There are certain phrases in our language that roll so trippingly off the tongue as to bring a joy and happiness to all who hear them.

Some words have the ability to replace darkness with light, and to bring hope where there was despair.

To a baseball fan, no words are sweeter than molasses or softer than a butterfly landing on a lemon meringue pie as is the phrase 'pitchers and catchers report to spring training today'.

'Pitchers and catchers report....' means the end of winter is at hand, and summer days (and nights) can't be too distant anymore. It means that soon we will be receiving our daily dose of Baseball --- on radio and TV, in the newspapers, and in our conversations with friends and strangers alike.

With 'pitchers and catchers report' will come stories from desert climes, telling us of certain players who worked hard all winter to lose 15 pounds (presumably all fat), while others will have worked just as hard to gain the same 15 pounds ( all muscle, no doubt).

We'll read of players who are hopeful after an injury-riddled season, while some pitchers will be hard at work on a 'new' pitch they've tinkered with in the off-season. (For some of those pitchers, their 'new' pitch could be nothing more than a 'strike'.) Others will have found a flaw in their delivery last year that may have led to the tipping of pitches or the loss of movement on their fastball.

We'll read of players, whose names we've never heard before, who belt a couple homers in an exhibition game, and immediately visions of Ruth or Aaron will come to mind.

Proclamations will resound from all parties that 'I'm in the best shape of my life'.

One thing to remember once the spring training games begin in Arizona and Florida --- the only thing more meaningless than winning a preseason game is......losing a preseason game.

There's no question about it.

FtheM