year. They lost star shortstop Jose Reyes — but on the plus-side, pitcher Jon Niese has a new nose.

But still it’s February, a time for hope even if we can’t find much basis for it beyond the flimsiest premise. Mets fan Joe Dorish asks, “Can Daniel Muno Be the Jeremy Lin of the New York Mets?” The reasonable, rational answer is “No.” And it’s not a good sign when fans are pinning their hopes on an eighth-round draft pick who hasn’t yet played above A ball.

But there’ll be plenty of time later on for such reasonable, rational pessimism. Right now it’s early February and anything is still possible. So right now I’ll join Dorish in dreaming of what might be. And I’ll order seeds for planting and look forward to Easter.