Snow might be on the ground, but spring is in the air.

It's baseball season.

At least it will be in my eyes come Wednesday, when the Pirates play the Phillies in their first game of the Grapefruit League season.

Hopefully, the Penguins will gather themselves and make the playoffs and Pitt basketball will get a No. 1 seed and make a serious run in the NCAATournament.

I am a fan of both of those teams.

I am a Pittsburgh sports fan, period.

But every sports fan has a No. 1 team and my No. 1 team is the Pirates.

Yeah, I know, the Bucs could make pro sports history this year with a 17th consecutive losing season. No other franchise has done that.

Jack Wilson, Adam LaRoche and John Grabow, assuming they are having solid years, likely will be dealt at or near the trade deadline.

If the starting pitching doesn't break through this season, the Pirates stand a good chance to lose 100 games.

Yet I remain loyal to my boys.

Nobody looks forward to opening day like I do. It might still feel like football weather in early April, but there will be two baseball teams taking the field at PNCPark.

I know I'm biased, and people in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore might argue, but there is no better venue in which to watch a ballgame.

While 1992 seems like so many years ago — it is, actually — few Pirates fans look at the optimistic side of things with this organization and, yes, there is some reason for optimism.

• There is a new management team in place, one that has been here for just over a year and isn't responsible for the 15 years of losing that preceded it.

• The Pirates have invested more money in scouting, significantly expanding that part of the organization to reach baseball talent throughout the world.

• The Pirates tapped Pedro Alvarez in last June's amateur draft, put up with all the crap that comes with agent Scott Boras and got the guy signed.

• The team succeeded in completing multiyear deals with Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit and Paul Maholm, hoping to put an end to having to trade their top-level players or watch them walk away in free agency.

• Financially, the organization is healthier than it's been in years.

None of these points will translate into a lot of wins in 2009. But they do point to moves in a positive direction.

Tampa Bay is living proof that a longtime loser eventually can break through by building from within.

The Rays did it with a young pitching staff that collectively clicked, turning the team into an instant winner.

Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm all have had successful seasons. They just haven't done it together.

The Pirates have talent in the bullpen. It just can't be overworked.

No, I'm not suggesting the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.

But wouldn't that be fun?