Baseball’s back … and not a moment too soon. A week ago, we had 11 inches of snow on the ground here in St. Louis. Tonight, this town’s beloved Cardinals are in action. Hope springs eternal.

Me? I’m a Cincinnati Reds fan — sacrilege in St. Louis, but I can’t help that any more than I can help having brown eyes. It’s who I am.

The Reds opened the season with a heartbreaking, 13-inning loss to the Angels. That leaves them with 161 games and about 1,450 innings more to play this year — not including (God willing) the playoffs.

Tomorrow, they’ll take the field for Game No. 2 and try to figure out how to solve a year-long dilemma: How to stay focused on a long-term goal — namely, winning a world championship — by fighting a long, arduous series of 162 mini-wars, one at a time, each with its own dramas, strategies, and mentally draining decisions to be made.

It’s a great lesson for all of us.

How do we win the war? By staying focused on winning today’s battle, and then doing it all again tomorrow. Learn how to do this, which helps us do that, which sets us apart and gets us ahead. Before you know it, we’re thought leaders and innovators. We’re not just following new trails, we’re blazing them. We’re setting the pace and forcing others to play catch-up.

But it all starts with winning tomorrow’s game.

One at a time, people. Work what’s in front of you.

But never, ever lose sight of what’s on the horizon. Fight for today with an eye on tomorrow.