During a press conference in April 1986, President Ronald Reagan reportedly said that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

The Great Communicator — as Reagan became known during his two terms — was not wrong. He knew that the federal government — left to its own devices — can foul up a cheese sandwich.

But this isn’t a column about the government or anything political. Instead, I woke up and found myself focusing on the positive. I know. I must be sick. I thought the same thing, but I think I can see the light at the end of all this ice and snow we’ve been dealing with all winter. Maybe it’s because I can actually see grass.

So what are the best nine words in the English language? That all depends on who is saying them, but every February, these words make me happier than just about anything else:

“Pitchers and catchers are now reporting for spring training.”

Of course, they would be a distant second to: “Congratulations, Ed! Here’s your check for winning Mega Millions!”

But since I’m not that lucky, I’ll take spring training and the promise of warm days and early-season baseball to come. It was hard to imagine a couple of weeks ago, given that long streak of sub-freezing “high” temperatures.

But the Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates have made it to Arizona and Florida, respectively, and we’re just over a month away from the season opener for both teams and the rest of MLB.

For now, we won’t think about the stupid, regular-season “ghost runner” rule and the fact that there’s now a pitch clock. We won’t let the Los Angeles Dodgers’ obscene payroll and their willingness to grow it more every year ruin our love of the game. We won’t even grumble much over the gambling allegations against Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz that could curb our enthusiasm.

(But if it is true that they literally gambled their lucrative careers for chump change, I think it’s fair to say that they might not be the smartest guys to ever step onto a baseball field.)

Even without them, the Guardians rallied to win the AL Central after it seemed the Detroit Tigers had it locked up in August. Let’s not focus on the AL Wildcard Series against those same Tigers.

We’re also not going to worry about the fact that the Guardians were not exactly what anyone would call “active” during the offseason. Instead, it looks like they’re content to allow the young position players we saw late in 2025 and into the playoffs to show if they’re ready to be everyday players in 2026.

The Guardians did sign third baseman Jose Ramirez to a seven-year contract extension that could ensure he will finish his career in Cleveland. But the only other significant moves were to re-sign backup catcher Austin Hedges and sign RHIP Shawn Armstrong, Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman. The Guardians also selected RHP Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft and avoided arbitration with LF Steven Kwan, who signed a new one-year deal.

Beyond that, Cleveland is hoping outfielders Chase DeLauter and George Valera stay healthy and develop into everyday producers. Infielders Travis Bazzana and Juan Brito are young, but could push for playing time in 2026.

While the Guardians’ offseason strategy mostly was focused internally, the Pirates went shopping. They acquired All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros and also signed free-agent hitters Marcell Ozuna (DH-OF) and Ryan O’Hearn (1B) to upgrade their MLB-worst 2025 hitting. Pittsburgh also left-handers Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery and right-hander Jose Urquidy to bolster a pitching staff led by NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

It’s always a daunting task for smaller-market teams like the Guardians and Pirates to compete with the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Red Sox over 162 regular-season games, so spring training is always a time for optimism.

The snow and ice are on the way out — we hope — and we can actually see the grass again. It doesn’t yet look the way it will on Opening Day at Progressive Field and PNC Park, but we can picture it in our minds.

It’s almost time for the greatest two words in sports: “Play ball!”

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Write him at epuskas@tribtoday.com or call 330-841-1786.