The people who print the calendar have been trying to get us to believe that spring started on March 21, but we weren’t buying it.

Sure, the days have been getting longer and a few green shoots have been making exploratory forays in our flower beds, but we’ve kept our winter coats out of storage for a reason.

Everyone in New England knows that the real end of winter is the day that the Red Sox wrap up spring training in Florida and baseball season is officially under way.

And that’s today, so notwithstanding what form of the predicted “wintry mix” is falling on your head today, you know that we have finally made it through another winter.

This is a season of optimism, this year more than most if you are a Red Sox fan.

With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz anchoring the top of a solid rotation and a revamped offense that adds speed and power in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, this looks like a good year for the Sox.

And whether that means sweltering in the stands at Fenway Park or dozing on a hammock through a late-night radio broadcast during a midsummer West Coast road trip, the deepest pleasures of summer are within our reach.

Fortunately, the Sox are opening the season in Texas, with temperatures in the 80s, and not at home. But, New Englanders, don’t be fooled by what you see coming from the sky — spring is here. Play ball!