Have you noticed? Those signs are starting to come down. All over South Florida, on roads and highways leading to our stadiums and arenas, those signs that read ''Welcome to Loserville'' are being replaced with new ones that read ``Welcome to Thingsarelookinguptown.''
Everywhere you look now it's all you see: Positive signs.
It's as if we've been locked in some sort of civic dungeon but have finally begun to see small shafts of light and hear distant, approaching voices. Hints of hope. An indication of release.
We are coming off the most desolate cycle of losing in our sports history, with the Dolphins at 1-15 and the Heat at 15-67 suffering the embarrassment of their worst records in franchise history, and the Panthers extending the NHL's longest current streak of consecutive years out of the playoffs.
The Marlins finishing last season with the second-worst record in the league can be retrofitted as almost a triumph by comparison.
Might as well extend it beyond the pros and throw in, just for bad measure, the Hurricanes' 5-7 football record, UM's worst season since 1977.
Loserville, all around.
Now look. No proof yet. Those signs, though.
The Dolphins, our listing flagship, are being gradually righted at last under the hand of Bill Parcells' direction, a bright young general manager in Jeff Ireland and a no-nonsense coach in Tony Sparano.
Acclaim for the recent draft seems merited, with Jake Long looking like a tackle cornerstone for the long haul, defensive end Phillip Merling advertised as first-round quality and quarterback Chad Henne perhaps the long-awaited Next Marino Or At Least a Half-Way Decent Facsimile.
(Hey, it's May. Kickoff is four months away. Dreaming is still legal, right?)
Discerning Dolfans know it isn't just the draft, it is what the new regime has done with the bottom third of the roster, too. Improvement and increased toughness are everywhere. Special teams will be dramatically improved -- guaranteed.
Miami might be another strong draft away from competing for a playoff spot, but a glance at an exceptionally soft and beatable 2008 schedule suggests these Dolphins could make a run at .500 this year, especially if Henne is who they hope he is.
The controversy over the Jason Taylor soap opera is largely a media contrivance that won't amount to much but has diverted attention from the larger, emerging picture:
That this is a team poised to leap from rancid to respectable right now.
Heat fans are entitled to similar expectations. They are reasonable.
Miami is mathematically favored in the upcoming draft to have a chance to select highly coveted Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, or, as a most-desirable alternative, Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.
Either guy paired with a healthy-again Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion gives Miami a core that can win now in an NBA geared to quick turnarounds.
Heat fans should also embrace the new coaching change. Pat Riley is better concentrating on his presidential player-procurement duties, and the Heat is better off with young Erik Spoelstra taking over as coach and bringing the vigor, hunger and fresh ideas that Riley came to lack.
PANTHERS' CHANGE
A similar change also should be good for the hockey Panthers. Jacques Martin staying on as general manager and hiring the man who'll replace him as coach is an awkward situation. Ultimately, though, Florida can't help but benefit from a new coach, which figures to be the impetus needed to make the Cats a player in the Stanley Cup playoffs next year for the first time since 2000.
The Marlins offer the first tangible sign of better days, with a strong start to this season that has had them leading the NL East or close to the top. The team has one of the best players in baseball in Hanley Ramirez, plenty of home-run pop, a solid bullpen and enough young arms to make for a promising short-term future.
Oh, and a new stadium finally was approved, meaning no more doubts about the club even having a long-term future.
UM'S REBOUND
The University of Miami is part of our civic turnaround with our big teams.
Canes men's basketball reached the second round of the recent NCAA Tournament and has a real leader in Frank Haith; UM baseball is ranked No. 1 in the country; and football seems primed for a comeback bolstered by a recent recruiting class that ESPN judged the best in America.
We'll see how all of this plays out, especially how fast the Dolphins and Heat can reverse cursed seasons. Simply believing in the possibility isn't always easy when an avalanche of defeat can leave a fan too shell-shocked to expect too much too soon.
Meantime, you can see the signs, and one of them reads, ''Cautious Optimism Ahead.'' None of this is to suggest we all join hands in a pie-eyed chorus of Happy Days Are Here Again -- only that our collective misery is dissipating by degrees.
That's enough for now.
After what we've been going through lately, it feels good to start to feel good again.
